Lynbrook Board Moves Holiday Inn, Eminent Domain Hearings

Two hearings scheduled for Monday night’s Lynbrook Village Board of Trustees meeting were adjourned until Aug. 13. 

One of them pertains to the  desire to tear down two homes on Merton Avenue and one home on Ocean Avenue. The company intends to use the plots to expand their parking area, according to the board.

The Holiday Inn wishes to meet with people in the area before the hearing to let them know what their plans are and try to garner resident approval. Those meetings have not happened yet, leading to the second adjournment request, according to Village Attorney Peter Ledwith. 

Despite the adjournment, Merton Avenue resident Patti Nicoletti spoke out against the proposed rezoning. The resident says she does not oppose the demolition of the Ocean Avenue property, but is “vehemently” against the destruction of the Merton Avenue homes.      

“This is not going to benefit the village in any [financial] way,” Nicoletti said. “It is absolutely going to affect the residential life of those of us living on Merton Avenue ... We feel this affects all of the residents of Lynbrook, because where does it end? Perhaps someone can buy a house, or two, or three, and propose to change the zoning. We look to you [the board] to keep the integrity of Lynbrook. We moved to this nice street, because it was tree-lined and [had] nice houses. We don’t want that to change.”    

Nicoletti provided the board with photographs of the three standing properties and the current Holiday Inn parking lot, which, according to the resident, is rarely full. 

The second adjourned hearing concerned the village’s proposed eminent domain seizing of a property on the corner of Atlantic Avenue and Langdon Place, also known as The Feather Building. 

“To do this in accordance with law, we need to conduct a professional study. The Board of Trustees have been good enough to authorize that study,” Jack Libbert, a lawyer for the board, said. 

According to Libbert, an outside firm will conduct a study of the property and determine whether the building is a “blighted” property. 

Because of summer scheduling inconsistencies, the study is not finished, hence the adjournment of the hearing until August, according to Libbert. 

A “blighted property” is a legal term for land that is “dilapidated, unsafe, and of unsightly condition,” according to legalmatch.com. 

Before the closing of the hearing, Lynbrook Chamber of Commerce Vice President for Governmental Affairs Jeff Greenfield spoke out in support of the village’s efforts.

“The Lynbrook Chamber of Commerce has long been concerned about the blight on the business community, as well as the entire Lynbrook community, that this property poses,” Greenfield said. “We’ve been very disappointed in the owner of this property. Instead of making a deal to sell the property, we understand that he has raised the price. You don’t make a deal in this economic environment by raising the price.”

As a final piece of business, the board approved the request to move their Thursday business to Parking Field 12 on the corner of Forest Avenue and Sunrise Highway. The market previously operated on . This move will be the final move allowed by the board, according to Mayor William Hendrick.