From bank to brew: Starbucks eyes East Meadow lot on Newbridge Road

Plans to open a new Starbucks at the site of a former bank, at 651 Newbridge Road, were unveiled during a meeting of the Council of East Meadow Community Organizations on Sept. 17.

Under the proposal, the existing building on an acre-sized lot between Hysler and Poppy streets would be repurposed. The property’s owner, Adam Mann of AJM Real Estate, and Bill Bonesso, a land use attorney with Forchelli Deegan Terrana LLP, outlined the proposal for the community at the meeting, held at the East Meadow Public Library.

Bonesso discussed the site’s layout, proposed changes and variances the Town of Hempstead Board of Zoning Appeals needed to approve. 

“The project reuses the existing former bank building, which was a bank with a drive-thru, and introduces the Starbucks to it,” Bonesso said, addressing dozens of residents in the library’s auditorium. “We’ve made some modifications to the site, which we feel will be improvements and will make this operate very efficiently.”

The property has one curb cut on Poppy Street and two curb cuts on Hysler Street — both of which are residential blocks. The proposal would close the existing curb cuts and restrict access to the property from Newbridge Road only, limiting the amount of traffic in the residential area.

In addition, the property’s large size would leave ample room for cars to “stack” in the drive-thru lanes, preventing them from spilling into the street and thus avoiding congestion. The plans also include an “escape lane” for cars that need to depart the drive-thru faster than anticipated, as well as the creation of 35 parking spaces.

“I think you will rarely see that many parking spaces taken,” Bonesso said. “It’s just not typical of the way Starbucks’ facilities work these days.”

Special use permits would be required for an outdoor patio seating 16, and for the  proposed drive-thru. Bonesso said the developers are also seeking a parking variance because the site intends to have less parking spaces then required by the Town of Hempstead, as well as a signage variance, since the proposal includes more directional signs than normally permitted.

The proposal also includes a fence to separate the property from the residences behind it, and the site will be made aesthetically pleasing with ample landscaping. The blueprint and renderings of the proposed façade were available for viewing at the meeting.

Community members expressed concerns about the potential for traffic congestion and light and sound pollution.

Bonesso pointed out that the lot is zoned for commercial use, and if Starbucks is denied the spot, the site is large enough to accommodate a medical facility, a strip mall or a different type of eatery — all of which could possibly impact traffic as well.

“We feel that one Starbucks on this site is going to actually generate less activity, less traffic demand, less parking demand than some of the other uses that could go in here as of right — without going to the zoning board at all,” he explained.

Addressing concerns about sound pollution, Mann said a taller fence could be installed with sound mediation abilities — something that his development team has done in the past to satisfy the community. The drive-thru equipment, Bonesso added, would be advanced enough to adjust to the environment.

“The equipment Starbucks uses has sound attenuating controls,” Bonesso said. “When it’s louder out, the speaker is louder. When it’s quieter out, the speaker gets quieter. It adjusts to the ambient sound around — but there is a microphone and there will be a kiosk where you can place your orders.”

Some of the proposed facility’s lights would likely remain on overnight, addressing safety concerns related to loitering.

“Typically,” Mann said, “when you have a vacant site with no lights on, that’s when you get people hanging out — doing things they shouldn’t be doing.”

Residents who live near the site also expressed concerns about rats running rampant on the current vacant lot, but developing the site should address that issue.

“When a developer comes in, that is their responsibility,” Joe Parisi, the council’s president, said. “Right now, you are dealing with a vacant building and a vacant lot. It’s going to be prone to rats. That situation should be alleviated.”

If the project receives town approval, construction could begin as early as the spring. A timeline for how long the building process may take was not stated. Once open, Starbucks’ operating hours would likely be 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., 7 days a week.

The proposal is scheduled to go before the town’s board of zoning appeals on Oct. 15 at 2 p.m., at 1 Washington St. in Hempstead.

More information about the upcoming hearing and details of the proposal could be found at HempsteadNY.gov/509/Board-Of-Appeals.