Village News

Gibson housing project revived

Developer proposes apartments; village still pursuing eminent domain

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A developer is looking to build a 39-unit apartment complex in the south end of Valley Stream to replace vacant stores, but village officials are not ready to sign off on the project.

Peter Florey, of the Levittown-based D&F Development Group, is looking to revise a project in Gibson that was approved several years ago by the Board of Zoning Appeals, but was never built. Florey said that the building would use the same footprint, though some aesthetic changes would be made to the outside. The complex would be called the Hewlett Harbor Point Apartments.

It would replace two empty commercial buildings on Gibson Boulevard, which have been sitting empty for several years and have been a target for vandals.

“We’re ready to go,” Florey said. “We’re ready to file plans and get moving. We think it would be wonderful to see a beautiful new building sitting there.”

Late last year, the village began eminent domain proceedings on the property. A public hearing scheduled for March was postponed until May. Mayor Ed Fare said that despite the new proposal, he still wants the hearing to go forward.

“We want to consider all options,” Fare said. “The residents of Gibson have suffered enough. We’re trying to consider all factors, make sure no stone is unturned.”

He said he looked forward to meeting with Florey and discussing the proposal, but, he added, the village also wants to hear from residents about what should be done with the blighted property.

Fare also noted that there have been several proposals to develop the property in recent years, and none have come to fruition. Tired of waiting for something to happen, he said, the village board decided to move forward with a claim of eminent domain. “Everybody had a beautiful plan,” Fare said, “and everyone fell through.”

Carol Crupi, president of the Valley Stream Community Association, lives across the street from vacant buildings. “Anything will be better than what we have over there,” she said. “It really takes the neighborhood down.”

Crupi said she is pleased that the village still plans to hold a hearing in May, because residents need to learn the details of the proposal, have a chance to ask questions and share their opinions on the future of the site. She said she doesn’t want the village to just rubber-stamp the proposal, and added, “We want to make sure that whatever is put in that area is good for Gibson.”

Florey said he wants to work with the village to make the project a reality. It would be a four-story building, and would appeal to commuters, he said, because of its proximity to the Gibson train station. Florey said that his company and the village share a desire to create more transit-oriented housing.

The rents in the new complex would be a little below market value, he explained, in order to appeal to young professionals, and would target an audience making between $45,000 and $80,000 per year. The smallest one-bedroom apartment would go for just under $1,000, with two-bedrooms ranging from $1,500 to $2,000 per month. He also wants to give preference to first responders.

“We think it’s a great fit for that community,” he said. “These are working folks who are going to be residing there.”

The façade, Florey said, would have elements of classical and modern architecture. His company has completed housing projects in Hempstead, Huntington Station, Queens and the Bronx, and he said he hopes to add Valley Stream to its resume. “We hope very much that we’re able to reach an amicable resolution,” he said, “and we think it would benefit everybody for this to move forward.”

According to Fare, Dominick Minerva Jr., the attorney for property owner Leonard Bleicher, has renewed the building permits and zoning variances every year for the original project, which was approved in 2009. Fare said he did not know whether those documents can be transferred to another developer, a possibility that the village’s legal counsel is currently reviewing.

Fare said that while his desire is to keep the property on the tax rolls — an active development would bring in thousands of dollars in tax revenue each year to the village and the Hewlett-Woodmere School District — there is a lot to consider.

“I don’t want to say, ‘We didn’t listen,’” he said. “I want to get the opinion of the residents of Gibson. They’ve suffered a long time with this blight down there.”