Elmont set to be rezoned?

Elmont residents could finally be getting the rezoning they’ve longed for over the past several years to attract developers and investors to the area, spur construction and renovation and strengthen the community’s dwindling economy.

On Dec. 21, the Town of Hempstead board announced that it would be considering a new zoning proposal that would support growth and prosperity along Hempstead Turnpike in Elmont, between the Queens border and Franklin Square. The board also announced that it would hold a public hearing on the proposal on Jan. 24, at 10:30 a.m., at the Nathan L.H. Bennett Pavilion in Hempstead.

The rezoning is based on a Community Vision Plan that was created in 2006 by the Elmont Coalition for Sustainable Development, in cooperation with the firm Saccardi & Schiff Inc./VHB, and submitted to the town. Since then, Saccardi & Schiff employees have been working with the town and the coalition on reworking the proposal. According to Town of Hempstead spokesman Mike Deery, the town released the conceptual plan two weeks ago after determining that it was ready for board consideration.

The town’s conceptual zoning map includes two Shopping Center sub-districts for the Elmont corridor — one on the north side of Hempstead Turnpike, including the site of the Home Depot Shopping Center, and the other on the south side of the street, near Butler Street.

According to Eric Zamft, project manager at Saccardi & Schiff, these sub-districts will encourage the development of more big-box stores like Home Depot, and help keep new construction consistent with the current structures. These areas are currently zoned for business development, which, Zamft said, is “a free-for-all,” too broadly defined. The sub-districts will reduce property coverage and limit height in order to allow for more parking and encourage development closer to the turnpike, he said.