A hearing was included on Tuesday night's Town Board agenda for the board to consider granting a special use permit to construct a Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) restaurant in Plainview. The hearing was originally opened on Nov. 16, 2004 and was continued on Tuesday.

The applicants, KFC U.S. Properties, Inc, and RP&G Group, LLC, are seeking a special use permit to construct a Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant with a drive-thru window on the northeast corner of Old Country Road and Manetto Hill Road. The property is located in a neighborhood business district.

Judy Simoncic-Jacoby, from Forchelli, Curto, Schwartz, Mineo, Carlino & Cohn Law Firm, spoke to the board representing the applicants.

Town of Oyster Bay Supervisor John Venditto expressed his immediate concern of trying to "cram a business that doesn't seem to fit" into the area where KFC would like to go. Venditto wanted to ensure that Simoncic-Jacoby addressed that concern in her presentation.

According to Simoncic-Jacoby, the 31,986 square foot area is presently a paved parking lot being used as parking for the nearby Bank of New York and the Regal Deli. Building the KFC would require the town issuing two special use permits - all freestanding fast food restaurants need a special use permit and one is needed just to operate the drive-thru window. If constructed, the KFC would be a one-story building encompassing 2,783 square feet and standing 26.5 feet high.

The landscaping buffer would be 10-feet, which is required and would house extensive planting. According to KFC, this project will create a better traffic flow with the bank, since some parking spaces would have to be moved to make them conform with town code. The KFC will have 24 parking spaces, which is the required number.

According to the presentation of those representing KFC, the restaurant will have a lot coverage of nine percent, where 60 percent lot coverage is the maximum. "This statistic shows that we are not trying to squeeze it in," said Simoncic-Jacoby.

The hours of operation would be 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. Sunday - Thursday and 10 a.m. - 1 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. The garbage will be collected in the morning and the delivery schedule will be controlled by KFC.

A real estate expert and a traffic expert who testified for KFC both said that this proposal would not have an adverse impact on the area.

The main concern brought up by Venditto and residents that spoke is the dangerous intersection at Old County Road and Manetto Hill Road. According to traffic studies, there are two to three times more accidents at this intersection compared to others of this nature.

"Although Kentucky Fried Chicken would be welcome in the community, this intersection is a nightmare," said Carol Meschkow, president of the Concerned Citizens of Plainview-Old Bethpage. "The intersection is hazardous and stretched to the limit."

Meschkow also pointed out the close proximity to surrounding schools and the danger that brings.

Francesca Carlow, president of the Plainview Old Bethpage Chamber of Commerce, spoke not only from the chamber's standpoint, but also as a local businessperson, resident and mother. "I cross that intersection personally 15 times a day," said Carlow. "It is a very scary intersection as it is. I spoke to people at the second and the eighth police precincts and they both said there are three times more accidents at that intersection than others."

Steve Weiss, owner of nearby Regal Deli on Old Country Road, attended the meeting to oppose the KFC. "This is a very busy parking lot as it is," he said. "Children walk through that area and KFC coming would create a very dangerous situation."

The decision of the board was reserved and the record will remain open for anyone who would like to submit their comments to the record. Please send correspondence to The Town of Oyster Bay Board at 54 Audrey Avenue, Oyster Bay, NY 11771.