A hearing held last week at village hall concerning commercial vehicles brought out two sides of an issue, causing the village board to carefully consider the proposed law.

Currently, a law on the village books forbids the presence of commercial vehicles such as those used for commerce from being parked on residential property overnight. Residents are forbidden from parking them on the street, in their driveways or in their garages overnight, the law states. The village defines commercial vehicles as those used for commerce such as trucks, vans, limousines, cabs, ambulettes, landscaping vehicles and buses.

However, the law does have a provision to grant special use permits to residents who operate commercial vehicles to store them on their property on a case by case basis.

Because the village has gotten a flood of applications for such permits, the board proposed an amendment to the law abolishing special use permits and thereby completely forbidding commercial vehicles on residential property overnight under any circumstances.

According to village attorney John Spellman, the local law has to do with a quality of life issue as the village is trying to prevent the proliferation of commercial vehicles, which some believe damage the aesthetic look of the village, in residential neighborhoods.

In considering the law amendment, the village board considered where the commercial vehicles would go if not on residential streets or properties. Village of Mineola Mayor John P. Colbert said the village would look into providing places in non-residential neighborhoods where commercial vehicles could park overnight, such as sections in municipal parking lots, which would be designated for those who use small vans for emergency call-outs.

The village board also said that some operators of commercial vehicles could make arrangements with businesses to store the vehicles overnight. This could involve renting space or obtaining permission from property owners in non-residential areas.

Mineola Civic Association President Bill Urianek supports the idea of doing away with the special use permits, totally riding residential areas of commercial vehicles. "I'm tired of looking at these trucks, vans and buses. That's not why I moved here," he said.

However, as with most issues, there is another side. Commercial vehicles are important to the livelihood of some of Mineola's blue-collar workers who feel the village would be affecting how they earn a living.

Ed Savarese of Rudolph Road has been the recipient of a village violation for parking a standard van that he uses for work at his home. Savarese voiced his opposition to the law that forbids the parking of commercial vehicles in residential areas.

Savarese argued that Mineola is made up mostly of blue-collar workers whose profession has allowed them to buy and beautify their homes. "You have too much control over our lives," Savarese said to the board. "Remember when I bought that property, I bought the driveway and the garage. I'm not renting them from you so you can dictate what I can and cannot do with it."

Savarese believes each vehicle should be looked at on an individual basis and such factors as the size of the vehicle, use of the vehicles and complaints from neighbors in determining whether permission should be granted to park a commercial vehicle in a residential neighborhood.

"It's not fair. I work 12 hours a day now, sometimes 13 and have two children under 4 years old. I'm not about to drive back and forth to Queens and make it a 16 hour day," said Savarese, adding that he has been given the courtesy by the company he works for to take the truck home because he is a good worker.

Community member John Macedo suggested the village allow residents to store commercial vehicles in their garages. This way the residents who use commercial vehicles aren't inconvenienced and such vehicles are hidden from view. However, the village is concerned that storing vehicles such as landscaping trucks indoors would create a fire hazard.

The village board reserved decision on the proposed law to do away with special use permits for commercial vehicles parked in residential areas, since the issue is complex. However, the law that forbids commercial vehicles from parking overnight in a residential area without a special use permit still stands. The village also must contend with the numerous applications that have been submitted to obtain special use permits.