59.0°,
Mostly Cloudy Some say no to W.H. stables expansion
Residents believe project will commercialize the area
While the Town of Hempstead's Board of Zoning Appeals reviews an application requesting that the Lakewood Stables in West Hempstead be transformed into a state-of-the-art equestrian center, residents who live near the stables are stepping up their opposition to the project.
In an interview with the Herald on Jan. 26, several residents said they would not support the proposal because it would negatively impact the houses surrounding the stables.
The plan, which was presented to town officials at a BZA hearing on Jan. 13, calls for the stables to undergo a structural and aesthetic facelift with the addition of a new indoor riding arena. The new building would be about 40 feet tall and measure nearly 28,000 square feet. The rehabilitation project would cost about $1 million, and the stables' owner, Alex Jacobson, would foot the bill.
Jacobson, a longtime real estate developer who purchased the stables in February 2006, said the project would help the stables attract more business because they would be open year round. Nearby residents said, however, that they would only like to see the stables refurbished because, they contend, expansion would cost the area its "suburban character."
"If the Town of Hempstead allows a 40-foot building to be built, this area is going to look commercial, and we don't want that," said resident Jeanne Cannella, who has lived near the stables for 45 years. "There's not going to be any uniqueness to our area anymore, and just to think about us losing that is really upsetting."
Wadleigh Avenue resident Martha Silliman, whose backyard faces the stables, said that a 40-foot-tall building is not something she wants to see. "I like looking out into my backyard and seeing the horses walking around, but seeing a building that size when I look out my window is unacceptable," Silliman said. "This building does not have to be 40 feet."
Other residents expressed opposition to the proposal because they believe a bigger facility will only create more problems with parking and rodents, which, they claim, have not been properly addressed by Jacobson and his staff.
