Acura dealership proposed on Sunrise

A large stretch of land on Sunrise Highway is the proposed site of two Acura dealerships — one specializing in new cars and the other pre-owned.

Brian Croce/Herald

Several plots of vacant land on a busy stretch of roadway may soon be seeing some big changes as the new home of an Acura car dealership.

The proposed development on the eastbound side of Sunrise Highway would renovate an existing storefront and build a two-story addition on vacant land in between Adeline and Astor places to sell new cars. Across Astor Place, a pre-owned Acura dealership is proposed where an empty commercial storefront now stands.

There is currently a similar Acura setup on West Merrick Road, and if the Board of Zoning Appeals approves the proposed plan, those dealerships would move to Sunrise Highway. There will be no Acura service and repair facilities on Sunrise Highway, attorney Dominick Minerva Jr. said, as Acura owners would continue to have their vehicles serviced and repaired on West Merrick Road.

In order for the plan to move forward, the BZA must approve several requests, including a special use permit to change the property’s use in between Adeline and Astor place from retail to motor vehicle dealership.

Also for the property, a parking variance must be granted. Under Valley Stream Village Code, one parking space is required for every 100 square feet of a commercial property. The proposed new Acura dealership would be about 14,200 square feet and require 143 spaces, but the applicant is asking for a variance to supply 22 spaces.

At a presentation before the BZA on March 4, John Harter, a traffic engineer based in Hauppauge, told the BZA that since Acura is more of a high-end vehicle, there aren’t as many sales in a given month when compared to Honda and Toyota, so fewer spaces are needed. There would be seven spaces in front of the new car dealership, Harter said, which should be sufficient for customers to use. The spaces would not be used to display cars.

Residents who live in the area were concerned about cars parking on their streets, especially on Astor Place, which would be in between the new and pre-owned dealerships and is a dead-end block.