Uniondale Neighbors in Total Effort (U.N.I.T.E.)

Uniondale Neighbors
in Total Effort
(U.N.I.T.E.)
540 Mitchell Street
Uniondale, NY 11553
(516) 486-1105
Fax (516) 486-1105

August 20, 2004

I just received a phone call from the lawyer for McDonalds.

They want to have their drive up window open 24 hours the same as the store hours.

If anyone has objections due to noise or any other problems associated with this request please have them contact UNITE at 486-1105.

McDonalds wants to set up a hearing with the Town of Hempstead Zoning Board in order to have the covenants changed to allow for a 24 hour drive up window.

November 17, 2003

Dorothy Goosby-Councilwoman Town of Hempstead
1 Washington Street
Hempstead, New York 11550

Dear Councilwoman Goosby;

On Thursday Nov. 13, we attended a civic meeting chaired by Jim Beathea, which was held at an American Legion Hall in Hempstead. There were approximately 40 people in attendance.

They were brought together because another Strip Mall is being proposed for Uniondale at Oak Street and Westbury Boulevard. Mr. Habibian is the builder. The plans are already in the Building Department. This project needs a variance for parking and we believe other variances. The hearing for this case is scheduled for Jan. 21, 2004 at 2 PM.

The neighbors are opposed to the 12 stores being proposed, parking for 36 cars (66 are required). This was not their only concern. Mr. Habibian had no idea (1) Who would rent the stores.

(2) Hours of operation. (3) Traffic-on the resident street.

The neighbors said that at one time there was a residential home on part of that site of approximately one acre. Some residents would like to see homes and if not, professional offices, but certainly not a strip mall. The last use for this property was a Gas Station and Car Repair. Mr. Habibian said he COULD put a car repair shop, auto body shop on that property. That didn=t go over too well with the neighbors.

Mr. Habibian has now almost completed building the strip mall on Front Street between Chester and Locust Avenues in Uniondale. He never notified the State Department of Transportation that he was building. Front Street is a State Road. This was one of the requirements, yet the Zoning and Building departments let it go through. He also is providing 36 spaces when 66 ARE REQUIRED AT THAT SITE.

If they have12 stores then 12 spaces out of the 36 provided would already taken up by the store owners, or they may instead park on the side streets in front of residential homes (this is happening at the old Dairy Barn strip mall site opposite the fire house on Uniondale Avenue).

We realize he has a right to build, BUT, we want him and the Town to obey the parking laws and restrict the development SO IT WON=T CHANGE THE CHARACTER OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD. OPEN 24 HOURS, LIQUOR STORES, BARS, GAME ROOMS, CHINESE RESTAURANTS, TRUCKS ON THE STREETS, DUMPSTERS, FLASHING LIGHTS, ALL NIGHT LAUNDROMATS, ARE NOT ACCEPTABLE.

This group of concerned residents need your help and guidance. A Strip Mall will not fit in with the existing character of the area. Oak Street is home to Hofstra University, Hebrew Academy Upper School, Mercy Medical Center Counseling Services, Law Offices, UPS and EAB Bank Office, a very special C&G K9 School and many other desireable businesses that have been located on Oak Street, Uniondale for many years.

cc: Gerald G. Wright Chairman Zoning Board of Appeals
      Joseph F. Pellegrini-Secretary to Board of Appeals
      Mary Ellen Kreye Co-president Uniondale Community
Council
      Daryl Broach Co-president Nostrand Gardens Civic
Association
      Jim Bathea

(1) Laundry Palace, 1050 Jerusalem Avenue.
We received a letter from Dorothy Goosby our councilwoman, in regard to the well dug at the Laundry Palace at 1050 Jerusalem Ave. Mrs. Goosby sent a memorandum to commission Joseph Nocella, Dept. of Buildings on 5/22/02 with our letter attached. So far the answer we have received is "the state issued the permit". It went over the town and there was no input from the Town of Hempstead. We are still ;questioning its' legality.

(2) Shoprite: A letter was sent to Kevin Mannix, president of ShopRite, NJ in regard to an ad in their circular. They claim there was a 70 cent saving on an article, actually, the unit price was $1.97 a pound. The sale price was $1.29 for 10.5 ounces, they claimed that was a 70 cent savings-NOT GOOD!

(3) Phillips International: We wrote to Phillips International , the owners of the ShopRite/Walmart property about the bags, circulars and dirt blowing all over. We need a 4' fence going across the front of this property to keep the garbage and shopping carts on the property. We are also complaining about over flowing dumpsters in the rear and the trucks making deliveries at 2, 3 and 4AM and banging on the store doors trying to be able to make the deliveries. Mean while the people on Winthrop Drive and Mitchell Street are awakened by this noise. We are asking that there be no deliveries between 10PM and 6AM and we want to see this property cleaner.

(4) Water Tower: We are happy to say the painting of the Uniondale Water Tower off Hempstead Blvd is completed. The Uniondale name looks very classy. The cellular and microwave panels are now going back up.

(5)Stratford Farms: Everyone is settled in. All the fences are in place. The landscaping has been completed -NOW-if we could get a "NO LEFT TURN" sign coming out of the complex we would be doing something.

(6)Lenox Plaza: Now has everyday garbage pick up. We hope the neighbor's summer will be better than last year.

(7)Speed Limit in School Zone: We are still trying to get the speed limit lowered in front of ShopRite and Walmart. Smith Street and Winthrop Drive is a school crossing for our 5 and 10 year olds. Another Accident waiting to happen.

8) July 10, 2002 hearing 3:30 PM on the proposed stores on Front Street between Chester and Locust Streets. The builder has reduced the number of stores but the project call for On Street parking. We are concerned about Front Street being a two lane road (parking in front of site) for street cleaning and snow removal as well as cars parking on Locust and Chester in front of neighbors homes. We are concerned about setting a president for Uniondale in over crowding since no decision has been made on the 6 stores proposed down the street, opposite McDonalds, also on Front Street. We vision trucks making deliveries double parked etc. As much as we would like to see that lot cleaned up we will have even more congestion on Front Street.

(9) Hearing to be held at Town of Hempstead Zoning Board. 1 Washington Street, Hempstead; July 10, 2002 (1)9:30 AM -case #558--559 Split lots - Bedford and Webster Avenues (2)9:30 AM -case #56 Split lots - 354 Webster Ave. & Bedford Avenues (3)3:30 PM - no case # - Stores on Front Street between Chester and Locust streets - Insufficient parking. July 24, 2002 (4)2 PM - Case #1172-1173 - Convert existing building at 904 Nassau Rd to church. Permission to park in front yard set back on Van Buren Street s/w corner of Nassau Road.

Now located in Uniondale Park. Councilwoman Dorothy Goosby advised members of Uniondale Community Council and UNITE that the Town of Hempstead would be restoring the farm stand starting late spring or summer. We are eagerly awaiting the restoration, once it is completed the Uniondale Historical Society will then bring in farm implements and it then will become the Children's Farm Museum we all have anxiously awaited.

Letter received from Michael J. Geiger, PE, Planning and Program Management of the State of New York Dept. of Transportation, State Office Bldg, 250 Veterans Memorial Hwy, Hauppauge, NY, 11788, stated in his letter of May 28 to UNITE, the work to extend the culvert, regrade the slope over Meadowbrook State Pkwy right of way at Jerusalem Avenue by Walmart, was not able to be accomplished in last year's construction. The work has high priority and should be completed this year.

A letter received March 15, 2002 from Mike De Paul Lowery of the N.Y. State Dept of Environmental Conservation, Division of Public Affairs and Education Region, One Building SUNY, Stony Brook, N.Y. 11790. Mr. Lowery states they have been working hard on the spill since its' discovery in 1997. If this is so--why are our residents still suffering from respiratory ailments and burning eyes in the vicinity of Uniondale Ave. We appreciate the fact that they are constructing an interim remedial system along the Southern State Pkwy to stop the gasoline from enter the water wells in Roosevelt, BUT--WHAT ARE THEY DOING FOR RELIEF FOR THE UNIONDALE RESIDENTS. We would like to see this gasoline spill that is still flowing stopped!!

Supervisor Guardino and Councilwoman Goosby have brought the speed limit on Jerusalem Avenue down to 30 MPH in front of Turtle Hook Middle School. We are still working on getting the speed limit dropped from 40 MPH in front of ShopRite and Walmart (there is parking for over 700 cars in the parking field). The first street after ShopRite, Smith Street, is a school crossing for our 5 to 10 year olds. This is another accident waiting to happen. Our children attending Smith Street Elementary School do not have a chance. Please help us get this area marked "School Zone" and the 40 mile speed limit abolished.

The Uniondale water tower that holds 1-1/4 million gallons of water, off Hempstead Blvd in Uniondale is finally being painted. We are happy to see it is being shrouded so that when it is cleaned for painting the old lead paint won't be all over the neighborhood. We are looking forward to seeing the name "Uniondale" on top since we have two water towers in our town, I believe we should show them off.

Jerusalem Avenue
We are constantly fighting Nassau County to get the speed limit lowered on Jerusalem Avenue and in front of Turtle Hook, 40 mph is certainly out of the question for an elementary school crossing. This was brought up at the Zoning Dept. when the 100 machine Laundromat was approved at the corner of Smith Street and Jerusalem Ave.

The light in front of Shop Rite/Walmart does not give pedestrians a chance to cross the street going from Northgate Drive to the Shop Rite, there is no sidewalk on the Shop Rite side. Most of the time you are caught in the
middle of the street. This too has been brought to the attention of Supervisor Guardino. When Phillips International discussed plans for this project all civic associations asked for an island in the middle of the avenue in front of the stores. It was denied because it meant taking away too many parking spaces.

Roosevelt Field Expansion
On Feb. 22nd, 2001, at 9:30AM there will be a pubic hearing in regard to the expansion of Roosevelt Field. It would be great if anybody could attend to fight this.

Stratford Farms
On Stratford Farms, the new condos on Jerusalem Avenue, have had some 1989 covenants removed from the property. The main one that has us real sick is the speed bumps coming out of the property. The dumpster is still situated in the center of 40 condos, and there will be no land set aside for a children's playground. The stockade fence will be put in behind the homes on Winthrop Drive. Privacy slats will be put in the other 2 sections of fence alongside of Turtle Hook and across the back of the project.

Lenox Plaza
Lenox Plaza dumpster has been denied. We are hoping that they will come to every day pick up or go with the walk in coolers that UNITE has suggested.

Uniondale Avenue
Dear Patrick Williams:
We have been trying to get advance notice signs put up at various intersections here in Uniondale and have stumbled upon a deplorable situation.

At present Uniondale Avenue is a two lane town road. It is cleaned, paved, snow removal etc. by Hempstead Town. We have just been informed that the County is looking to taker over Uniondale Avenue, and we know their first order of business would be to widen the avenue. In 1970 we as a community fought the widening of Uniondale Avenue, it has private homes, parks, businesses, churches, stores, a library, firehouses etc. Widening of Uniondale will cut our town in half. All of our children must be able to walk safely through our streets.

We look to you to do all in your power to see that this travesty does not occur. We hope you are on top of this and will see to it that Uniondale Avenue remains a two lane road.

I noticed an article about the Goehner property in Sunday's Newsday. You are to be congratulated on your work on your work in preserving this piece of Uniondale history.

Now I'm about to give you your next project. Are you aware that the County has sold the land just west of the Turtle Hook Jr. High School to the Public Benefit Corporation? This land was part of the project in selling the Nassau County Medical Center. It contains the A. Holly Patterson Home, the Vocational Education & Extension Board, and a County owned building where the Fire Marshall's Office is (899 Jerusalem Avenue). As you know, this particular building was built around 1909 and was the original Hempstead Town Old Age Home, which eventually became the first building of the A. Holly Patterson Home.

With the sale of this property, the Uniondale area will lose the last open land that might be available for a good sized park/museum complex. If you don't mind commercial development, then just ignore my letter, but if you want to preserve that beautiful building and the surrounding area, then I suggest you contact Nassau County Executive Gulotta and/or have your county legislator look into this and see what kind of an answer you get. Be persistent - push for an answer!

Stratford Farms
The owners of Stratford Farms has submitted a petition to the Town Board (Case #23749-28) to remove the restrictive covenants from their property at 1027 Jerusalem Avenue.

UNITE opposes the removal of the covenants that were placed on the property by Herman F. Goehner, Jr., Executor of the Estate of Herman F. Goehner in 1989.

Laundromat
UNITE also monitors plans for a new, large Laundromat on the corner of Smith Street and Jerusalem Avenue with the lint and odor emissions experience from the other large Laundromat across from St. Martha's in mind.

Farm Stand
The historic farm stand will be placed in Uniondale Park where it will become a museum.

May 1, 2000
Latest update on the farm stand, I spoke to the Building Dept. on Thursday and they advised that the builder will be pouring the concrete columns for the foundation within 1 to 2 weeks. Once the concrete sets he then can install the wood foundation on top of the concrete columns at which point the farm stand will be put in place. Once that is done we will move ahead with getting the labor and material required to restore the stand.

Ernest Catanese

Memory Book
We are starting a memory book and we are asking for residents that shopped at the stand, visited it or knew the Goehner family to send us a short story so we can include it in the book.