Pretzel Stop gets a go from Building Dept.

Bakery changes plans to open after BZA denial

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After a long fight and an eventual denial from the Board of Zoning Appeals, the Pretzel Stop has received a go from the Rockville Centre Building Department.

Owner Carolyn Vela had been trying for nearly a year to relocate her pretzel shop from its current home on Long Beach Road in Oceanside to a larger building up the road in Rockville Centre. But harsh limitations on the size and hours of the business from the BZA crushed her hopes — for a while.

Vela hired Michael Zapson — a Long Beach attorney who successfully represented Bonefish in its suit against the BZA for the restrictions placed on it — and refilled her plans with a few changes. The changes made the plans fall under the current zoning requirements and therefore did not need BZA approval. The Building Department approved the plans in a short time.

“It’s bittersweet right now,” Vela said. “I won, but I put my family in such financial jeopardy doing this. And I’m not out of the woods yet. I still have to do a huge build-out.”

The new building, located on Long Beach Road at the southern tip of the village, is the home of E. Vincent Luggage, which consolidated into part of the building, leaving the rest for the Pretzel Stop.

To make the plans fit village code, Vela removed bump-outs from the front curb, freeing up a little more room for parking, and cut down the seating inside. There will be bench seating for about 12 in the store. The new plan also expanded the kitchen area and reduced the size of the retail area.

Still, Vela contends that her original plans shouldn’t have had to go through the BZA to begin with. She had to apply for a change of use, from light manufacturing to general business, which she said is erroneous: E. Vincent’s had been doing business from there for years, she said, and that wasn’t manufacturing, either.

“I don’t know why this happened to me,” said Vela, who lives in Rockville Centre. “Maybe it’s to shine light. We live in a wonderful town. And there are growing pains that come along with it. Parking, and things like that.”

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