Developer reveals plans for Lynbrook apartment complex at site of Capri motel

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At a public hearing on Monday night, builder Anthony Bartone revealed his plans to redevelop the Capri Lynbrook Motor Inn as an apartment complex, and got a warmer reception than he did when he proposed the 200-unit Cornerstone at Lynbrook last year.

Bartone abandoned the Cornerstone eight months ago, amid resident backlash over parking and building height.

Bartone, of the Farmingdale-based Terwilliger & Bartone Properties, said during the hearing at Lynbrook Village Hall that he hoped to finalize the purchase of the property, at 5 Freer St., and build a four-story, 80-unit, Tudor-style, transit-oriented luxury rental apartment complex.

Most residents who spoke at the hearing favored redeveloping the motel, which was recently renamed the Lynbrook Motor Lodge. The site has been a neighborhood nuisance for many years, residents have said, with several arrests and drug overdoses at or near it.

Village Trustee Hilary Becker asked Bartone if the National Grid gas moratorium would affect the project, and Bartone said there were alternatives he could pursue if he were denied a gas hookup, though he did not offer any details.

“It’s not a problem for us, and we’re knocking down this motel one way or another as soon as you tell us, ‘Go,’” he said to applause from the dozens of residents in attendance.

Resident Cathy Bien, who supported the plan, was the first of many to speak. “First of all, I just want to tell everybody that I am so in favor of this,” Bien said, noting that, as a Lynbrook Fire Department emergency medical technician, she has responded to overdoses at the Capri. The planned redevelopment, she said, “is a positive thing for Lynbrook.”

Resident Laura Ryder said she also wanted to see the motel go, and had made a list of pros and cons after attending Bartone’s open house in August, when he met with residents to gather their input. “Honestly, I don’t see any negatives based on their presentation tonight,” Ryder said, “and based on their presentation over the summer.”

Chamber of Commerce President Steve Wangel said that Lynbrook has attracted a number of development opportunities that never materialized, but he was hopeful this project would be built, which would increase business in the downtown and bolster the tax base. He noted the long wait for the new Regal movie theater to be built, missed chances to develop the vacant Mangrove Feather factory, a failed plan to build apartments at the former sites of Hot Skates and Fun Station USA, and the Cornerstone.

“If you look at Lynbrook’s history of development, it’s a tale of missed opportunities,” Wangel said. “In the 20 years since I purchased my first house in Lynbrook, I’ve seen too many development opportunities come and go. . . . This community should not be faced with the decision of whether to change, but how they want to proceed with change.”

Village trustees voted unanimously to postpone a decision on Bartone’s plan until they had more time to review it. The board will host a second public hearing at its Nov. 4 meeting, at which Bartone will discuss his plans for Roxy Place, which is a parcel he bought along with the property on Freer Street.

At Monday’s meeting, Bartone fielded questions from residents and presented his ideas, which were largely based, he said, on feedback that he received from residents at the August open house.

In addition to Bartone, the firm’s legal counsel, William Bonesso, reviewed the Capri’s sordid history and outlined how developers came up with the plan. Wayne Muller, of Huntington-based R&M Engineering, discussed traffic studies that concluded that the project was feasible for the area. Michael Lynch, a real estate expert from Huntington-based Lynch Appraisals, spoke of how the project could help raise local property values. And Ken Gehringer, of Melville-based H2M architects, discussed its design.

If approved, the complex would comprise 28 550-square-foot studio apartments that would rent for about $2,400 a month; 44 750-square-foot, one-bedroom apartments that would rent for around $2,800; and eight 1,150-square-foot, two-bedroom apartments that would rent for about $3,400. Amenities would include a courtyard, a fitness center and a clubroom.

Ten percent of the units would be designated as “workforce housing,” which, under federal Department of Housing and Urban Development regulations, must have reduced rents for households earning up to 80 percent of the median income for the area. Bartone said the median household income of renters at other buildings he has developed is $156,000, and he predicted a similar demographic for Lynbrook.

While some residents said they were worried about traffic and parking issues, Bartone said there would be 92 parking spaces beneath the building, and added that traffic studies had been completed. He also said there would likely be a minimal impact on the school district, because only eight of the apartments would be two bedrooms.

Bartone said it would take a little more than a year to raze the motel and build the complex. He said he planned to apply for a payment in lieu of taxes, or PILOT, agreement with the Nassau County Industrial Development Agency. Bartone noted that the complex would provide private sanitation and snow removal, and would increase the local tax base by up to $1 million by the 20th year of a PILOT. He has already met with the county Planning Commission, was set to meet with its Board of Zoning Appeals on Thursday, and planned to meet with the Architectural Review Board as well.

Bonesso said that he and the development team were grateful for the positive feedback about the project.

“It’s very gratifying to not only myself, but my whole project team to hear the amount of support that has come forward tonight,” he said. “It’s nice to see that this project is recognized for what it is — a project that will have significant benefits for the village as a whole.”