The Village of Mineola and the Village of Garden City may be neighbors but they are at odds over a proposed condominium complex that was approved by the Village of Mineola Board of Trustees last month.

The Winston, a 285-unit luxury condominium complex, is slated to be built on the north side of Old Country Road between Willis Avenue and Main Street.

The project has received widespread support from the Mineola community, Mineola Mayor Jack M. Martins and the Mineola Board of Trustees. However, officials from Mineola's neighbor to the south, Garden City, feel the project represents an urbanization of the area and is urging Mineola to have the developer, Vincent Polimeni of Polimeni International, scale down the project.

Mineola, however, based on the way the project stands, would receive a favorable tax impact to the village and the school district as well as a package of amenities that includes $3 million, a 36-unit senior citizen housing complex and a parking garage.

Mineola, according to the website city-data.com, had a median household income of $67,700 in 2005 while Garden City's was $116,100 so the expansion of the tax base may mean more to taxpayers in Mineola than it would in Garden City. The condo complex is located within Mineola's borders and doesn't have an impact in terms of aesthetics to Garden City. So why would the Village of Garden City oppose it?

Village of Garden City Trustee Nick Episcopia and former Garden City Mayor Hal Hecken believe a nine-story condominium complex represents an urbanization of the area and are concerned about the size of the building and the impact it will have on traffic.

However, one can wonder how much weight Garden City's argument about the size of the building can have when one looks at the county building directly across the street - 240 Old Country Road - which is a few feet higher than the proposed 85-foot high Winston. In addition, a condominium complex located on Cherry Valley Avenue in Garden City, the Wyndham, is 70 feet high from street level with 312 units.

Paul Grygiel from the Village of Mineola's planning consultant Phillips Preiss Shapiro Associates said the area for the proposed Winston is a unique area in that it is close to the Mineola train station, along a major road and in the midst of other large buildings. "It's not the type of development that you would want to put in a more low-scale area, but this is a particularly unique site," he said. "Nassau County is a relatively urban place. Right nearby, you have buildings that are just as tall if not taller than the proposed Winston. I don't think this one building would suddenly make an area urban. It already is relatively urbanized and it's already relatively densely developed so it makes sense to allow a similarly-scaled building in this location."

Grygiel believes that the Winston would provide favorable economic impacts to both Mineola and Garden City. "It's what the community has been looking for ever since the Master Plan started. We've been looking to add some vitality to Mineola, particularly at night and on weekends and you would certainly do that by having a project like this in the area," he said.

Mayor Martins said that, with respect to the height of the building, it is clear that not a single resident of Garden City or Mineola will be able to see the building from his or her home. The mayor also maintains that the Winston will have less of an impact as compared to what would be built on the site as of right now.

Polimeni first toyed with the idea of building an office building instead of the Winston on the property. Polimeni had a right to build an office building on the property but, instead, elected to build housing. "We could easily build an office building there. When we first started this whole project, the original thought was an office building. We changed the whole concept thinking that this would be better especially when this whole new concept of vertical growth came into play. This is a such perfect location for that," he said.

Polimeni then put in plans to build the Winston, which, he believes, is better for the Village of Mineola. "I want to do what's best for the village and me. I think this project makes more sense for the village and, hopefully, will make more money for me. But, I could go the other way. I could easily put an office building. If they [Garden City officials] want to be stupid, I'll put an office building up. We're trying to do what makes the most sense and what's best for Long Island. Vertical growth of this type in the right way is what we have to have," he said.

Mayor Martins believes residential units in the downtown area are more desirable than another office building. The residential units may generate more pedestrian traffic in the downtown area with new residents who may shop and eat at restaurants in the Mineola area, as opposed to an office building that could generate more vehicular traffic. "You're not going to get the impact to your business community [with an office building], which needs that residential component. You're going to exacerbate the traffic and congestion in the downtown and Old Country Road with all these commercial buildings letting out at the same time," he said.

The mayor also negotiated an amenities package that includes $3 million to the village for capital projects and a 36-unit, senior citizen development.

"My option is you build residential or you build commercial," said Mayor Martins. "You only get to build this once. We don't have the option of building it now and then deciding five years from now that we want something else there."

Because of the Nassau County Charter, a subdivision of property within 300 feet of the Garden City border, as the Winston is, would require approval of the Garden City Planning Commission. If the developer were to elect to construct an office building or an apartment complex with rental units, those proposals would not need approval from the Garden City Planning Commission.