The Village of Roslyn has decided not to go forward with a bid by Ahold Inc. to build a temporary parking lot in downtown Roslyn.

In August, Ahold, with the support of the Chamber of Commerce, filed for an application to build up to 70 parking spaces off of property on Skillman Street. Ahold, which owns the property where Stop & Shop once hoped to build an 86,000 sq. ft. shopping center, wanted to build the parking as a goodwill gesture to the village and its merchants.

Apparently, the August application, which had the input of lawyers for LCS Realty Co. Inc., was incomplete. In a letter to chamber president Frederic Carlton, Village Attorney John M. Spellman cited the need to have the application forwarded to the Historic District Board because the property in question is part of the village's historic district.

In addition, the chamber and Ahold would have to consider sending an application to the Zoning Board of Appeals and have "additional municipal review and approvals." The fact that the property is located in "at least two zoning districts" and because it involves a principal, as opposed to an ancillary use of property were cited by the attorney as reasons for further applications.

Finally, since the plan involved the use of a portion of a large land tract, a State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) would also have to be considered.

The LCS connection to the application also was a factor in the village's decision. LCS, according to Mr. Spellman, is engaged in a number of litigations involving the village, "some of them seeking many, many millions of dollars from Roslyn's taxpayers."

LCS, Mr. Spellman noted, only allowed the chamber to process a permit application for the parking as long as that application "is without prejudice to LCS' position involving the village and LCS and does not constitute an admission against interest or a waiver in any way whatsover of the rights that LCS has in this property by virtue of the prior litigations, existing litigations....and/or prior zoning, applications for the site plan approval."

When LCS once again applied to build an 86,000 sq. ft. supermarket earlier this year, its lawyers maintained the village's current master plan and zoning laws (one adopted after LCS's initial building plans were defeated in an Article 78 lawsuit) did not apply for their building plans. A recent State Supreme Court ruling dismissed that claim, but conditions laid down by LCS played into the village's response to the application.