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Mostly Cloudy Residents’ voice concern over steakhouse parking
Locals say valet parking is clogging their streets
The owners of Jake’s Steakhouse, on 2172 Hempstead Turnpike in East Meadow, have filed a variance with the Town of Hempstead’s Board of Appeals, requesting permission to valet park cars on residential streets.
According to Chris Browne, a Uniondale-based attorney who represents the restaurant owners, the eatery provides valet parking for its customers on Fridays and Saturdays. The valets park the cars in the restaurant’s lot, and when its full, are instructed to use the overflow lots, which Browne said are “informal agreements with neighboring property owners that are closed” on Hempstead Turnpike. When both lots are full, the valets park the cars on residential streets, namely Roosevelt Avenue and 1st Street.
According to Browne, the restaurant has employed this practice for more than 10 years, but requested the variance so that they could continue doing so.
But neighbors of the restaurant have voiced their disapproval with the valet parking, saying that the cars cause congestion on residential streets. Indeed, 12 letters of opposition were sent to the Town of Hempstead by East Meadow residents.
On June 26, John Nikiel, who lives on Roosevelt Avenue, and Yvonne Amato, of 1st Street, spoke during a Board of Appeals hearing to voice their concerns. “With the valet parking, our streets were completely clogged up,” Nikiel said. “They valet parked them right across from people’s driveways, right up to people’s driveways.
“The biggest thing is that there was absolutely no consideration for any of the residents,” Nikiel added.
Amato said that the parked cars add to the congestion already caused by employees of the Nassau University Medical Center, located across the street from Jake’s. “As it is right now, we have a problem with the hospital employees parking in our neighborhood anyway,” said Amato.
In response to the concerns, Browne said the valet parking is done to “mitigate a parking problem,” adding, “It gives us some control over where the cars go.”
Browne did not disclose the owners’ names, but said, “They do want to be a good neighbor and be respectful. But there’s got to be a middle ground.”
According to Browne, a second variance was also submitted to the Board of Appeals, so the restaurant could seat patrons at its outdoor bar year-round.
As of press time, a decision by the Board of Appeals had yet to be made.
