What is the status of the Lynbrook condo proposal?

As of an April 27 zoning meeting, Lynbrook’s Village Board has not yet decided whether to approve a plan to convert 161 Union Ave. to a condo complex. The proposal continues to divide business owners and residents.

The plan would allow Long Island Building Corp. to buy 161 Union Ave. and use the land to build an 18-unit condominium, replacing the local Japanese restaurant Asahi. The proposal was first discussed in a public hearing in November 2020. Though Asahi owner Jiabiao Wang urged the Village Board to reconsider, the board unanimously approved the necessary rezoning that December.

Lynbrook residents assumed the plan to be dead after more than two years had passed with no further updates. However, residents learned this February that the board is continuing to move forward with the project.

The two condo buildings would be called Parson’s Corners and consist of 18 units, including basement storage and 38 parking spaces for residents. William Bonesso, the attorney for Long Island Building Corp., explained in a past zoning meeting that the condos would fill a need for housing alternatives while bringing in new residents to patronize local businesses. He brought an appraiser who said the complex would increase the value of local homes, and cited a traffic study that stated the new complex would have little to no impact on the area.

Residents, however, remain unconvinced.

A petition against the project collected more than 350 signatures since its creation one month ago. On a Facebook post detailing the background of the plan, Lynbrook residents voiced their concerns.

“These developers don’t live here,” one commenter posted. “In the long term more people means more cars, more traffic, less parking, more kids in the schools.”

“We do not want condos there,” posted another. “Asahi is a great family restaurant! Leave the property as is.”

Some residents are particularly concerned about the influx of people and cars so close to Lynbrook High School.

“It’s already dangerous because kids walk from Marion, and the high school children walk to their sports,” said Tara Capitali, a lifelong Lynbrook resident who has a child in high school. “Scranton Avenue is busy. Children ride bikes or walk to and from school. Adding more traffic becomes dangerous.”

Capitali added that this project seems to be one more way that Lynbrook is losing its charm and character — a sentiment echoed by many other residents.

“In the last few years Lynbrook has become very congested and almost city-like,” she said. “The small-town feel is almost lost with all the new construction of apartment buildings being built.”

Lynbrook Village Building Department Superintendent Brian Stanton, however, said in November 2020 that the building would blend in with neighboring properties without causing any environmental concerns.

Other business owners also stand behind the plan’s potential for increased local revenue.

“The chamber board feels that the project has the potential of being a great benefit to both the Lynbrook community and our local businesses,” wrote Steve Wangel, the former president of the Lynbrook Chamber of Commerce, at the time.

The project remains a point of contention, with board members and some business owners in favor of the plan’s economic possibilities and some residents asserting that the new buildings would be both hazardous and an eyesore. The Village Board has reserved its decision on the project.

“I hope that the board speaks to the residents that voted them in and listens to their concerns before making any final decisions,” Capitali said.