Close The Courtesy Hotel

A Hotel Only A Mother Could Love. . .

2008-05-09T16:23:00.003-05:00

. . .Or Town Supervisor Kate Murray

Mother's Day gift idea: Shut Hempstead's seedy Courtesy Hotel
BY NICHOLAS HIRSHON DAILY NEWS WRITER
Friday, May 9th 2008, 4:00 AM

The Courtesy Hotel in West Hempstead will be the site of a protest on Mothers' Day

Before heading to Mother's Day brunches Sunday, outraged moms said they will rally against an alleged hot-sheet hotel they say makes West Hempstead unsafe for kids.

For the second year in a row, scores of carnation-wearing mothers plan to lash out at Hempstead Town officials who broke promises to close the Courtesy Hotel, which locals have blasted for being a haven for drug addicts and prostitutes.

"We want to recapture what had been a very vibrant part of our town, where you sent your children without any supervision," said rally leader Rosalie Norton, 73, who has three adult children.

The moms support a deal the hotel's owners inked in 2006 to sell the land to a developer as long as the town changed the zoning to accommodate a high-density apartment complex.

But the town instead opted for a controversial urban-renewal plan for the area in January, stalling the closure of the hotel.

Norton's daughter, Susan DeFilippis, 46, said she always warns her teenage sons, Mike and Mark, not to walk past the Courtesy because "they run the risk of being mugged."
Others said they didn't mind sacrificing part of their Mother's Day to attend the half-hour protest - as long as it gets results.

"It's better than sleeping in and getting breakfast in bed," said Barbara Ejnes, 43, who said she worries about her son, Jake, 13, and daughter, Kelly, 14, riding their bikes past the hotel.

At last year's Mother's Day protest, Town Supervisor Kate Murray vowed to help close the hotel by the end of 2007 - a broken pledge that angered this year's attending moms. Murray won't go to this year's rally, town spokesman Mike Deery said.

But Deery said the supervisor "did expect and hope" the Courtesy would have been demolished by now, and still wants the seedy inn to be shuttered soon.

"We're working as hard as possible to end the hotel's reign of terror," Murray said in a statement.

The Courtesy's demise can't come quickly enough for Karen Crowley, 37, of West Hempstead, who has a 6-year-old son and 2-1/2-year-old daughter - and another child on the way.

"The Courtesy Hotel limits the potential of West Hempstead," Crowley said. "As hard as we fight and as long as we scream, nobody seems to be responding."

Will This Become An Annual Event?

2008-05-06T13:27:00.003-05:00

2nd "Mother's Day Rally" Planned At Courtesy (Continental Breakfast Not Included)

SECOND MOTHER'S DAY RALLY/DEMONSTRATION Sunday, May 11
from 10:45 AM to 11:15 AM
at the parking field across from the Courtesy Hotel
Hempstead Avenue, east of Woodfield Road
West Hempstead

Yet another Mother's Day, another year, another opportunity for Kate Murray & Kompany to hang that MISSION ACCOMPLISHED banner from the facade of the Courtesy Hotel.

Will our community be "celebrating" Mother's Day across from the Courtesy in 2009, 2010, or beyond?

Only Kate Murray knows, and she's not telling anyone!

Send an e-mail to Kate at KateMurray@tohmail.org and tell her you want the Courtesy sold to Trammel-Crow and closed NOW.

West Hempstead has waited long enough!

Kate Can You Hear Me?

2008-04-11T11:17:00.005-05:00

Civic Prez Keeps Pressure On Kate

ONLINE EDITION FRIDAY April 11, 2008

Opinion
To Supervisor Murray

(The following is a letter written by West Hempstead Civic Association President Rosalie Norton to Town of Hempstead Supervisor Kate Murray in regard to the Courtesy Hotel. It is being printed at the author's request.)

It has been three months since the adoption of the Urban Renewal Plan for West Hempstead. The following information is important for you to know. It brings to your attention the number of police calls and arrests, which have been made at the Courtesy and at the Capri Motel. It clearly shows the real and present dangers the Courtesy, as well as the Capri Motel, are to the residents of West Hempstead and all of the communities surrounding the area. To better grasp the extent of the problems, I am providing a report for each month since the year 2008 began.

Please share the following police activity information with the Hempstead Town Board members.

Police calls during the month of January 2008 at the Courtesy:
• 17 calls for service
• 8 arrests (drugs, prostitution, weapons, robbery)
•18 case reports
• 2 field interviews

Police calls during the month of February 2008 at the Courtesy Hotel:
• 21 calls for service
• 4 arrests
• 4 case reports
• 2 field investigations

Police calls during the month of March 2008 at the Courtesy Hotel:
• 8 calls for service
• 2 arrests
• 6 case reports

Police calls during the month of January 2008 at the Capri:
• 8 calls for service
• 1 arrest
• 3 case reports
• 1 field interview

Police calls during the month of February 2008 at the Capri:
• 4 calls for service
• 2 arrests
• 2 case reports
• 0 field investigations

Police calls during the month of March 2008 at the Capri:
• 4 arrests
• 3 case reports
• 0 field investigations

Since the beginning of 2008, in just three months, the total between the two hotels:
• 58 calls for service
• 21 arrests
• 36 case reports
• 5 field reports

How much longer do we have to wait to have the Courtesy sold and closed? The Capri is no better and can't be overlooked. Is this what West Hempstead deserves? Would you want this in your community? Unfortunately, it is my community and only we feel the pain.

Rosalie Norton
President, West Hempstead Civic Association
- - -
Meanwhile, the "STAY ALL NIGHT" rate of $49.77 + tax (arrive after Midnight) is still in effect, and this includes FREE Continental Breakfast!

Clearly, the BEST bargain in West Hempstead.

THANK YOU, KATE MURRAY!

The Mayflower Hotel Its Not, But. . .

2008-03-12T16:20:00.002-05:00

Civic Presidents, Past And Present, Blast Murray, Town Board

2008-02-19T09:30:00.002-05:00

Courtesy Saga Far From Over, Community's Crusade For Closure Continues

The voices of the West Hempstead community may have fallen upon deaf ears as the Hempstead Town Board adopted the much maligned Urban Renewal Plan, but clearly, the voices of community will not be silenced.

For the latest on the Courtesy hotel, and other matters of community concern, check in regularly with the West Hempstead Civic Association.

Read on, as Seth Bykofsky, past president of the WHCA, and Rosalie Norton, the organization's current chief executive, lament the Town's verdict, and vow to fight on for the benefit of our West Hempstead.

Kudos, and our sincere thanks, to these courageous stalwarts of community!
- - -
From The Three Village Times:

We Shall Not Stand Idly By

The longstanding sentiment in the West Hempstead community has been to permit the forces of private enterprise and the marketplace to prevail, while keeping the intervention of government at a minimum.

At the same time, the Long Island Index released a study that revealed a majority of Long Islanders in favor of increased housing density in and around "downtown" business districts, as well as the creation of additional rental units, thus easing the affordable housing crunch.

Unfortunately, the voices of reason, smart-growth advocates, and community collectively fell upon deaf ears at Hempstead Town Hall, as members of the Town Board, blindly following the lead of Supervisor Kate Murray as she meanders down that road of suburban blight, voted to adopt the ill-conceived and community-opposed Urban Renewal Plan.

In so doing, the town nixed the Trammell-Crow proposal to build upscale rental apartments on the Courtesy Hotel site, citing its objection to density, and rebuffed the pleas of a community to boldly move forward, not only with the revitalization of its eastern gateway, but with a smart growth initiative that could well serve as a model for the new - and sustainable - suburbia.

In taking a staunch and unyielding position, contrary to both the conventional wisdom on fashioning livable suburbs, and to the will of the community they were elected to serve, Kate Murray and the Hempstead Town Board stood modern precepts of suburban revitalization on head, and negated the very hallmark of representative government - a government of the people, by the people, and for the people.

The latest skirmish before the Town Board may have dealt a blow to our hamlet's, if not the township's, efforts to rebuild and rejuvenate, but as anyone who has been joined in this battle to take back our town (now going on 13 long years) will tell you, we, as a community, and as the guardians of this hamlet's tomorrows, shall not stand idly by as Kate Murray and company hold hostage our town's future.

The fight will go on, in the trenches along the avenue, at Town Hall, and in the press, for we dare not surrender to those who would usurp local control and undermine the wishes of the governed, under the guise of telling us what is best for our own community.

Seth D. Bykofsky

(The writer is the former president of the West Hempstead Civic Association.)
- - -
Town Ignores Residents' Wishes

The Town of Hempstead voted on Jan. 22, 2008 to adopt an Urban Renewal Plan for West Hempstead which promotes sprawl, prohibits needed density, doesn't provide the greatest tax benefits, embraces the status quo, and deprives our community of promises made to facilitate the closing of the Courtesy Hotel as quickly as possible.

The town board has completely ignored thousands of West Hempstead residents, our religious leaders, and the members of the West Hempstead Civic Association who opposed the town's Urban Renewal Plan for West Hempstead. Six out of the seven members on the town board chose to adopt a plan, which is flawed and provides little relief from the most important problems facing our community, which are, the Courtesy Hotel, lack of housing for our young people, seniors looking to downsize, revitalization of our business area, and some relief from our high taxes.

Terrible messages were sent by the town to the residents of West Hempstead and to other unincorporated communities - don't give us the benefit of your ideas, knowledge and thoughts for what is best for your community, because we won't listen and we will do what we want whether you like it or not. What a sad commentary on representative government and a perfect example of poor government.

If the town thought they could bully the residents of West Hempstead into becoming submissive lambs or silence our voices, they are very much mistaken. They have only succeeded in provoking us into taking more action and making us more determined to be treated fairly and with dignity. The West Hempstead community is not going to be silenced or discouraged.

Can we influence the town board to do what our residents want? I don't know. What I do know is that we will make sure that the entire Town of Hempstead will know that what is happening in West Hempstead could happen in their community. We want to alert everyone that if the town continues on its path to obstruct the private sale of the Courtesy Hotel, every unincorporated community in the Town of Hempstead had better beware.

The Courtesy Hotel and all its problems can come to your community or one near you, and this could happen with the town's help. Under the Urban Renewal Plan adopted by the town, they are obligated to help the owners of the Courtesy find a different location within the town. Will the town or perhaps the owners choose your community?

Something else happened on Jan 22, 2008. The town board broke its promises to the residents of West Hempstead. One promise was made in May of 2007 that they would close the Courtesy by the end of 2007. The other was made back in 2005 when they told the attorney for the Courtesy Hotel that they would gladly work with any reputable developer to facilitate a private sale. As the old saying goes, "Promises are made to be broken and a promise is only as good as the person making it."

Many have likened the plight of the residents of West Hempstead to watching a match between people and the government, between right and wrong. Government won this round, but at the expense of losing the faith and confidence of the people. When good people continue to stand up for what is right they expose the shortcomings of a government, which tramples on the basic premise of our constitution. Government should rule by the people, for the people and of the people. It would do well for the town board to remember that arrogance always comes before a fall and to totally disregard the West Hempstead community is wrong, unconscionable and could become their Achilles Heel.

Rosalie Norton
President, West Hempstead Civic Association

A Community Denied!

2008-01-24T11:29:00.000-05:00

Town Board Snubs West Hempstead; Adopts Urban Renewal Plan Over Community Opposition

Newsday.com
Hempstead town board move blocks sale of hotel
BY EDEN LAIKIN
eden.laikin@newsday.com

Dozens of West Hempstead residents left yesterday's town board meeting shocked and angry at a decision they say will delay for years the closing of the drug- and crime-ridden Courtesy Hotel.

"When will this end?" civic leader Rosalie Norton asked the board, to thunderous applause from the audience. "This board has subverted what is supposed to be a democracy. The plan is not in the community's best interest."

Town board members voted to adopt an urban renewal plan that would see the redevelopment of 10 acres, including the 2.7-acre Courtesy, after it takes the hotel and adjacent properties through condemnation. The plan includes part of a parking lot across the street owned by National Wholesale Liquidators.

By agreeing to pursue the more time-consuming urban renewal plan, the board essentially blocked a private sale between the hotel owner and a developer that could have shut down the hotel quicker.

Town officials said they considered residents' concerns in reaching its decision.

"We believe this is a more cohesive plan to beautify and revitalize 10 acres as opposed to just focusing on 2.7 acres," said Town Supervisor Kate Murray, a member of the board.

The owners of both the hotel and parking lot have already indicated they would sue the town to block the condemnation. The hotel owners say they have a contract with Texas-based Trammell Crow Residential to buy the hotel for $11 million to $13 million and build a four-story, 176-rental unit complex with underground parking. That would require zoning of 65 units per acre.

Town officials say that proposal is too dense. Their plan seeks 45 units per acre zoning.

Norton said that more than 2,100 residents have signed petitions urging the town board to accept Trammell Crow's plan.

A Trammel Crow representative said they were disappointed with the decision."Our proposal has consistently been the fastest way to rid the community of the woes associated with the Courtesy," said Maria Rigopoulos.

Copyright © 2008, Newsday Inc.

It All Comes Down To A Vote

2008-01-18T16:18:00.000-05:00

TOWN TO VOTE ON URBAN RENEWAL PLAN ON TUESDAY, JANUARY 22, 2008

The Town of Hempstead at their Town Board meeting on January 22, 2008 has on the decision calendar: The Urban Renewal Plan for West Hempstead -- a vote will be taken to determine if they will Adopt the plan.

If adopted, it will be ignoring thousands of West Hempstead residents.

The meeting will be held in the Bennett Pavilion, 1 Washington St., Hempstead, and starts at 10:30 AM. PLEASE TRY TO ATTEND....

DON'T LET THEM VOTE WITHOUT HAVING TO FACE US.

REMEMBER TUESDAY, JANUARY 22 AT 10:30 A.M.

Rosalie Norton
West Hempstead Civic Association
516-485-5132

Hundreds Rally At Town Hall In Favor Of Trammell-Crow Plan

2007-12-14T16:47:00.000-05:00

Town Of Hempstead Says, "Not So Fast!"

From the Three Village Times:

No Decision Yet on Courtesy Hotel
But Neighbors Support Trammell Crow Project
By Joe Rizza

Practically all the seats were filled, with some standing in the Nathan L. H. Bennett Pavilion at Hempstead Town Hall as the town board was scheduled to discuss the proposed Urban Renewal Plan (URP) for the area in West Hempstead that includes the controversial Courtesy Hotel.

Before the town board considered the URP, the board held a hearing a proposed zoning change as requested by Trammell Crow Residential, which would purchase the hotel property, demolish the hotel and build a luxury apartment community on the site.

The Trammell Crow plan is the one that is favored by many community leaders, including members of the West Hempstead Civic Association, since many feel it represents the surest and most expedient way to close the hotel. However, the Trammell Crow plan has been met with resistance by some town officials since it is feared that the Trammell Crow proposed apartment complex is too dense for the area and would create an adverse precedent in the town, opening the way for large developments that would threaten a suburban way of life.

Proponents of the Trammell Crow plan, however, argue that the complex isn't too dense for the commercial area that also includes such structures as a storage facility and National Wholesale Liquidators, would create much-needed housing and would expand the tax base to give the community much-needed tax relief. But perhaps the biggest upside to the plan is the elimination of the hotel.

While it has been reported that Trammell Crowe has an agreement to purchase the hotel, in order for the project to move forward, the Town of Hempstead would have to rezone the area from a business district to a residential district.

At Tuesday's hearing many community members voiced their support for Trammell Crowe's plan after the developer's associate Maria Rigopoulos made a presentation on the proposed redevelopment of the Courtesy Hotel site.

The Trammell Crow plan called for a 176-unit complex on the 2.71-acre site that would be built as a condominium complex but the units would be rented for prices ranging from $1,950 to $2,700 per month.

Although Rigopoulos said that density, which for the proposed plan calls for 65 units per acre, is a hot topic, density is not a bad thing if the building is properly designed and Trammell Crow has a wealth of experience is building complexes such as the one planned for West Hempstead.

Although representatives said their proposed building would be four stories high, according to the rendering that was shown at Tuesday's hearing, the building would have parking on the ground floor and four stories of apartment units above the parking for a total of five stories.
Currently, the highest density residential housing in the unincorporated areas of the Town of Hempstead is 45 units per acre of housing for the elderly and handicapped in Inwood.

However, representatives for Trammell Crow and some community members feel the Courtesy Hotel site presents a unique opportunity since it's near the West Hempstead train station and would not impact negatively on the entire town but positively on West Hempstead.

Resident Walter Enjes said he was initially concerned about the density of the Trammell Crow project but said he supports the project because it presents solutions to many problems.

Some community members also feel that if the town board elects to go the route of an urban renewal plan for the area, it may take years to close the Courtesy Hotel and cost the town thousands of dollars in eminent domain proceedings.

"Something needs to be done quickly," said one resident.

Scott Jablow of the Cathedral Gardens Civic Association brought up a rally to close the hotel on Mother's Day during which Town Supervisor Kate Murray promised to have the hotel closed by year's end. Jablow said that now is the opportunity for the supervisor to follow through on her promise.

"The only way you can keep your promise is to stop wasting our time and work with Trammell Crow," Jablow told Murray during the hearing.

West Hempstead School Superintendent John Hogan said that the board of education supports the Trammell Crow project and added that having the Courtesy Hotel, which has been the site of numerous police arrests, in the community could present a safety hazard to the children of the community.

Still, some believe the Trammell Crow proposal could negatively affect other parts of the town.

In a letter to Supervisor Murray and the Hempstead Town Board, Robert J. Zafonte, president of the East Meadow Civic Association, stated he is opposed to the Trammell Crow project. "The structure is overwhelming in nature. Just to be clear, height and density are enemies of suburbia. Approving the Trammell Crow proposal would lead to similar proposals to build in our township," he stated in the letter.

However, there are other municipalities that are considering housing units. The Village of Mineola, for instance, is considering a 285-unit condominium complex that is nine stories high for Old Country Road. The reason the village is considering it is because it is proposed for an area that is not expected to impact the residential community and would expand the community's tax base. The Mineola plan includes condominium units that would be purchased by the buyer as opposed to rented.

Some in West Hempstead would argue that the Trammell Crow proposal would have more of a positive impact on the neighborhood than the Courtesy Hotel.

The Hempstead Town Board reserved decisions on whether to rezone the area to residential to accommodate the Trammell Crow project and whether to adopt the urban renewal plan. If the town rejects the rezoning bid by Trammell Crow, that would pave the way for the adoption of the urban renewal plan.

After 7 1/2 Hours At Town Hall. . .

2007-12-13T10:52:00.000-05:00

Town Board Reserves Decision On Fate Of The Courtesy

Stay tuned. . .

Mark Your Calendars ~ Tuesday, December 11, 10:30 AM

2007-12-07T13:35:00.000-05:00

Town Of Hempstead Board Meeting
Meeting Pavilion
1 Washington Street
Hempstead, New York
- - -
27327 Petition of WEST HEMPSTEAD DEVELOPMENT, LLC, to rezonefrom "Business X" District to "Residence [CA-S]" District - WEST HEMPSTEAD - s/si Hempstead Ave., e/of Woodfield Rd.

18675 ADJOURNED PUBLIC HEARING: Proposed Adoption of theUrban Renewal Plan for the West Hempstead Study Area - WEST HEMPSTEAD - TOWN OF HEMPSTEAD (Pursuant to Sec. 505 ofthe General Municipal Law)

Item 27327 is the Trammell-Crow proposal.

Item 18675 is the Town's proposed Urban Renewal Plan.

PLEASE NOTE YOUR APPEARANCE, ON SEPERATE SLIPS, FOR BOTH ITEMS.

IN FAVOR OF 27327 (Trammell-Crow); OPPOSED TO 18675 (Urban Renewal Plan)

Please alert your friends and neighbors, and come on down to Town Hall! [If you wish to be heard by the Town Board, please note that each speaker will be limited to 3 minutes.]

Questions? Call the West Hempstead Civic Association: 516-733-0879

December 11th Is D-Day At Town Hall

2007-12-04T13:00:00.000-05:00

Will Supervisor Murray And The Town Board Vote In Favor Of Community?

Come out and see for yourself!

Tuesday, December 11, 2007 at 10:30 AM
Town Meeting Pavilion
1 Washington Street
Hempstead, New York

Exactly what is at stake, and what proposals are on the table?

Read on:

From the West Hempstead Civic Association:

THE URBAN RENEWAL PLAN AND THE TRAMMEL CROW RESIDENTIAL PROPOSALS
On December 11 at 10:30 a.m., at the Nathan L.H. Bennett Pavilion at One Washington Street,
Hempstead, the Town of Hempstead Town Board will hold a public hearing on the fate of the Courtesy Hotel site and the surrounding area and then vote to approve or disapprove the proposed Urban Renewal Plan developed by the Town’s Department of Planning and Economic Development.

Virtually every West Hempstead organization is publicly supporting the Trammell Crow Residential Apartment Complex and the 65 units per acre – and are opposing the Town of Hempstead’s Urban Renewal Plan for our community. This includes: WH Board of Education • WH Education Association (teachers union) • WH Chamber of Commerce • Cathedral Gardens Civic Association • Friends of the Library • WH Lions Club • WH Kiwanis Club • WH Soccer chiefs • WH Historical Society • WH Community Scholarship Fund • WH Civic Association

OPTION ONE: URBAN RENEWAL PLAN (URP)
The URP includes the development of the Courtesy Hotel and a number of surrounding properties. These additional parcels include the OK Deli/Petroleum property, a strip of National Wholesale Liquidator’s (NWL) parking lot, a portion of the NWL parking lot across from the LIRR Station (East of Broad St.), and the AVF Carting property on the East side of the LIRR station. As part of the URP, the Town will seize these properties through eminent domain.

WHY WEST HEMPSTEAD RESIDENTS OPPPOSE THE URP
The URP is lacking in many key specifics including the following:
1) The plan was created with almost no input from West Hempstead residents and businesses
and does not address the needs of the West Hempstead community and is short sighted.
2) The Town’s plan has been full of misrepresentations and blunders. The Town continually
promotes the URP to the public as a 10 acre project. However, only about 6.19 acres will be
available for development due to the following:
a. The LIRR right of way just west of the Courtesy Hotel cannot be developed.
b. The original plan called for the use of a substantial portion of Wholesale Liquidators’ parking
lot and the “municipal” parking lot east of Broad Street. However, during the final stage of the
plan’s development, the Town realized that seizure of the lot would place Liquidators in violation of the current zoning requirements for parking. The Town also discovered that the “municipal” parking lot is not Town property but that it is privately owned. The current owner has allowed LIRR commuters to utilize the lot. The three parties who own or lease the parking fields have publicly stated on the record that they will sue if the Town attempts to take any of the parking fields away through eminent domain.
3) Of the 6.19 acres available for development, 4.23 acres are currently under contract for private sale and include the properties below:
a. This includes the Courtesy Hotel, which is in contract to Trammel Crow Residential, who is proposing to build a market rate apartments targeted to young professionals and “empty nesters”.
b. A second parcel, the AVF Carting property on Hempstead Garden’s Drive on the east side of
the LIRR station, has been sold to a developer who plans to build senior citizen housing. These private sales would eliminate the two largest problems in the area and would render the need for the URP useless. If the Town Board votes “No” on the URP and allows for the necessary rezoning, the Courtesy and AVF Carting would close immediately. If the URP goes forward, the owners of these properties have promised to sue, which will likely enable them to remain open for years.
4) The Town has identified four potential developers to bid on this project if the URP is approved. These developers have submitted preliminary plans for a ten acre development, even though the actual size of the site will be close to forty percent less. These proposals, outlined in the URP, were used to determine density options as well as other important factors in the URP.
If the URP is approved, the actual projects will likely be considerably different than what the developers initially submitted based on the reduced size of the property (approx. 6.19 acres). As a result, the community has little specifics as to what the actual development might be.
5) The URP calls for the development of mixed use retail and housing. However, it fails to provide an adequate solution for all of the existing empty buildings or failing retail businesses in
the area.
6) Of the four developers being considered by the Town, only one, Trammell Crow, has met with the community and their plan most accurately reflects the community’s desires. The remaining three developers submitted plans that will provide a mixed use of retail and residential, including housing above stores, and multifamily homes. These proposals do not improve our community. Local real estate professionals have expressed concern that homes will be difficult to sell at this location. None of the three developers have given specifics as to density, square footage or estimates as to the cost of the land.
7) The environmental impact assessment, conducted by the Town, considered a range of housing densities, including up to eighty units per acre. According to the environmental impact
assessment, a density of eighty units per acre would result in greater positive impacts on tax revenues, additional housing opportunities and job opportunities. The URP states that the following:
a. Eighty units per acre would give our school district up to $280,000 more than the Town’s preferred density of 45 units/acre.
b. Eighty units per acre would have NO negative environmental impacts or traffic impacts. The environmental impact assessment gave no reason for the Town to reject the higher density option other than to state “at 80 units per acre, the land use policy implications of this density would have to be carefully reviewed for potential Town-wide repercussions.” The Town has made this major determination for West Hempstead without actually conducting the review of potential Town-wide “repercussions” and only recommends a density of 45 units per acre.
8) The URP proposes that the AVF Carting site be converted to a parking lot. As a current business, the property generates tax revenue for our community. If the URP is approved, the likely use of this property would be a parking lot, resulting in a LOSS OF CURRENT TAX REVENUE.
9) Because public money (i.e. taxpayer dollars) was used to develop the Town’s URP, the Town will be responsible for relocating the Courtesy and AVF Carting, likely leading to more lawsuits
and taxpayer costs as other communities fight to prevent these businesses from operating in their neighborhood.
10) The values of the properties have not been publicly disclosed. If the current owners do not accept the appraised values, the issue will go to the courts and could take years to litigate. Without knowledge of the value, it is impossible for developers bidding on the URP to determine
what they need to build in order to generate a profit. Given the low density proposed by the Town of Hempstead, the developer may have to cut quality or possibly walk away from the project.
11) All School, County and Town taxes cease to be paid once the properties are acquired by
the Town under eminent domain.

The goal to redevelop this area of West Hempstead is a good one. However the URP is not the most effective or beneficial way to accomplish this.

OPTION TWO: PRIVATE SALE TO TRAMMEL CROW RESIDENTIAL
In early 2006, Trammel Crow Residential (TCR), one of the country’s largest and most reputable developers of residential housing, entered into a contract with the owner of the Courtesy Hotel to purchase the property. The original plan proposed a mix of 220 one, two and three bedroom luxury apartments. In order to build the apartments, TCR filed the required paperwork with the Town to obtain the proper zoning variances in December 2006. The Town has yet to take any action on TCR’s application.

Local municipalities in “first ring” suburbs throughout the country have begun to embrace the idea of transit oriented development, which places higher density housing near public transportation hubs. This has resulted in local revitalization, increased tax revenue generation, and managed population growth with little environmental impact.

TCR selected the site due to its proximity to the LIRR station and the many bus routes located directly in front of the Courtesy Hotel. TCR has extensively researched the site as well as the market for rental housing on Long Island in general.

After TCR announced their planned purchase, they immediately reached out to community groups, including the WH Civic Association, Cathedral Gardens Civic Association and the WH Chamber of Commerce. They also attended community meetings, solicited feedback from residents on their project, and incorporated some of those elements into their design.

WHY WEST HEMPSTEAD RESIDENTS SUPPORT THE TRAMMEL CROW RESIDENTIAL PLAN
1) This is a private sale that would close the Courtesy Hotel once and for all.
2) TCR will continue to pay all taxes while the property is being developed.
3) The original design proposed 220 units at eighty units per acre. At the Town’s request for a lower density, TCR has compromised with a new proposal based on 176 units total at sixty-five units per acre.
4) TCR will build their development according to the Town’s more stringent code reserved for condominiums. This will allow TCR to convert the apartments into condominiums once market conditions are more favorable.
5) The sale and project development will be completely financed through private funding. No public money (i.e. taxpayer dollars) will be used.
6) TCR will require complete background and credit checks of all renters which will include an income and asset check. This is standard procedure with all TCR rental properties.
7) The sale of the Courtesy to TCR at the proposed density will guarantee a greater tax benefit for West Hempstead and our school district.
8) Although TCR will be offering a limited number of three bedroom apartments (15%), statistics at other TCR rental properties and a study of similar properties in the region recently conducted by Rutgers University show that fewer school aged children reside in these types of rental apartments than those residing in privately owned homes. Tenants will likely be young
professionals, young couples not able to afford a house or ready to buy a house, and “empty nesters”.
9) The TCR proposal calls for a four story building (down from five stories in the original proposal). The development would include underground parking lot for the tenants.
10) As per community requests, the complex will have on open architecture and green space to
beautify the area.

With the Courtesy gone as a result of a private sale to Trammel Crow, the Town of Hempstead should work closely with the community to develop a Vision for the revitalization and beautification of the entire surrounding area including Hempstead Turnpike and continuing south along Hempstead Avenue, areas missing from the Town’s current Urban Renewal Plan. This is considered Smart Growth and should include community input from day one.

Here’s What You Can Do:
􀂾 ATTEND THE MEETING on December 11 at 10:30 a.m:
Nathan L.H. Bennett Pavilion (Adjacent to Town Hall)
One Washington Street, Hempstead

􀂾 Write or call your Councilperson on the Town Board and urge them to
VOTE NO on the URP.

􀂾 Urge them to VOTE YES on the Trammel Crow Residential plan.

Write to the following Town Board members:
Councilman Ed Ambrosino
Hempstead Town Hall
One Washington Street
Hempstead, NY 11550
(516) 489-5000

Councilwoman Dorothy Goosby
Hempstead Town Hall
One Washington Street
Hempstead, NY 11550

Councilman Jim Darcy
Hempstead Town Hall
One Washington Street
Hempstead, NY 11550
(516) 489-5000

TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE. PLEASE ACT TODAY!

Hell No, We Won't Go!

2007-11-29T13:35:00.000-05:00

At The Courtesy, Only The Signs Have Changed

It all comes down to the December 11th vote of the Hempstead Town Board. [10:30 AM, Meeting Pavilion, 1 Washington Street, Hempstead.]

If the Town Board votes in favor of the Urban Renewal Plan (we'll call it the Murray Mistake, for lack of a better term), the Courtesy will close, ah, um, NEVER!

If the Town Board votes NO on the Urban Renewal Plan -- as civic groups and community organizations have been demanding -- and instead gives the nod to private developer, Trammell-Crow, the Courtesy will not only be closed within months, it will be razed to the ground and turned into a residential development we can all be proud of.

Let's make sure that what happens in Hempstead Town is in the best interests of the people in West Hempstead town.

Come out to the Town Board meeting on Tuesday, December 11th -- the same day the Town Board plans to vote itself, and Supervisor Murray, hefty pay raises -- and tell them, "Urban Renewal Plan NO ~ YES To Trammell-Crow!"

Can't make it to the December 11th Town Board meeting?

E-mail Kate Murray at katemurray@tohmail.org and Councilman Ed Ambrosino at eambrosino@tohmail.org.

Welcome To Kate Murray's Hempstead Town!

2007-11-28T10:24:00.000-05:00

Blight On Every Corner; A No-Tell Hotel In Every Community

Elmont's Parkway Inn As The New Courtesy?

From Newsday:

Elmont man nabbed after hotel room struggle with cops
BY JOSEPH MALLIA joseph.mallia@newsday.com

A man carrying a loaded handgun tried to evade the police by climbing through an Elmont motel bathroom window, but after a struggle he was arrested Tuesday night on drug and weapons charges, Nassau police said.

The 11:40 p.m. arrest came after police officers noticed a suspicious car in the Parkway Motor Inn lot at 35 Plainfield Ave. in Elmont.

As the officers walked toward the car the driver, David Stanford, 27, of Elmont got out and ran into a motel room, the police said.

When Stanford climbed out the room's bathroom window, Fifth Precinct Police Officers Frank Diconza and Richard Muller were waiting for him.

Stanford fought with the officers when they tried to arrest him, but he was eventually handcuffed and taken into custody. During the struggle, Officer Diconza broke a bone in one of his hands, and he was taken to Winthrop-University Hospital where he was treated and released.

The officers found that Stanford was carrying a loaded 9-mm handgun and several small bags of marijuana, police said.

He was charged with criminal possession of a weapon, second-degree assault, resisting arrest, criminal mischief and marijuana possession.

Stanford, of 39 Fallon Ave., was scheduled for arraignment Wednesday at First District Court in Hempstead.

Copyright © 2007, Newsday Inc.
- - -
IMPORTANT REMINDER: Town of Hempstead Public Hearing on Tuesday, December 11 at 10:30 AM [Meeting Pavilion, 1 Washington Street, Hempstead].

Tell the Town Board to just say NO to the Urban Renewal Plan!

No Mandate For Murray, Says West Hempstead Civic Prez

2007-11-15T17:08:00.000-05:00

Norton Negates Murray's Misguided Muzzling Of Community's Will

The Needs of the Many...

After reading your article "Incumbents Win on Election Day," I am totally dismayed at Supervisor Kate Murray's statement saying that "I hope that those few residents that are perhaps skeptical about our plan will come into the fold and get excited as I am about our urban renewal plan."

Virtually every West Hempstead organization has come out to support the Trammell Crow Residential apartment complex and the 65 units per acre and oppose the Urban Renewal Plan. Among those organizations are: West Hempstead Board of Education, WH Education Association (teachers union), WH Chamber of Commerce, Cathedral Gardens Civic Association, WH Soccer Chiefs, WH Lions Club, WH Kiwanis Club, WH Historical Society, WH Community Scholarship Fund and the WH Civic Association. In addition, over 2400 letters and signed petitions have been delivered to Supervisor Murray, all in opposition to the Urban Renewal Plan and in support of the sale of the Courtesy to Trammell Crow and allowing 65 units per acre. In a community the size of West Hempstead, this certainly constitutes a vast majority of residents.

How then can Ms. Murray say only a few are skeptical?

Supervisor Murray constantly keeps saying there are 10 acres designated for redevelopment? This is misleading because 10 acres cannot be used for development. The Urban Renewal Plan clearly states that the full 10 acres cannot be utilized. Yet our supervisor continues to make reference to developing 10 acres in press releases and in quotes to the press.

There are many reasons why so many are opposed to the Urban Renewal Plan for West Hempstead. First and foremost, there isn't any clear plan. In addition, it effectively kills the private sale of the Courtesy to Trammell Crow Residential as well as the Rockefeller Group's planned senior citizen townhouses on the AVF Carting property; it also creates a situation where National Wholesale Liquidators would be in violation of existing town code resulting in reducing its value and threatening the existence of this business which pays over $1.2 million in taxes.

The owners of the four pieces of property within the plan have all said they would oppose the taking of their property under eminent domain. This will result in years of litigation costing taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars and will result in the Courtesy remaining open for years if not possibly forever. What is downplayed by the town is the requirement under eminent domain to find a location to enable the owner of the Courtesy to relocate his business. In which community does the town intend to relocate the Courtesy?

Yes, Supervisor Murray was returned to office. But, that shouldn't be translated into having received a mandate from West Hempstead to continue to charge full steam ahead with an ill conceived plan for our community. Our politicians would better serve us if they remove their rose colored glasses, walk among us and take a realistic look at the mess the Urban Renewal Plan for West Hempstead creates.

Rosalie Norton
President, West Hempstead Civic Association

(Note: There is a copy of the Urban Renewal Plan and the Environmental Impact Study in the West Hempstead Public Library)

Town's Delay; Activists' Dismay; Courtesy To Stay?

2007-11-14T16:02:00.000-05:00

Town Hearing on Urban Renewal Plan Now On For December 11th. Maybe.

They've rescheduled (again) the public hearing on the Town's Urban Renewal Plan. On again, off again, this time for Tuesday, December 11, 2007 (in case you were wondering which year) at 10:30 AM (when most of us are at work or otherwise unavailable).

Should we tell you to come out to the Bennett Meeting Pavilion behind Town Hall (1 Washington Street, Hempstead), as we've done -- and done, and done -- in the past, only to have you sent away, disappointed?

Or do we dare to not ask you to show up (again) and be heard (again), lest the "hearing" (but who's listening?) go forward without opposition, Murray having her "mandate" to give the thumbs up to a plan that will further delay the closure of the Courtesy (perhaps for years), and forever change (for the worse, we fear) the landscape of West Hempstead's eastern gateway?

Well, mark your calendars accordingly, and be prepared to stand and resist Murray's mauling of our community's plans to revitalize and re-energize a vital part of our hamlet that has been blighted by the Courtesy, and neglected by the Town.

Watch your local newspapers, for e-mails from the West Hempstead Civic Association, and this blog, for the latest on the never-ending saga of the Courtesy Hotel.

And do send an e-mail to the powers-that-be (or pretend to be) at Town Hall -- even if you have done so before -- demanding that the Courtesy be closed and demolished, with the sale of the property to private developer, Trammell-Crow, green-lighted by Hempstead Town.

Hey, it's your community. If you don't fight for it, who will?

Town stalls owners' try to unload seedy hotel
BY NICHOLAS HIRSHON
DAILY NEWS WRITER
Wednesday, November 14th 2007, 4:00 AM

A seedy West Hempstead hotel seems to have more lives than a cat - even though everyone, including its owners, wants it closed.

A crucial town hearing that many hoped would nail the coffin shut on the Courtesy Hotel on Hempstead Ave. has been postponed until Dec. 11, dragging out an already protracted saga.

The town board may decide that day to delay its vote on the Courtesy's fate until January, and its decision could lead to an extended legal battle.

"The Courtesy should have been closed by the end of the year," said Rosalie Norton, president of the West Hempstead Civic Association. "There's no way of understanding the reluctance to move forward."

The delays are tied to a feud between the town board and the Courtesy's owners, brothers Bruce and Richard Zwelsky.

The Zwelskys want to shutter the hotel, allegedly a hangout for prostitutes, and agreed last year to sell the land to apartment complex developer Trammell Crow Residential.

But the town government is seeking to prevent the sale. The Dec. 11 hearing centers on a plan that would condemn the Courtesy land and sell the property to a developer.

"It's more playing games and it's more delay," said Thomas Levin, a lawyer representing the Zwelsky brothers.

If the board votes to condemn the land - instead of letting the Zwelskys sell it to Trammell Crow - Levin said he expects to wage a legal battle, which some believe could drag on for months, if not years.

Levin said he couldn't predict when the hotel would close, given the town board's sluggish pace.
The hearing yesterday was canceled because two of seven town board members were absent, and the board needs a super-majority - a majority plus one - to approve the plan, said town spokesman Mike Deery.

Marshall Myers, the civic association's vice president, wondered whether the board delayed the vote in the hope that fewer residents would show up to protest.

"Once Thanksgiving hits, people's brains go into holiday mode," Myers said. "They don't want to hear it if it's anything besides being with family and shopping for Christmas."

© Copyright 2007 NYDailyNews.com. All rights reserved.

Murray Calls Victory A "Mandate," Then Adjourns Courtesy Hearing Without Date

2007-11-09T13:19:00.000-05:00

West Hempsteaders Give Murray Their Okay, 60% to 40%; Murray Gives WHers The Finger

Oh, she gloated, all right.

As reported in the Three Village Times, Kate Murray sees her victory in Tuesday's election as a mandate for her misguided plans, and a rebuff to "the few" who have dared to criticize the error of her ways.

Of course, West Hempstead residents didn't help their cause, those who voted in numbers so small one could hear a pin drop at the polling place, giving Murray the thumbs up with 60% of the local vote.

Talk about none so blind, or so moved by a pretty smile and a whole mess of self-serving, taxpayer paid literature delivered to the mailbox.

"I'm certainly very grateful to our town residents' mandate. It's very humbling to see the overwhelming numbers that came in for all of us. I'm just delighted that I get a chance to serve the residents for another two years because this is a great job and I've loved every minute of it," the town supervisor said.

Murray also won in the West Hempstead region where she has been criticized for failing to close the controversial Courtesy Hotel. However, an urban renewal plan for the area is in the works.

"Clearly a vast majority thinks we're heading in the right direction and I'm excited about that," she said. "I hope that those few residents that are perhaps skeptical about our plan will come into the fold and get excited as I am about our urban renewal plan because I really think at the end of the day, developing not only the Courtesy site at 2.7 acres but doing those 10 acres in a cohesive fashion will really be the best solution for the West Hempstead community."

Murray then promptly went on to cancel the further hearing on the Town's highly-criticized Urban Renewal Plan, as scheduled for November 13th, setting no new date as the fate of the Courtesy, and a community's future, hangs precariously in the balance.

Ah, we have seen the enemy, and he is us. And Kate. But mainly us...

To badly paraphrase, those who would forsake representative government for a half-baked plan that stands revitalization on its head deserve the half-baked plan.

The rest of us -- even those who stayed at home on Election Day (shame on every one of you) -- deserve better!

'Round-n-'Round We Go, Where We Stop, Only Kate Murray Knows

2007-11-06T12:39:00.000-05:00

From Best Laid Plans To Worst, Town Balks While Community Squawks

The latest from the West Hempstead Civic Association:

Important Meeting of the Hempstead Town Board: Public Hearing on the Future of the Courtesy Hotel

Tuesday, November 13, 2007 at 10:30 a.m.
Bennett Pavillion, 1 Washington St. Hempstead

The Town must make a decision! WILL IT BE THE PRIVATE SALE TO TRAMMELL CROW OR YEARS OF LITIGATION?

The West Hempstead Civic Association is urging all residents to attend this very important meeting. Call 733-0879 for further information.
- - -
TELL THEM AGAIN -- THE REIGN OF TERROR AT THE COURTESY MUST END!
- - -
Send a Letter to the Town of Hempstead to Close the Courtesy Hotel

The WHCA has developed a letter to send to Supervisor Kate Murray and Councilman Edward Ambrosino urging them to expedite Trammel Crow's application for zoning variances which will allow them to buy the property and close the Courtesy for good by the end of the year.

Please fill out the form and let our elected officials know that we want action taken now.
- - -
IF YOU'VE BEEN HOLDING YOUR BREATH WAITING FOR THE TOWN TO ACT, YOU'D BE LONG DEAD!

How Many More Photo Ops. . .

2007-10-25T12:49:00.000-05:00

. . .Before The Courtesy Is Closed?

This one was taken in 2005.

Any questions?

Why Is This Woman Smiling?

2007-10-23T09:59:00.000-05:00

Certainly, The Good People Of West Hempstead Are Not!

Kate Murray, back in 2005, told the West Hempstead community that she would not rest until the Courtesy Hotel was closed.

Just last week, at a prayer rally in the wake of the rash of noose sightings, Kate Murray told the gathered that she would not sleep until the perpetrators had been apprehended and brought to justice.

For someone who would not rest and would not sleep, Kate Murray looks pretty darn good, doesn't she? We guess sleep deprivation agrees with her!

Anyway, its back to the drawing board -- or at least to the Town Board -- on Tuesday, November 13th (10:30 AM), when the Town once again takes up the proposed Urban Renewal Plan.

They say that the Town Board will "hear testimony" (which part of "close the Courtesy" don't they understand?) from the community on November 13th. Sure they'll hear, but will they listen?

Here's something Kate Murray and the members of the Hempstead Town Board WILL listen to: The sound of the lever being pulled in the voting booth on Tuesday, November 6th.

On Election Day, tell Kate Murray you've had enough; that we, as a community concerned about our future, will not rest until the Courtesy is closed and the property redeveloped.

- - -

By the way -- the photo appearing in this post was said to have appeared on a now defunct website of Murray supporters, www.VagrantsUnitedForMurray.com. Apparently, even the vagrants have given up on Kate.

"Storm the Bastille and demand that the Courtesy be sold now!"

2007-10-17T09:41:00.000-05:00

Fighting Words From Town Councilman Edward Ambrosino

To my neighbors and friends in West Hempstead:

I am disappointed and disgusted at the lack of progress regarding the elimination of the Courtesy hotel. Never has a community so united been met with so much delay and obfuscation.

I have stood with you and by your side since my election in 2003. I have asked the Supervisor and my fellow town board members to condemn the hotel. I have submitted legislation to expand the town’s nuisance law to shut the doors of the Courtesy hotel. Finally, I introduced the concept of a private sale.

My efforts have not been embraced. Instead the town is trying a global urban renewal plan.

While I support long term planning and a global approach, I want the elimination of the Courtesy to serve as the cornerstone of the revitalization of West Hempstead.

Our vision of community renewal cannot begin while the Courtesy stands. Let's eliminate the Courtesy now, once and forever.

I will not rest until the Courtesy is torn down.

I stand with the community.

Once the Courtesy is torn down renewal will begin. We can then join together with the town and plan for the redevelopment of the region.

Let us come up with a plan that works. Not a plan that delays.

I share your disappointment, but I will not stop fighting.

Keep up the efforts. Don't give up.

Storm the Bastille and demand that the Courtesy be sold now!

I will help lead your charge.

Thank you.

Councilman Ed Ambrosino

Murray Makes Mockery Of West Hempstead

2007-10-16T16:07:00.000-05:00

Mock support by W. Hempstead hotel a slap at supervisor
BY NICHOLAS HIRSHON
DAILY NEWS WRITER

Here's an endorsement no politician wants.

For the second time in a month, management at a seedy West Hempstead hotel unfurled a banner outside the building telling voters to support the Hempstead town supervisor - since she keeps the sleazy inn open.

"Reelect Kate Murray. We're Still Here Because She's Still There," read the red-white-and-blue sign that reappeared last week on the Courtesy Hotel, allegedly a hotbed of drug use and prostitution.

Richard Zwelsky, who co-owns the Hempstead Ave. hotel with his brother Bruce, said the siblings had no comment on why the banner returned just weeks after it was first hung on the Courtesy, then removed.

Murray also remained mum. "The supervisor isn't going to dignify the folks who put the sign up at the hotel, whoever did it, with any sort of response," said town spokesman Mike Deery.

The banner, while outwardly supportive of Murray, is backhanded praise for the town supervisor, who has been a thorn in the side of the Zwelsky brothers.

The brothers agreed to sell the hotel to an apartment complex developer last year - setting themselves up for a big payday - but the Hempstead town government, led by Murray, intervened and pursued an urban renewal plan for the area.

Murray, a Republican, is widely expected to defeat Democratic challenger Kevin Gorman in the Nov. 6 election, but her role in the Courtesy saga has added a twist to the campaign.

"Any criticism of the current Republican administration helps me out," Gorman said.

Residents argue the urban renewal process delays the hotel's closing. But even Murray's harshest critics feel the entire town board, not just its supervisor, should share in the blame.

"She's just one vote," said Rosalie Norton, president of the West Hempstead Civic Association. "Since she's only one of seven votes, I'd like to say it really comes down to a question of, 'Do all the others agree with her?'"

Councilman Ed Ambrosino of West Hempstead said he hadn't spoken to Murray about the banner, but he doubted the sarcastic sign would affect the race.

"Kate Murray's very popular and she's going to win," he said. "I support the supervisor. I want the supervisor to win."

The town board is expected to discuss the renewal plan on Nov. 13. The developer who entered into a contract with the hotel owners remains in the running for the land.

"We really wish that banners weren't necessary, that we could just move ahead positively with the application," said Joseph Torg, a senior managing director with Trammell Crow Residential.

Former Civic President Blasts Murray On Failure To Close Courtesy Hotel

2007-10-12T12:11:00.000-05:00

ONLINE EDITION FRIDAY OCTOBER 12, 2007

Community Under Siege

For a brief time in September, a banner hung from the tower of West Hempstead's notorious Courtesy Hotel. It read: "Re-Elect Kate Murray. We're Still Here Because She's Still There."

How true.

In 2003, an election year, Town Supervisor Kate Murray assured the community that the Courtesy would be closed. It wasn't.

In 2005, an election year, Town Supervisor Kate Murray again proclaimed that the Courtesy would be shuttered, and the property redeveloped. Nothing.

And here we are in October 2007, just weeks away from an election, with Town Supervisor Kate

Murray the only thing standing between the closure of the Courtesy and the revitalization of West Hempstead's eastern gateway.

Will there be an "October Surprise?" It is, after all, an election year.

As the old saying goes, "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me." Fool us three times? Well, you figure it out.

Give the people what they want - high-end rental apartments in close proximity to the railroad, and what would become a re-energized "downtown" business district?

No. That would mean we have representative government at Hempstead Town Hall.

I can only surmise, given the temerity with which the supervisor has resisted the will and disregarded the well-being of this community, as to the ultimate fate of this part of our town.

I will say, with well-founded reason and history as a guide, the Courtesy won't close until Kate Murray goes!

Who are you voting for on November 6?

Seth D. Bykofsky

(The writer is a former president of the West Hempstead Civic Association.)

- - -

We hear tell that the "re-Elect Kate Murray..." banner has once again risen over West Hempstead's Courtesy.

On Tuesday, November 6th, tell Kate Murray you've had enough!

Town Plods On With Pitiful Plans

2007-10-05T14:41:00.000-05:00

Town Sets November 13 for Hearing on Urban Renewal Plan

The Town of Hempstead has set Tuesday, November 13 as the date for a hearing on the adoption of the town's urban renewal plan for West Hempstead.

The town's proceedings will begin at 10:30 AM in the Nathan L. H. Bennett Pavilion at Hempstead Town Hall.

The West Hempstead Civic Association and, it would appear, the majority of West Hempstead residents, oppose the Town's Urban Renewal Plan, favoring the Trammell-Crow proposal.

All West Hempstead residents are encouraged to attend the Town's Hearing.

"X" Marks The Spot In West Hempstead

2007-10-04T10:09:00.000-05:00

The Courtesy As "Business 'X'" In The "X" Zone

Planners back move to X out sleaze hotel
BY NICHOLAS HIRSHON

DAILY NEWS WRITER
Thursday, October 4th 2007, 4:00 AM

For all the triple-X behavior that allegedly takes place in a seedy West Hempstead hotel, only one X made it into Nassau County documents that outline new ways to condemn and redevelop the area.

In commentary sent in August to Hempstead officials, the Nassau County Planning Department refers to the Courtesy Hotel on Hempstead Avenue as "Business X," and only briefly mentions that the "deteriorating" site has a hotel.

Executive Planning Commissioner Patricia Bourne, whose staff compiled the notes after reviewing the town board's proposed urban renewal plan, said county employees used "X" to stay consistent with Hempstead documents.

"It was a zoning code 'X' for a business category," Bourne said. "Every municipality has its own way of categorizing its codes."

The report marks the latest development in the long-running Courtesy saga.

The hotel's owner agreed to sell to developer Trammell Crow Residential last year, but the Hempstead government intervened and proposed an urban renewal plan for the area.

In its comments, the county Planning Department expressed support for the town's plan to replace the hotel and nearby parking lots - which it deemed "entirely inefficient uses of land" - with a row of townhouses and apartments above retail space.

The 11-page report also offers "refinement" of the town plan, such as creating a Broad St. greenway with wider sidewalks and tree plantings.

The Hempstead town board will discuss the urban renewal plan next month, but may delay a vote so it can better consider the county report and community concerns, said Hempstead Planning Commissioner Charles Theofan.

"We're considering everything, all of their suggestions, very seriously," Theofan said.

Locals are siding with Trammell Crow's proposal to demolish the hotel and put up an apartment complex. But they wonder whether the town is even listening to their plea.

"We feel almost like second-class citizens," said Rosalie Norton, president of the West Hempstead Civic Association, which opposes plans for a two-level parking garage and more retail in an area already struggling economically.
- - -
The Town of Hempstead not listening? Kate Murray couldn't care less? Nah. Must be our imaginations.

How about some letters to the editors of the local papers from the good people of West Hempstead expressing their concerns about the the Town's tactics?

TheBeaconNews@aol.com

ThreeVillageTimes@antonnews.com

Malverne-WHeditor@liherald.com

Remember, the Courtesy is still here, because Kate Murray's still there!

Good Grief, Kate Murray!

2007-09-21T12:05:00.000-05:00

Town Supervisor Moved Quickly To Take Down Banner

Not So Fast On Taking Down The Hotel

We have it on good information that when Kate Murray told Town Councilman Ed Ambrosino -- who represents West Hempstead -- to "get that sign down," Ambrosino quipped back words to the effect of, "How about we take down the sign, AND the hotel?"

Way to go, Ed.

Reportedly, Kate was not happy. Well, Kate, neither are we.

As the sign on the Courtesy read, "WE'RE STILL HERE, BECAUSE SHE'S STILL THERE!

Truer words were never spoken.

- - -

From the Three Village Times:

Town Supervisor Takes Shot Over Hotel
Civic Leaders Still Want TownTo Allow Residential Development
By Joe Rizza

This banner found its way on the front of the Courtesy Hotel, but Supervisor Kate Murray has vowed to close the hotel.

A sign recently appeared on the front of the Courtesy Hotel in West Hempstead, which read "Re-elect Kate Murray - We're Still Here Because She's Still There."

The sign, which was taken down, may have been a shot directed at the Hempstead Town supervisor who is running for re-election this November but Murray has pledged that she is trying to close the hotel.

The way the hotel will ultimately disappear from the West Hempstead map is what the town supervisor and civic leaders are disagreeing on. Murray prefers that the hotel property be part of the 10-acre urban renewal plan, which calls for the redevelopment of deteriorating and underutilized properties with residential and retail establishments, parking and open spaces.
However, some members of the West Hempstead Civic Association see the urban renewal plan as the town just spinning its wheels as the hotel remains open. Civic leaders prefer that the hotel property be sold to Trammell Crow Residential, which would build a luxury apartment complex on the site.

"This isn't an urban renewal plan. There's no plan there. It was something hastily slapped together," said Rosalie Norton, the president of the West Hempstead Civic Association.

Among some of the problems in the plan, according to Norton, is taking away parking spaces that currently exist on the 10-acre site. Norton also believes putting retail establishments would only add to the problem of empty storefronts in that area.

Some community members would prefer the hotel property be sold to Trammell Crow Residential, which would erect a 176-unit luxury apartment complex on the 2.7-acre site. The density would amount to 65 units per acre. However, some town officials believe that 65 units per acre is too dense. The town has set a precedent of 45 units per acre, which seems to be the limit as far as density of an apartment complex. Under the town's suggestion of 45 units per acre, a developer could build a 122-unit apartment complex on the site whereas Trammell Crow is proposing a 176-unit complex.

Community members such as Norton don't understand why the town would not allow the hotel property to be sold for another 54 units on the site. However, some believe that allowing even 65-units per acre would pave the way for denser residential developments that could threaten the suburban quality of life in the town. But those who are proponents of closing the hotel as soon as possible believe that the hotel threatens suburban quality of life and the town should pursue the quickest possible means to close the hotel.

Norton said she would attend Thursday's meeting of the Nassau County Planning Commission, although on Sept. 6, the planning commission adjourned the West Hempstead plan without a further date. If the planning commission rejects the urban renewal plan, the town board would need a super majority of five votes of the seven members of the board to pass it.

Closing The Courtesy: Friend Or Foe

2007-09-19T10:10:00.000-05:00

An Up Or Down Vote On Who Stands With The Community

Town of Hempstead Supervisor, Kate Murray: FOE
Label Kate as "Public Enemy Number 1" on the Courtesy issue. She has fought the community every step of the way, seemingly doing all within her power to see that the Courtesy stays open -- or open long enough for her to hand it all to her favorite developer. The banner hanging on the tower of the Courtesy but for a day had it right: "We're still here because she's still there!"

Town of Hempstead Councilman, Ed Ambrosino: FRIEND
Although chided for playing the "Kate Murray and I" card way too often (the necessary evil of politics), Ed has, from Day One, stood side-by-side with the West Hempstead community on bringing closure to the era of the Courtesy. A supporter of "doing whatever it takes" to close the hotel (what it will take is the ouster of Kate Murray), as well as a proponent of the favored Trammel-Crow redevelopment plan, Ed Ambrosino has -- both behind the scenes and at public forums -- taken Supervisor Murray to task. [Insiders tell us of bitter exchanges between the two, and nearly fisticuffs, from time to time (watch Kate's left hook, Ed. She's said to carry some hefty punch).] Ed even proposed an Amended version of the Town's failed Nuisance Law, which would have enabled the Town to PADLOCK the Courtesy immediately. The legislation has languished for months in the Town Attorney's office. So, blame Kate for the malingering at Town Hall, not Ed Ambrosino. Ed may not have been able to close the doors to the Courtesy -- yet -- but at least he tries.

Nassau County Legislator, Vincent Muscarella: FOE
We suppose Vinnie is too busy "voting against the reassessment" to so much as say anything about the Courtesy. Gosh, you would think Vin would at least offer up some moral support. Nothing. Not even a single photo op (and he has quite a few, doesn't he?).

All those years when the County was placing ex-cons, sex offenders, and the indigent at the Courtesy, and Vin Muscarella not only wasn't doing a darn thing about it, he was steadfastly denying it. Sure, closure of the Courtesy is primarily a Town matter, but Vin, why add fuel to the fire?

You would think, at least a public show of support, a press release, a quote -- other than "Tom Suozzi should do his job" -- something! After all, Vin does still live in West Hempstead -- doesn't he? Well, you wouldn't know it. The silence is killing our community, Vinnie. Don't just sit there like a potted plant, say something!

NYS Assemblyman, Tom Alfano: FRIEND
Tom is easily our community's best friend, and no fairweather friend is he. He's taken the battle with Kate "the Courtesy" Murray to the streets, and into every West Hempstead resident's home, trying to pressure the Town Supervisor to "do the right thing." Kate can't. Kate won't. If only Joe Mondello had given the nod to Tom Alfano back in 2003 when Kate was anointed as Supervisor. How different things would be in the Town of Hempstead.

NYS Senator, Dean Skelos: NEUTRAL
Sorry, Dean. There is no Switzerland in the war against blight. The police booth was an idea [not necessarily a good one, but at least it showed us you cared]. Certainly, the Dean of the New York State Senate, the head of Long Island's Senate Delegation, and, arguably, the 4th most powerful elected leader in New York, can do more than has been done to shutter and demolish the Courtesy. Dean's a good man. He's done quite a bit of good for the West Hempstead community. We need him to choose sides here, get off the fence, and bring out the big guns to end the Courtesy's reign of terror.

West Hempstead Civic Association President, Rosalie Norton: FRIEND
By golly, Rosalie. Where do you find the energy? You put the Energizer Bunny to shame! If only we had ten, twenty, one hundred more like her. Keep on fighting for us, Rosalie, and remember what Gandhi once said: "First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, then you win."

So, you've sent e-mails, signed petitions, written letters, attended rallies, testified at Town Hall. Now what?

Like the sign says: WE'RE STILL HERE BECAUSE SHE'S STILL THERE! On November 6th, send a message to Kate Murray that we don't want her THERE anymore. Enough of the broken promises. Enough of the half-truths. Enough of the Courtesy.

A Courtesy Call For Kate's Campaign

2007-09-17T10:30:00.000-05:00

If A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words, How Many Votes Is This One Worth?

Do you think the Town of Hempstead will cite the Courtesy for putting up an "illegal sign?"

Town Zoning Board To West Hempstead: "DROP DEAD!"

2007-09-06T09:00:00.000-05:00

Zoning Board, Over Community Protest, Approves Urban Renewal Plan

The protests of community leaders notwithstanding -- and despite the submission of more than 2000 letters, e-mails, and Petition signatures calling for alternate relief -- the Town of Hempstead's Zoning Board of Appeals approved the much maligned Urban Renewal Plan as promulgated by the Town's Department of Economic Development.

From Newsday:

HEMPSTEAD: Town gets closer to condemning hotel
EDEN LAIKIN

Today, Hempstead town will be one step closer to condemning the controversial Courtesy Hotel in West Hempstead when its planning board adopts an urban renewal plan for the blighted 10-acre area, which includes the hotel, several businesses and their parking lots.

Gerald Wright, the board's chairman, announced last night that the panel would pass a resolution adopting the plan.

The next step for the plan is a Sept. 20 review by the Nassau County Planning Commission.
- - -
"One step closer to condemning the Courtesy?"

Maybe so, but certainly no closer to closing the hotel, tearing it down, and revitalizing the eastern gateway to this suburban community in accord with the wishes of the good people of West Hempstead.

The Town of Hempstead, in effect, has told the citizens it is obligated to serve to "drop dead."

Hopefully, West Hempstead residents will feel similarly inclined to say the same -- politically speaking -- to Town Supervisor, Kate Murray, on November 6th, Election Day!

Town Zoning Board/Planning Board Set To Vote September 5th

2007-09-04T15:47:00.000-05:00

Expected To Approve Plan No One Wants; County Planning Commish To Take Second Look On September 20th

From the New York Daily News:

Under-fire hotel's fate goes to vote
BY NICHOLAS HIRSHON
DAILY NEWS WRITER

A Sept. 20 vote by Nassau officials could determine the fate of a seedy West Hempstead hotel that residents have long blasted for allegedly catering to drug addicts and prostitutes.

The owner of the Courtesy Hotel agreed to sell to a developer last year, but the Hempstead Town government intervened and pursued an urban renewal plan for the area.

The plan, which calls for condemning the land so the town can receive profits from a sale, faces review at meetings by the town planning board tomorrow and the Nassau County Planning Commission on Sept. 20.

Members of the West Hempstead Civic Association hope the board and commission reject the plan and honor a contract signed last year by the Courtesy's owners and developer Trammell Crow, which wants to demolish the hotel in favor of an apartment complex.

"Logic and reason is not really being followed," said civic association President Rosalie Norton. "It's not logical to turn away this sort of development when it's so wholeheartedly supported by the community."

The town planning board is expected to approve the urban renewal plan tomorrow. Members may instead give only qualified approval, or outright reject it.

Then, on Sept. 20, the plan goes before the County Planning Commission. If the commission rejects the plan, the town board could adopt it only with a "supermajority" of votes - support from five of seven board members.

Charles Theofan, the Hempstead planning commissioner, said he expects the commission to approve the plan and would be "extremely surprised" if the supermajority scenario plays out. But the possibility remains intriguing.

Councilman Ed Ambrosino, who represents West Hempstead and has expressed support for the Trammell Crow plan, said he had no idea how the board would vote in a supermajority.

He wouldn't discuss his vote, though he stressed he is willing to consider any plan that closes the Courtesy "as soon as possible."

If the board adopts the plan, the town will likely face a courtroom battle with Thomas Levin, the lawyer representing the Courtesy.

"They want to do this their way, even if it takes a lot longer and costs them a lot more money," Levin said, adding the Courtesy would stay open for "quite a while" if the plan is adopted.

Trammell Crow representative Joseph Torg did not return calls seeking comment.

It seemed like a good idea at the time

2007-08-31T15:03:00.001-05:00

When a plan is not a plan

From the Three Village Times:

How About 65 Units Per Acre?
Trammell Crow Residential AmendsProposal for Courtesy Site
By Joe Rizza

Trammell Crow seems determined to purchase the property the Courtesy Hotel is on so much so that the developer is willing to reduce the number of residential units in the complex it has planned for the site.

The West Hempstead Urban Renewal Plan zone. Key: Parcel A = Courtesy Hotel Property Parcel B = LIRR Right-of-Way Parcel C = Light Industrial Properties, Public/Commuter Parking Parcel D = Portions of Public/Commercial Parking Parcel E = Portions of Public/Commercial Parking

The saga that is the Courtesy Hotel in West Hempstead has elicited passion from the West Hempstead Civic Association, which, for years, has been lobbying the town to close the hotel, which has been considered a scourge on the community. Now, civic leaders see an end in site as real estate developer Trammell Crow is willing to purchase the property with the purpose of erecting a residential apartment complex on the 2.7-acre site, known in the proposed Town of Hempstead Urban Renewal Plan for the area as Parcel A.

Rosalie Norton, president of the West Hempstead Civic Association, appeared at a continuation of the Town of Hempstead Planning Board on last Thursday concerning the 10-acre piece of property that is included in the town's urban renewal plan. Norton expressed concerns over the urban renewal plan and believes it should have been discussed more thoroughly with the community.

The town's urban renewal plan for the 10 acres of West Hempstead that includes the Courtesy Hotel property, which is known as Parcel A.

The urban renewal plan seeks to develop the area with residential (multiple-family and townhouses), neighborhood retail, parking and open spaces that are appropriate for a location adjacent to a commuter railroad station.

Norton, who said (s)he is a community advocate, not activist, believes that the town's urban renewal plan for the area doesn't necessarily include a plan.

The Urban Renewal Plan for the West Hempstead Urban Renewal Area is an eight-page document that identifies five parcels of land within the 10-acre area.
Parcel A - Southside of Hempstead Avenue - the Courtesy Hotel Property - 2.73 acres.
Parcel B - West of Parcel A - LIRR right-of-way - 0.96 acres.
Parcel C - East of Parcel A - Portion of light industrial properties along the west side of Hempstead Gardens Drive.
Parcel D - North side of Hempstead Avenue between Westminster Road and Broad Street - Portions of the parking areas north of Hempstead Avenue.
Parcel E - North of Hempstead Avenue, between Broad Street and Hempstead Gardens Drive -

Portions of the parking areas north of Hempstead Avenue.

According to the urban renewal plan, the proposed action involves redevelopment of these sites to contain a mix of uses such as residential homes, neighborhood retail, parking and open spaces.
The plan calls for multiple-family residential for Parcel A and townhouses for portions of Parcels D and E; ground-floor, neighborhood retail is proposed for Parcels D and E; public parking is proposed for Parcel C and Parcel B is proposed to be open space.

For civic leaders and community members, the number one priority is closing the Courtesy Hotel. This is a priority shared by town officials. The environmental assessment report on the urban renewal plan as submitted by the Town of Hempstead Town Board states, "Removal of the existing Courtesy Hotel, a major blighting factor in the area, is considered to be a significant beneficial impact of the Urban Renewal Plan."

There is some disagreement about whether the Urban Renewal Plan is the best way to go about closing the Courtesty Hotel. One problem that exists with the Urban Renewal Plan is the possibility of having to take property identified in the plan through eminent domain. According to the plan, "To achieve the development envisioned in this plan, a program of acquisition and demolition will be undertaken by the Town of Hempstead Department of Planning and Economic Development which will dispose of such properties for redevelopment in accordance with the plan."

Some community members would prefer that the Courtesy be closed through the purchase of the property by Trammell Crow Residential, which would build a 220-unit apartment complex on the 2.7-acre site with a density of 80 units per acre.

This is the direction the West Hempstead Civic Association would prefer. However, the environmental assessment report on the urban renewal plan points out that changing the zoning to allow for 80 units per acre "would have to be carefully reviewed for potential townwide repercussions."

The town seems willing to allow 45 units per acre, which is the highest density permitted in any zoning district in the town. However, it doesn't seem Trammell Crow is willing to adhere to this determination.

At last week's planning board hearing, attorney Al D'Agostino, who represents Trammell Crow, said his client has agreed to reduce the proposal from 220 units per acre to 176 units, although D'Agostino did not know whether the five-story height of the original proposal would be reduced. However, that proposal still calls for 65 units per acre, which is more than the 45 is willing to allow.

In addition to Trammell Crow, there is also a proposal by Jim Rockefeller of Rockefeller Development to purchase Parcel C and build a 50-unit senior citizen housing complex on the property.

With two developers lined up to develop the Courtesy Hotel and the area east of it, some may wonder whether this may be a better way to go. Until then, the saga that is the Courtesy Hotel keeps on going.

Letters from West Hempstead

2007-08-29T10:34:00.000-05:00

Civic Association Urges Letter Writing Campaign

From Rosalie Norton, President, West Hempstead Civic Association:

PLEASE PARTICIPATE : WE NEED LETTERS BY SEPT. 9, 2007

The Nassau County Planning Commission specifically requested that WH residents write letters regarding the Town's Urban Renewal Plan.

· If the TOH's Plan goes through with 45 units per acre, Trammell Crow Residential will not be able to purchase the property, we lose big tax revenue, and take a major step backwards in getting the Courtesy closed!!!!

· Tell Nassau County that you support higher density and oppose the TOH’s Urban Renewal Plan for West Hempstead.

· Send letters to: Nassau County Planning Commission
400 County Seat Drive
Mineola, New York 11501
Attention: Jeffrey Greenfield, Chairman
Michael A. Bellissimo, First Vice Chairman
Neal Lewis, Second Vice Chairman

· Please send a copy to the WHCA, PO Box 425, West Hempstead, NY 11552

IMPORTANT UPDATE: Trammell Crow has REDUCED the number of apartments to 176 which is 65 units per acre.

With fewer units and parking spaces the building size will most likely be reduced.

Ideas You Might Include In Your Letter --

1.You want the Town to negotiate with TCR to enable the private sale to take place.

2. You are opposed to the Town's Urban Renewal Plan for WH because the density being proposed for Parcel A - the Courtesy Hotel site is too low.

How has the Town determined that 45 units per acre will be economically feasible, without sacrificing quality?

The TOH should make public the value they have placed on each of the parcels to enable the public and the Nassau County Planning Board to judge the merits of the Urban Renewal Plan
Additionally the proposal is short on specifics and relies on vague, undefined concepts.

3. You oppose single family, two family or townhouses on this commercial stretch of Hempstead Avenue, an inappropriate location for this type of housing. Our community rejected this area for a new library believing it to be unsuitable for children.

4. You oppose the property being acquired through eminent domain because:
· There is a private sale pending to purchase the Courtesy site
· You believe the sale to Trammell Crow Residential would result in the best use of the property with the greatest benefits to the community.
· It will take years to rid our community of the Courtesy Hotel this way.
· Under eminent domain the Town would take title to the property and the owner stops paying taxes. Who would pay the school taxes? And when?

5.The Nassau County Planning Board should recommend to the Town that the development producing the most positive economic benefits for West Hempstead should be the actionable choice. In the TOH’s own report they determined that greater density would yield maximum benefits.

6. You oppose the Urban Renewal Plan because it violates the TOH’s existing parking requirements for National Wholesale Liquidators (NWL) and would result in a substantial reduction in the taxes NWL pays; and, the plan does not provide the greatest tax benefits to our community.

7. We are opposed to a parking garage in the area.

8. We support beautification and landscaping of the parking fields north of Hempstead Ave.

9. The Urban Renewal Plan does not address the problem of empty stores on Hempstead Turnpike and Hempstead Avenue, yet it would ask developers to add additional retail stores.

How could additional retail stores create economic revitalization if the existing retail businesses are having difficulties?

2007-08-27T10:04:00.000-05:00

From The Three Village Times:

Visions of Sugarplums

The Town of Hempstead envisions the redevelopment of the Courtesy and its surrounding blight far differently than most West Hempsteaders. Indeed, the town, through its Department of Economic Development and Zoning Board cum Planning Board, looks to remove blight in our community as one would take aim with an elephant gun to shoot a single, lowly mouse (Not that this wouldn't have been the way to go, with prudent planning, timely deployment, and proper implementation.)

As things now stand (aside from quite still), the town offers grand ideas, absolutely no workable plan, and the elephant gun isn't even loaded.

Nassau County, similarly taking aim, the big gun in the hands of the County Planning Commission, envisions a greenbelt on Broad Street, a two-story parking garage, and nominal building setbacks - not exactly what West Hempstead residents had in mind.

Truth be told, had the Courtesy been closed 10 years ago, or even three years ago as promised by Town Supervisor Kate Murray, the West Hempstead community might well have been amenable to alternative plans for the redevelopment, not only of the Courtesy site, but of the entire 10-acre parcel designated by the town as "blighted."

Behind the eight ball, with the Courtesy - the hottest crime spot in the 5th Precinct - still open for business, residents no longer have the breathing room, or the patience, to embrace Ms. Murray's broader "vision." That vision, best of intentions aside, has not played out in the unincorporated areas of the township beyond the occasional brick paver and Victorian-style street lamp - the façade that is passed off as "downtown" improvement being just that, a façade.
Yes, redevelop not only the Courtesy venue, but also the surrounding parcels, home to the likes of a waste transfer station and the seemingly abandoned MTA right-of-way. But first and foremost, close and demolish the Courtesy Hotel, the epicenter of blight at our hamlet's eastern gateway.

In rebuilding community, and revitalizing its infrastructure, one has to start somewhere, sometime. The time to start the wrecking ball swinging is now, and the place to start is at the front door to the Courtesy Hotel.

West Hempsteaders implore the County Planning Commission and the Town Zoning Board to act in our community's best interest and with all deliberate speed. And to Kate Murray we say, "Madam Supervisor, tear down that hotel!"

Seth D. Bykofsky
- - -
Mr. Bykofsky, a community advocate of longstanding, has been in the forefront of the fight to close the Courtesy Hotel and to revitalize the eastern gateway to West Hempstead since 1995. He is a past president of the West Hempstead Civic Association and a founder of The Community Alliance.

Town Zoning Board Continues Public Hearing On August 23

2007-08-21T14:20:00.000-05:00

Still Clueless At Hempstead Town Hall

From the Malverne-West Hempstead Herald:

We shall meet again
By Matthew McGevna

After weeks of confusion surrounding the Town of Hempstead¹s draft urban renewal plan, the Hempstead Board of Zoning Appeals is now apparently prepared to fulfill its alternate role as a planning commission, and vote to accept or reject the plan.

When West Hempstead residents gathered at a meeting of the BZA on July 11, they expected the board to vote on the urban renewal plan. Residents were under the impression that the BZA¹s approval, or rejection, of the document was a key component in the town¹s most recent attempt to seize ownership of 10.5 acres of land in West Hempstead and secure it for private development. Residents came to the meeting to express their views about the plan, their concerns and, for most, their desire to see the parcel of land where the Courtesy Hotel now stands developed by Trammel Crow Residential. Trammell Crow is currently in contract with the owner of the Courtesy, and has been waiting to be granted rezoning for the property.

But the draft urban renewal plan, a brainchild of the town's Department of Planning and Economic Development and the independent consulting firm Saccardi & Schiff, does not support the vision of Trammell Crow Residential, and if approved, it could instead disqualify the company from building what it wants. So residents filed into the July 11 meeting hoping to convince the BZA to reject the town's plan.

As the meeting progressed, however, it became clear to those in attendance that the BZA had no intention of approving or rejecting the plan, and board members continued to reiterate to residents that the board¹s only role was to determine whether or not the 10-acre area was blighted, and that ³something should be done about it.

Listeners began whispering to one another. Hadn't there already been a blight study approved by the town last May that made that determination? Attorneys for the hotel and the nearby National Wholesale Liquidators, whose property the plan includes, read a resolution drafted by the town board that charged the BZA to accept, reject or make recommendations to the plan.

Then, after numerous statements from residents, the matter was tabled for a later meeting, and the audience dispersed in confusion.

Now, apparently, the BZA is prepared to act as a planning board. A date has been set ‹ Aug. 23 at 1 p.m. ‹ to "clarify the jurisdiction" of the board, and to "take further testimony," according to a release.

The release states that after the July meeting, board members received a memo from the Department of Planning and Economic Development claiming that "there may have been some confusion as to the public's perception of the [Board of Zoning Appeals] jurisdiction and scope of review."

"I requested that they re-open the hearing just to clarify exactly what their scope of review is," Charles Theofan, commissioner of the DPED, said of the BZA. "It's not a new hearing, it's re-opening the old hearing. All the old testimony that's been taken is still on the record."

Theofan said he could not predict what the zoning board would do, but added that its members are expected to more fully understand the town board's resolution and clarify to the public what the BZA's role is.

West Hempstead Civic Association President Rosalie Norton said the confusion was not the public's. "The resolution that was passed by the town board said the [BZA] was supposed to review the urban renewal plan and make recommendations," Norton said. "We weren't confused, we were offering our suggestions for them to use in their recommendations."

The Nassau County Planning Board, meanwhile, released a report with its comments and recommendations regarding the urban renewal plan. Theofan said that while the town board is under no obligation to follow the county's recommendations, it would consider all of the comments.

"The Nassau Planning Commission was phenomenal," said Norton, who attended the Aug. 9 hearing that introduced the county's comments. "At the session they said, 'Get together with the community.' They understood the difficulty the community was having."

The West Hempstead Civic Association and other civic groups are opposed to the urban renewal plan because, among other things, it recommends only 45 units of residential housing per acre, far fewer than the 80 units per acre that Trammel Crow is planning for the land. Norton suggested that the town board get together with all the principal players and hammer out a deal. "We understand you don't want 80 [units]," she said in an interview, as if addressing the board, "but we don't want 45, so let's negotiate for something closer to 80, and I don't mean 79."

The Aug. 23 BZA meeting will take place in Town Hall's Bennett Pavilion.

Comments about this story? Mal-wheditor@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 205.

©Herald Community 2007

"When will Fodor or Frommer give West Hempstead's short-stay Courtesy Hotel the negative stars it deserves? ... "

2007-08-21T13:59:00.000-05:00

Excerpts from Newsday Columnist Ellis Henican's post of August 12. . .

...ASKED AND UNANSWERED: If no one looted the bingo pot at Coram's Suffolk Independent Living Organization, where did all the money go? The prize payouts aren't THAT huge ... Shouldn't Lisa Skowron Katz get the "Most Understanding Wife Ever" Award? The Sound Beach mom said OK to a light, 6-month sentence for her soon-to-be-ex husband, Gary, who tried to hire a hit man to kill her ... Should Paul McCartney get "Understanding Husband" prize? He's been graciously hosting the spitting-mad Heather Mills (and daughter Beatrice) at his Fresh Pond Road pad in Amagansett ... Who - or what - is killing the birds of Argyle Lake? Babylon Village Mayor Ralph Scordino counts more than 20 dead ones so far ... And what about the fish in East Rockaway's Mill River? Experts are blaming oxygen depletion for that one ... If the waiter's not keeping the whole tip, shouldn't the diner be warned with the bill? Most customers just assume they're tipping the WAITER ... Is super-sized "mansion-ization" the official blight of the East End's gilded age? Some folks in "The Lanes" sure think so ... When will Fodor or Frommer give West Hempstead's short-stay Courtesy Hotel the negative stars it deserves? ... In a month, the Nassau and Suffolk district attorneys had no trouble pinching 219 illegal contractors? You think maybe, just maybe, there's something wrong with this licensing approach? ... Should 1-800-FLOWERS have to pay damages to cheating husband Leroy Greer, who sent roses to his girlfriend? The dial-in florist faxed the receipt - and the love note - to Leroy's wife ... Didn't the Nassau County Planning Commission forget something on the way to a new urban renewal plan for West Hempstead? Oh, right, the people ... After all the success he's had with his "Garage Sale America" book, does Bruce Littlefield ever just want to shop at Ikea? ... After all the Murdoch outrage at The Wall Street Journal, how many reporters and editors have resigned in protest? Not too many, huh? ... Now that Caroline Giuliani's a Facebook pal of Obama's, which Democratic kid is secretly rooting Republican? Show of hands, please...

"The Town has. . .dropped the ball" -- DUH!

2007-08-17T08:48:00.000-05:00

From The Three Village Times:

All Eyes on the Courtesy
For West Hempstead Residents, Hotel Is Hot Issue
By Joe Rizza

As the campaigns heat up before Election Day in November, it's a safe bet that residents of West Hempstead will keep an eye on the Courtesy Hotel. Whether or not the hotel is closed or remains open could be seen by some as a testament to whether their local elected officials can get things done.

Former Town of Hempstead Councilman Scott Banks, who drafted the nuisance law in an effort to close the Courtesy Hotel in 2000, although he said the law that was eventually passed did not have enough teeth, lives in close proximity to the hotel. "Ultimately, I think the town has essentially dropped the ball on the issue," he said.

Hempstead Town Supervisor Kate Murray wants to redevelop not only the Courtesy Hotel property but the area around the hotel through an urban renewal plan, which calls for a multiple-family, mixed residential and commercial parcel immediately adjacent to the railroad station, a row of townhouses along Hempstead Avenue, a parcel dedicated as open space and community railroad parking.

Following a press conference on a visionary process for Hempstead Turnpike in Elmont, Hempstead Town Supervisor Kate Murray said what the town and the county are trying to achieve in Elmont is similar to what the town is trying to achieve in West Hempstead with the area around the hotel. "What we're saying is let's look at the community as a whole. Instead of just developing the Courtesy Hotel, 2.7 acres, let's do 10 acres. If you just develop the Courtesy, the effect is just much more diminished. It's very important to me to do these 10 acres," she said.

Some residents of West Hempstead who have been lobbying the town to close the hotel prefer that the town rezone the hotel property to allow for a residential complex of 80 units per acre to allow for the purchase of the hotel property by Trammell Crow Residential, which would erect a 220-unit apartment complex on the site. However, the town board seems only likely to permit a maximum of 45 units per acre.

Banks, who is running this November on the Democratic ticket against incumbent councilman Ed Ambrosino, is among those who believe the sale of the hotel to Trammell Crow represents the best chance to close the hotel. "It does create a situation where, if this sale goes through, it would get rid of the main blight on our community. I think there's where we need to go at this point in time," he said. "Something has to get done about this. It's the people in the community who really should have the voice here. We're forgetting that the residents who have to deal with this location each and every day, they're the ones who should say what's right for our community and not someone in town hall and not some planning commission."

The town is seeking to redevelop the land through an urban renewal plan that would allow for 45 units per acre for residential developments as opposed to the 80 units per acre Trammell Crow is seeking in order to buy the hotel. Town officials believe allowing 80 units per acre would set a precedent through the entire town that would allow for developments that are too dense.
Through the urban renewal process, the town will be considering proposals from Trammell Crow, Breslin Realty, the Sheldrake Organization and the Alvin Benjamin company for plans to redevelop the 10 acres of property.

"Right now, we have a horrible hotel and we have an empty parking lot. Quite frankly, we can only go up. We can only improve those 10 acres. I think at the end of the day, people are going to be very happy. That's my sincerest desire with regard to that urban renewal plan and I have every confidence that the community, when they see beautiful new residential and some great commercial areas, is going to say this is what we always wanted. This is what we always envisioned," Murray said.

Comments made by Ambrosino, a fellow Republican, suggest that he may not feel that the urban renewal plan is the fastest way to close the Courtesy. Ambrosino said he empathizes with the residents of the community and supports whatever is going to close the hotel the quickest.

Town Dumb, County Dumber

2007-08-10T08:33:00.000-05:00

Nassau County Planning Commission Stands Reason, And Plans For Redevelopment, On Head

Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse...

The County of Nassau, via its Planning Commission (where's Kat D'Amato when you need her?), has reviewed the Town of Hempstead's Urban Renewal Plan (for the little it was worth), critiqued same, and, with head up proverbial posteria, put forth a "plan" (if you could call it that) of its own.

One has to wonder whether this isn’t yet another instance of the blind (County) leading the blind (Town).

We have yet to “digest” the entire document, let alone to plot out the commission’s findings, juxtaposed against those of the Town, but certain features jump out as leaping from the ridiculous to the totally absurd:

1. Creation of a “greenbelt,” with “Broad Street as an aesthetically pleasing and safe connection to the LIRR West Hempstead Station. . .”

Broad Street “aesthetically pleasing?” Maybe we can plant trees atop the National Wholesale Liquidators trailers?

How about a shelter for the homeless amidst the “aesthetically pleasing” litter as strewn daily along the Hempstead Turnpike side of NWL?

Who’s walking from Hempstead Turnpike at its intersection with Broad Street to warrant such streetscaping?

And why Broad Street, of all locales? How about Westminster between the Turnpike and the Avenue?

2. The construction of a “two-story commuter parking deck.”

Now that would be lovely!

3. 10 foot setbacks are “excessive.”

And we thought they weren’t enough.

We suppose the best reading was the Commission’s recommendation that “Broad Street be the site of expansive streetscape improvements including, but mot limited to, tree plantings, pedestrian amenities, and crosswalk pavers.”

WHAT? NO VICTORIAN-STYLE STREET LAMPS???

Somebody please wake us up. This nightmare grows more horrific by the hour!

We say, back to the drawing board for everyone, and pray for the closure of the Courtesy by the year 2025. Or, somebody dust off the Trammell-Crow plan, and get serious about the redevelopment of this gateway to West Hempstead in our lifetime.

Bring on the bulldozers!

P.S. Has the Town of Hempstead Board of Zoning Appeals decided whether we in West Hempstead are “blighted” yet? And whose blight is it, anyway?
- - -
Rosalie Norton, President of the West Hempstead Civic Association, spoke before the Nassau Planning Commission on August 9th, decrying the Town's Urban Renewal Plan, and asking the Planning Commission to take yet another look.

Among the proposals suggested by Ms. Norton were the rejection of the following:

1. parking garage;

2. single, two family homes, and town houses except on Parcel C and only for seniors;

3. Transit Oriented Development (TOD) zoning with a 1/4 mile radius.

At the same time, Ms. Norton asked for the NC Planning Commission to support:

1. density closer to 80 rather than 45 units for Courtesy property;

2. TOD density only in a tightly confined area in parcels A & C, establishing a distance from any residential homes;

3. 5 story building with covered structured parking under the building with no surface parking allowed for residents;

4. At least 15 foot minimum set backs for apartments, and more for townhouses;

5. Repaving and beautification of parking fields and sidewalks on north side of Hempstead Avenue;

6. Facade improvements for existing buildings. on Hempstead Turnpike and Hempstead Avenue;

7. No further retail businesses being built until a study is done to determine why existing businesses are failing, and addressing how to attract businesses to the area.

Ms. Norton delivered to the Planning Commission copies of the more than 2100 letters and petitions, as previously delivered to Town of Hempstead Supervisor Kate Murray.

The Civic Association has asked that the Town work to enable the private sale to eliminate "50% of the blight," and allow the sector to do what it does best when it works in cooperation with the community and the Town.

The Commissioners set a date of September 20 for a continued hearing, and has asked the Town of Hempstead to work with the community to develop a plan which reflects the concerns and wishes of the community.

Yeah, right!

Meanwhile, the Courtesy Hotel remains open. The Blight fluorishes in our front yard. And both Town and County whistle in the wind while sticking out their tongues to the West Hempstead community.
- - -
From the pages of Newsday:

Planning commission postpones decision on West Hempstead plan
BY COLLIN NASH
collin.nash@newsday.com

Acknowledging residents' complaints that a West Hempstead urban renewal plan and rezoning proposal was crafted without sufficient community input, the Nassau County Planning Commission Thursday postponed a decision on the proposals for 30 days.

The nine-member commission -- which has the final say on zoning actions by local governments -- won't decide on the controversial proposals until Sept. 20 so it can review further public comment. It also urged Hempstead officials to communicate further with residents about their concerns.

Charles Theofan, the commissioner of Hempstead's Department of Planning and Economic Development, said that although "there has been a tremendous amount of dialogue so far, I hear what they are saying and the dialogue will continue."

The more than 50 residents who showed up at the midmorning Planning Commission meeting at the county office in Mineola burst into loud applause after Rosalie Norton, president of the West Hempstead Civic Association, gave her presentation.

"The community has spoken, but they are not taking any of the things we think are important and incorporating them into their plan," Norton said after the meeting.

She delivered a 2,100-signature petition to the commission supporting redevelopment plans by Trammell Crow Residential.

The proposal for the Urban Renewal Plan, a 10-acre site in West Hempstead, consists of the Long Island Rail Road station and five surrounding properties, including the controversial Courtesy Hotel.

Civic leaders have long campaigned to close down the hotel, which has been in operation since the mid-1960s and specializes in short stays and hourly rates. It attracts transients and has been the site of numerous crimes, police and civics say.

Trammell Crow is in contract to purchase the hotel and has floated a proposal to build a five-story, 220-unit rental apartment complex with underground parking, a landscaped courtyard and a swimming pool. Trammell Crow's proposal calls for zoning of 80 units per acre.

Theofan said the highest density the town permits is 30 units per acre."Under the concept of smart growth, we are taking a leap forward in that the urban renewal project has a train station in it and we are looking to zone the area 45 units per acre," Theofan said. "Above that, the feeling in the town is that anything more would set a bad precedent."

The civic association is supporting the Trammell Crow proposal, Theofan contends, "because they see it as the quickest means to an end -- the final demise of the Courtesy Hotel."

But Norton said the town has not recognized the need within the community and on Long Island for housing the younger generation can afford.

"We are supporting the plan to get rid of the Courtesy, not because the property is blighted but because it's a great plan," she said. "We want what's best for our community."

Copyright © 2007, Newsday Inc.

Move Over, Rod Serling. . .

2007-07-24T08:52:00.000-05:00

From The West Hempstead Beacon:

Twilight Zoning

To the Editor:

Submitted for your approval. One downtrodden no-tell hotel. The epicenter of officially designated blight. To the east, a waste transfer station, where refuse sojourns through the night in its travels between no place and nowhere. To the west, a seemingly abandoned, litter-strewn, railroad right-of-way, home to rusting shopping carts and the invisible castaways of humanity.

The end of the line, both figuratively and literally, the screeching of a train’s steel against the cold tracks, piercing the deafening silence of a community’s collective voice, too long ignored, too often diminished to a whisper. A lonely whistle-stop somewhere west of a village that both time and Town forgot.

A Zoning Board that sits as Planning Board, rarely adept at either. “Twenty miles of ugly” along the turnpike. Down the avenue, a vigil to the ghosts of glory days past.

A people, not proud of their newly-acquired designation as “blighted,” who have offered up, over years that now meander into decades, a litany of reasons to close and raze that hellish hotel, only to hear in the echoes a barrage of excuses from Town Hall – the evils of Condemnation, the short-comings of Eminent Domain, the impracticalities of the Nuisance Law.

To endure, as no free and taxpaying people should have to, the consequences of malignant neglect on the part of a government that reacts but with hollow words and smiling photo ops.

That reasonable and resourceful “mix” of residential, retail, and recreational use – as proffered by the West Hempstead community since the cause of closing the Courtesy and revitalizing this gateway was first taken up in 1995 – would be the preferred route, all things being equal.

Then again, in the Town of Hempstead, few things are equal, the considerations of affiliation and connection, appearances of self-dealing and shortsightedness, oft times dismissive of that which should be the overriding measures of a government’s deliberations and decision-making, to wit, the preservation of the character of a community, and the promotion of the best and highest interests of its residents.

Whether the blight with which this hamlet is burdened is forever removed by way of Condemnation or private sale, through the long-in-coming will of government intervention or the workings of the free market, these are the reflections on a town government that has lost sight of its obligation to serve, not the parochial interests of the few, but rather, the greater good of the many.

Yes, somewhere in that vast void between darkness and light, lies a hamlet whose battle weary citizens, stakeholders in a land of broken promises, persistent in the cause, descend yet again upon Town Hall to make their case and speak their minds. Somewhere, in that place we call, The Twilight Zone.

Sincerely yours,
Seth D. Bykofsky
West Hempstead, New York
- - -
The writer is a longtime community advocate and former president of the West Hempstead Civic Association.

Blogger's Note: The Town of Hempstead Zoning Board of Appeals held a public hearing on July 11, 2007, on the merits of the Town's Urban Renewal Plan as prepared by the Department of Economic Development.

More than 150 residents were in attendance, the majority of whom questioned the efficacy of the Town's plan, called for the immediate closure and sale of the Courtesy Hotel, and demanded consideration of the Trammell-Crow proposal for redevelopment.

The Zoning Board reserved decision before adjourning for the evening.

Residents Pan Town's Urban Renewal Plan

2007-07-17T09:07:00.000-05:00

Plan Precludes Development By Trammell-Crow; Ignores Voice Of Community

From the Malverne/West Hempstead Herald:

By Matthew McGevna

Civic leaders in West Hempstead are unhappy with the Town of Hempstead's recently unveiled plan for the 10.5 acres of property surrounding the Courtesy Hotel.

They say the town's Office of Planning and Economic Development is ignoring what they would like to see done with the parcels of blighted land.

The town's draft Urban Renewal Plan (URP), the product of a months-long study by the independent consulting firm Saccardi & Schiff, was scheduled for a public meeting before the Board of Zoning Appeals on Wednesday. The plan recommends, among other things, that developers build no more than 45 units per acre on the property where the Courtesy stands, preferably townhouses or senior housing. It also calls for additional commuter parking near the West Hempstead train station, and the preservation of open space on land south of the hotel site. The URP also recommends a mix of residential homes and commercial businesses on both sides of Hempstead Avenue.

But critics of the plan say there is no need to mix residences with businesses, and they don't see townhouses as a viable option, because families will be reluctant to buy there. "This isn't what I consider planning at its best," said West Hempstead Civic Association President Rosalie Norton. "I think the plan is ignoring West Hempstead residents."

Over the past several months, thousands of residents have signed letters and petitions endorsing the proposed plan of Trammell Crow Residential, a development firm currently in negotiation with Bruce Zwelsky, the owner of the Courtesy, to purchase the property. Trammell Crow¹s plan is to build multiple-story apartment buildings, believing that the complex would attract young professionals who would use the nearby train station to commute to New York City. The plan calls for 220 units in total, breaking down to roughly 80 units per acre. Since it began negotiating with Zwelsky, Trammell Crow¹s application for a zoning variance to accommodate its plan has been pending in the town's building department. In the meantime, the Office of Planning and Economic Development has requested and received a number of other proposals from other developers, and is considering Trammell Crow and three other candidates: the Sheldrake Organization, Breslin Realty and the Benjamin Group. To date, the only firm that has approached members of the West Hempstead community for their input is Trammell Crow.

The URP recommends zoning for 45 units per acre, half the density of Trammell Crow's plan. The URP includes an Environmental Assessment Form, which considers a project's environmental impact on the community. According to the form, 80 units per acre would not dramatically impact water use, land use, sewage, traffic or the local school district. The 5th Precinct even reported that its service to the area would actually decrease, because so much of its activity centers on the Courtesy. Still, the URP concludes that 80 units per acre would be too dense for the area, principally because such a project has never been built anywhere else within the town, and might establish a regrettable precedent.

"Just because you allowed it in one area, doesn¹t mean you have to allow it in all the others," said Norton. "Saccardi & Schiff determined that the area can handle 80, but the URP is recommending 45. They're going to ignore thousands of residents who say 80 units is fine."

"I think [Saccardi & Schiff] are taking cues from the Town of Hempstead," said Cathedral Gardens Civic Association President Scott Jablow. "The town is trying to do whatever they can to knock out the Trammell Crow project."

"I wouldn't exactly call the plan visionary," said Tony Brita, a member of the West Hempstead Board of Education. "We're in a position where we need to think of different ways to house people, and [the Trammell Crow proposal] was a new model, and the Town of Hempstead chose to play it safe."

"What disturbs me is the preclusion of the Trammell Crow proposal in its entirety, and [the town] basically thumbing its nose at the community at large," said Seth Bykofsky, a West Hempstead resident and activist. "The town refuses to consider projects other than what the town wants itself."

Many West Hempstead residents favor the Trammell Crow proposal because they believe it is more appropriate for the area, and because the developer has invited community input since day one. Its proposal would also produce an additional $1.1 million per year in tax revenue for the town. At 45 units per acre, the URP determined a tax revenue of just under $738,000 per year. "We want maximum tax money," Norton said. "We need as much as we can get in tax revenue."

Wednesday's meeting was the first opportunity for residents to voice their disapproval with the URP. If the plan is adopted by the town board, the board's next step is to choose the winning developer. Opponents of the plan say they will keep fighting as long as they have to, even if the fight carries over to Election Day.

Council members Edward Ambrosino and James Darcy, who represent West Hempstead, are running for re-election in November, along with Town Supervisor Kate Murray. "We're going to try to contact each council member," Jablow said. "And if the Democrats put a decent, hard-working opponent against Murray, I'd vote for that person. I'm that disappointed in [Murray's] actions. 'I've had it with her."

Comments about this story? Mal-wheditor@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 205.

©Herald Community 2007

Public Hearing on the Fate of the Courtesy: Wednesday, July 11 at 5 PM

2007-07-11T09:02:00.000-05:00

NOW IS THE TIME TO ACT!!! WEST HEMPSTEAD RESIDENTS CALLED UPON TO WEIGH IN ON THE FATE OF THE COURTESY HOTEL.

Zoning Board of Appeals to hold public Hearing on proposed Urban Renewal Plan
THIS WEDNESDAY, JULY 11 at 5 pm
Bennett Meeting Pavilion
Town Hall
1 Washington Street, Hempstead

From the West Hempstead Civic Association:

PRIVATE SALE/TRAMMEL CROW PLAN

220 upscale luxury apartments in 5 story buildings, with covered parking, large open green spaces, 62 feet apart, with 15 foot set back on 2.7 acre Courtesy Hotel Site
More discretionary income spent in local businesses
MAXIMUM tax revenue generation for WH = LOWER TAXES
Highly experienced, high quality builder
Highly experienced, ON SITE management team
NO NEED TO RELOCATE CURRENT COURTESY HOTEL RESIDENTS
NO NEED TO FIND NEW LOCATION FOR COURTESY HOTEL TO RUN THEIR BUSINESS
COURTESY GONE BY END OF 2007 and AREA QUICKLY REDEVELOPED

TOH FEDERALLY FUNDED URBAN RENEWAL PLAN

4 story buildings with 10 foot set back, 20 feet apart over 7 acres with uncovered parking, resulting in over 300+ units of unknown quality
Courtesy Hotel owner has VOWED to sue, appeal repeatedly and do all in his power to prevent TOH plan, resulting in costly legal battles and many hidden tax burdens being passed to residents
Will generate FAR less tax revenue
Relies on unknown plan with unknown developer, resembling failed projects in neighboring areas
Must find suitable housing for current residents of Courtesy – will they move them to the Capri next?
Must find new location for Courtesy Hotel (which the owner may appeal)
Will drive the highly reputable Trammel Crow Residential plan away
Likely to continue to drag on into the unforeseeable future
Same old, same old…

WHICH IS BETTER FOR WEST HEMPSTEAD?

TELL THE ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS THE TRAMMELL CROW PLAN IS BEST FOR WEST HEMPSTEAD AND, AS A VOTING TAXPAYER, YOU WANT THE HOTEL SOLD THIS YEAR.

Please make every effort to attend this meeting – put a face to the 2000+ letters and petitions submitted to Kate Murray on June 5th.

This is a critical moment for our town – the outcome depends on our determination and action!

Need a ride or more information? Contact the WHCA at 516-733-0879

Town Vows To "Fight The Blight" In West Hempstead

2007-07-02T08:32:00.000-05:00

Kate Murray's "Mission Accomplished" Banner To Hang From The Courtesy

“Fight The Blight” In West Hempstead
[Sung to the tune of The Bear Climbed Over The Mountain*]

Folks, it takes an entire Fleet of enemas to generate this much crap! As Ripley would say, “you can believe it, or NOT!”

*The Bear Climbed Over the Mountain

The bear climbed over the mountain,
The bear climbed over the mountain,
The bear climbed over the mountain,
And what do you think he saw?

He saw another mountain,
He saw another mountain,
He saw another mountain,
And what do you think he did?

He climbed the other mountain,
He climbed the other mountain,
He climbed the other mountain,
And what do you think he saw?

And on and on it goes. . .

The draft Urban Renewal Plan, now before the Hempstead Town Board of Zoning Appeals (copy available for review at the West Hempstead Public Library) calls for a density at half that proposed under the Trammell-Crow redevelopment plan -- effectively putting a nail in the coffin for the project favored by the West Hempstead community.

The Town's Board of Zoning Appeals (ZBA) has scheduled a public hearing on the draft Urban Renewal Plan for Wednesday, July 11, 2007 at 5 PM at the Town Meeting Pavilion, 1 Washington Street, Hempstead.

ALL WEST HEMPSTEAD RESIDENTS, AND THOSE SIMILARLY CONCERNED WITH THE REDEVELOPMENT OF THIS GATEWAY TO THE WEST HEMPSTEAD COMMUNITY ARE URGED TO REVIEW THE PLAN AND TO ATTEND THE PUBLIC HEARING ON JULY 11th.

Those unable to attend the July 11th Hearing are encouraged to offer comment in writing by letter to:

Hon. Gerald G. Wright,
Chairman
Zoning Board of Appeals
Town of Hempstead
1 Washington Street
Hempstead, New York 11550

If Only West Hempstead Had The D'Amatos

2007-06-19T08:04:00.000-05:00

Tear down a beach club in posh Atlantic Beach and build 100 condo units?

Sure, No problem. If you’re name is D’Amato – Al, Armand, Christopher, Katuria – if you think it, you can will it. At the very least, you can get it by the Town of Hempstead Zoning Board of Appeals, where Al’s wife, Kat, sits, collecting full-time benefits for part-time work.

All right. So this is America. Free Enterprise. Whatever the market will bear. Capitalism at its best.

A bona fide, if not politically connected developer (D’Amato’s Park Strategies group), enters into a deal with a private entity, the Sands of Atlantic Beach (Jem Caterers), to develop the property with upscale condo units. So what’s wrong with that?

In a free market, absolutely nothing, as long as the residents of Atlantic Beach stand behind the plan, which appears, at first report, to be anything but the case.

A change in Town Zoning to facilitate and accommodate this redevelopment? You got it, Al. All you have to do is ask!

So why is it that, in West Hempstead, where a bona fide developer, Trammel-Crow, enters into a contract with a private entity, the owners of the Courtesy Hotel, to purchase the property and redevelop the site with luxury apartment units – a project that appears to have the almost universal support of the community – the Town of Hempstead balks, bails, and bellyaches when it comes to this community’s will?

West Hempstead needs its Al D’Amato, we suppose – or at least its Kat on the Courtesy’s hot, tin roof!
- - -
D'Amatos' condo plan
BY EDEN LAIKIN
eden.laikin@newsday.com

Former Sen. Alfonse D'Amato, his brother and son have proposed a multimillion-dollar, 100-condo development for the site of the 50-year-old Sands beach and catering club in Atlantic Beach.

Residents in this quaint beach community, which borders the Atlantic Ocean and Reynolds Channel, plan to fight the proposal they said would negatively impact their lifestyles.

"Their plan, if passed, would be detrimental to our community and our beachfront," according to a letter sent around the neighborhood by a resident. It "clearly disregards the nature of our community and the beauty and fragility of our beaches."

The proposal hinges on the partners getting approval to change the 12-acre property's zoning from marine recreation to multi-family dwelling. The plan calls for 20 buildings each with five luxury condos at 2,200 to 2,400 square feet with an indoor garage. It would be within the new zoning, said an attorney for the group. The development partners - D'Amato, his brother, Armand, and son, Christopher - would also build an outdoor pool, gatehouse and 233 parking spaces.

No one from the Sands returned calls for comment, but the application was signed and authorized by Jem Caterers, on behalf of the Sands.

Christopher D'Amato, a lawyer in his father's consulting and lobbying firm, Park Strategies, said this would be the group's first major development project. A disclosure form filed with the town named Alfonse D'Amato as having 60 percent interest and Christopher and Armand, each with 20 percent interest.

Raina Russo, the Atlantic Beach estates' resident who wrote the letter critical of the project, said that as a developer herself, she doesn't oppose development or change.

"I'm fighting this plan," Russo said. "I think this plan shows a lack of consideration for the members who live in the community. I am looking to make changes and improve the quality of life for Atlantic Beach residents."

Diedra Sehr, who has lived in the community for 28 years, is against the zoning change."It's going to destroy the little enclave we live in," she said. "We'll lose the feeling we have of this beach community and that's why I bought my house."

This is not the first time that an application to the town by the former senator who still wields influence there has raised questions. Last year, his wife Katuria, who sits on the town's Zoning Board of Appeals, had to recuse herself from a decision regarding applications by her husband to improve their Lido Beach home.

Should the proposal be approved by the town board, after undergoing reviews by various town and county agencies, it could come before the zoning board, where D'Amato's wife is a member.

Copyright 2007 Newsday Inc.

A Day At Town Hall, A Night With The Insane!

2007-06-06T11:13:00.000-05:00

Civic Association Delivers "Close & Sell the Courtesy" Petitions Containing Over 2,000 Signatures To Supervisor Murray

“I am delighted to see that rumors to the effect that Hempstead Town Hall had been condemned and demolished have been greatly exaggerated.”

And NOW we remember why we rarely attend Town Board meetings anymore. Who could listen to all that jibber-jabber – from both the elected and the electorate – while still keeping either some semblance of sanity or even a straight face?

At last night’s meeting – from which we did not find egress until nearly 11 PM (and through which we, as West Hempsteaders, still can find no relief) – we heard the myriad stories of the plight of residents; stories told, again, again, and again, seemingly since time immemorial (or at least since Al D’Amato was Town Supervisor, which was about the same time).

A “renaissance” in Oceanside, as Councilman Santino lamented over seven illegal signs for cigarettes, posted on a fence alongside a Long Beach Road gas station. [Only SEVEN illegal signs, Tony? Come to West Hempstead. Walk the Turnpike or the Avenue. We’ll give you more illegal signs than there is MTBE in West Hempstead’s water – and we’ll throw in a few illegal accessory apartments for good measure.]

We heard the tale of “blight” in Roosevelt. Hmmm. Not that we’ve cornered the market on blight in West Hempstead, but at least ours gets the official designation from the Hempstead Town Board.

Then there were allegations of “torture” on the waterfront (a dispute between two neighbors over a fence and Riparian rights) – we know of torture in West Hempstead, both from the criminality that spills over into our once suburban haven by two supernovas of iniquity, the Courtesy and the Capri, and from the Town of Hempstead which, going on 12 ½ years now, has ignored a community’s impassioned pleas to close and demolish that which both Supervisor and Councilman have labeled a “scourge.”

And the excessive noise – coming from the night clubs on Barnum Isle, rattling the comatose at Long Beach Hospital, and reaching even the hearing impaired at the Bayview Nursing Home – which, compared to the excessive “noise” West Hempsteaders get from Town Hall (by way of letters and glossy Murraygrams, cycling through the rehashed verbiage of promises past), is but a mere din, barely audible over the sounds of silence that pass for action from the Town.

Ah, the tables turned on our Supervisor – a photo op in reverse, Ms. Murray now the unwitting recipient of petitions and letters with thousands of signatures demanding the closure of the Courtesy, all caught on camera at a forum most public. There will be no denying that the Town has been put on notice – again – of a community’s will. [Watch for Kate to be photo-shopped out of the pictures!]

A new day about to dawn over Washington Street, and the thought of borrowowing a line from President Reagan. You know, that famous exchange with the President of the then Soviet Union: “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down that hotel!” Better still, that old reverse psychology: “Keep the Courtesy open for all eternity, Madam Supervisor. That notorious hotel may well be the salvation of the West Hempstead community, after all!”

Not so much as a chuckle. [Where’s Don Clavin when you need him?] We could have all stayed at home, eaten dinner, taken in the ballgame, or watched a rerun of House. We came. We spoke. We heard much of the same from the Supervisor, and absolutely nothing from the Town Board (not even advices from Councilman Santino that we “enjoy” having the Courtesy in our backyard).

It was a night, not to remember, at Town Hall, but, rather, to add to the endless timeline of one hotel’s assault upon community, and one community’s courageous battle to pull the monkey – now a 500-pound gorilla – off its back. [The Town’s timeline, of course, only goes back as far as 2005. Memories before then not only fade, apparently, but are recast in the image of Greg Peterson crossing the Delaware.]

You really should come out to meetings of the Hempstead Town Board more often. Not just because misery loves company, but as each of us, at one time or another in our lives of quiet desperation, should bear witness to hypocrisy in action!

KEEP THE PRESSURE ON AT TOWN HALL!

2007-05-25T13:26:00.000-05:00

Come To The June 5th Town Board Meeting; Be Proactive In Demanding The Closure And Sale Of The Courtesy

From the West Hempstead Civic Association --

Town of Hempstead - Town Board Meeting: Courtesy Hotel Closure & Sale
Date: Tuesday June 5, 2007
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Place: Bennett Pavillion, 1 Washington St., Hempstead

When you sign in, indicate you are there to have the Courtesy closed and sold this year. The WHCA will bring all the letters and petitions gathered to date, and present them to Supervisor Murray and the Town Board. We ask that everyone attend and bring your neighbors and friends. We need to concentrate and focus our efforts on getting the Town to make necessary zoning changes to allow the sale of the Courtesy to take place this year. Only with a huge turnout of residents will be able to demonstrate the extent of our support for the sale of the Courtesy. Please contact president@westhempsteadcivic.org to RSVP and to get additional information, or call 516-485-5132.

More On The Mothers Day Rally

2007-05-18T14:19:00.000-05:00

From The Three Village Times:

Moms Rally to Close the Courtesy
Mother's Day Rally Held to Close Hotel
By Joe Rizza

It seems that the members of the West Hempstead Civic Association have tried everything to close the Courtesy Hotel. This past Sunday, members tried a rally on Mother's Day to close the hotel that is seen by many as a blight on the community.

One of the moms who was rallying against the Courtesy Hotel was Rosalie Norton, the West Hempstead Civic Association president, who organized the rally. Norton, a mother of three and grandmother of seven, contacted a number of groups for the rally, which, she estimates, attracted over 100 people.

As far back as the fall of 1995, the West Hempstead Civic Association formed a Committee to Close the Courtesy Hotel. The (then) executive vice president, Seth Bykofsky, who is also the former president of the West Hempstead Civic Association, is still waiting for the hotel to close.

"I'm at a loss for words," said Bykofsky. "Everyone wants the Courtesy closed, even those with the authority to shut it down today, and yet, the infamous no-tell hotel is open and thriving."

The Town of Hempstead has been unsuccessful in closing the Courtesy Hotel under its public nuisance law. However, the town is proceeding with an urban renewal plan, which calls for a partnership with a developer for the redevelopment of the area the hotel is located in.

One of those developers is Trammell Crow Residential, which, according to Gary Lewi of Rubenstein Associates, a public relations firm that is representing Trammell Crow, the company is under contract with the hotel owners to purchase the property.

Trammell Crow is proposing to put, according to information found on the West Hempstead Civic Association website, 220 apartment units over five floors on the 2.79 acre parcel of land. The front of the development will face Hempstead Avenue across the street from the parking lot of National Wholesale Liquidators and the back of the development will run along the train tracks of the West Hempstead Long Island Railroad station.

Norton is in favor of the Trammell Crow plan and she hopes the town will grant the zoning changes necessary for the company to purchase the hotel and build its residential complex.

Trammell Crow is one of four developers the town is looking at to develop the property through the town's urban renewal plan. "Why would you want to go with any other than Trammell Crow when you know they're in a private deal to purchase the property? They are in contract with [Courtesy owner Bruce] Zwelsky to purchase that property. Zwelsky hopes to sell it and we, as a community, want it sold," said Norton.

Members of the West Hempstead Civic Association seem to have tried every thing from submitting over 1,400 letters and petitions to the town board urging the closing of the hotel and its sale to Trammell Crow to the Mother's Day rally, which was attended by Legislator Vincent Muscarella and Assemblyman Tom Alfano.

"The bottom line is the Courtesy has to close and we have to begin the process of redeveloping the area. The community has waited long enough and it has to get done. The days of residents reading about assault, rape, drug dealing and sex offenders must come to an end. The community has spoken strongly today," said Alfano.

Town of Hempstead Supervisor Kate Murray is preaching patience and promised that the hotel would be closed by year's end. Also joining Murray from the town was Town Councilman Ed Ambrosino, who is also all for the closure of the hotel.

Murray takes exception to the notion that the town hasn't tried to close the Courtesy Hotel.

Murray said the town tried to close the hotel under its public nuisance law, but was not successful in court. "That was a setback but I haven't stopped," the supervisor said. "I'm the first supervisor in the town who has gone out this far to get this thing closed and I won't stop until it is closed."

Murray also said there is a notion that the town is standing in the way of the sale between Trammell Crow and the owner of the hotel, which is not true. According to Murray, if Trammell Crow intended to build under the current zoning, the hotel would have been gone by now. But since the developer needs a zoning change for their proposal, a State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) review must be conducted, which is something the developer hasn't done.

However, attorney Al D'Agostino, who is handling the change in zoning application for Trammell Crow, said he is waiting for the consultant the town selected to provide direction for the review.
According to D'Agostino, a petition was filed in December to change to town's zoning to allow for the construction of 220 residential apartments.

D'Agostino said he is now waiting for the consultant, Frederick P. Clark Associates, which the town selected at a cost of $10,000 to Trammell Crow, to provide direction for the review but the consultant hasn't started the process.

"We just have not been able to get any direction from them as to what they want," D'Agostino said. "We're not just sitting. We've made several inquiries and just have not been able to get a response."

Email the Three Village TimesCopyright ©2007 Anton Community Newspapers, Inc.

The Courtesy Hotel Will Be Closed When. . .

2007-05-18T11:11:00.000-05:00

1. An F-5 tornado touches down at the hotel's apex, a waterbed on the 4th floor serving as "ground zero";

2. A terrorist plot hatched at the hotel -- over Continental breakfast -- is uncovered by the Town of Hempstead Public Safety Patrol, the Courtesy thereafter leveled by a bevy of B-52s;

3. A Tsunami, generated when Hall's Pond overflows its banks, the inadequate drainage along the length and across the breadth of Hempstead Avenue unable to contain the tide, washes the hotel into Oceanside;

4. The voters return Town Supervisor Kate Murray -- TO LEVITTOWN!

How would you close the Courtesy Hotel?

We say, PADLOCK IT!

Promises, Promises. . .

2007-05-14T08:25:00.000-05:00

"The Courtesy will be closed by the end of the year."
--Hempstead Town Supervisor, Kate Murray

Hmmm. Now where, when, and from whom have we heard that before?

Let's see.

From Joe Ra (then Town Councilman, now Town Attorney) in the 1990s.

From Town Councilman Joe Kearney (now retired out of state) in the early 2000s.

And what do you know, from Town Supervisor Kate Murray herself, in 2003 (shortly after her appointment), and in 2005 (in the midst of a hotly contested election), at a press confrence held right behind the infamous Courtesy Hotel.

Say it loud enough. Tell it long enough. And some folks will begin to believe it as the truth.

Actions speak louder than words, Madam Supervisor. Padlock the Courtesy NOW. Keep your promise to the West Hempstead community.

E-mail Supervisor Murray at katemurray@tohmail.org.

'Close The Courtesy' Rally May 13th

2007-05-07T09:46:00.000-05:00

From The West Hempstead Civic Association:

WEST HEMPSTEAD MOTHERS
MOTHER’S DAY RALLY

CLOSE & SELL THE COURTESY HOTEL THIS YEAR

SUNDAY, MAY 13, 2007
10:45 AM-11:15 AM

Location: Hempstead Avenue parking field across from the Courtesy Hotel

All mothers, grandmothers, moms to be, bring your children and show the TOWN OF HEMPSTEAD we are united in insisting the Hotel must be closed and sold this year. The “Reign of Terror” must end NOW.

Courtesy Is Contagious!

2007-04-30T10:42:00.000-05:00

Sex Offenders Found In Residence At Neighboring Capri Motel

Sex offenders to the left of us, predators to the right, and West Hempsteaders stuck in the middle with little relief in sight!

Aside from the two Level 3 Sex Offenders in residence at the Courtesy hotel, the West Hempstead Civiv Association now informs that there are two Sex Offenders (Level 3 and Level 2 – but they try harder) at the Capri Motel on Hempstead Turnpike.

Upon information and belief, there are families with children housed at the Capri!

The Fifth Precinct reported in February that the Courtesy was the number one hotspot in the Precinct in 2006, followed closely by the Capri.

Why wasn’t the Capri Condemned prior to the sale of the adjacent property to Stop & Shop?
And why isn’t the Capri even on the radar at Hempstead Town Hall?

How many indignities must one community suffer? How much should homeowners, taxpayers, and decent, law-abiding citizens be made to endure?
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Level 2 Sex Offender at the Capri

Level 3 Sex Offender at the Capri

Sex Offenders in residence in West Hempstead

Ambrosino Calls For Immediate Closure Of Courtesy

2007-04-27T08:43:00.000-05:00

From the Three Village Times:

Ambrosino: Close Courtesy Now

The members of the West Hempstead Civic Association have been clamoring for the Town of Hempstead to close the Courtesy Hotel for years. The town, having failed to close the hotel under its public nuisance law, is now trying to facilitate the development of the area around the hotel through an urban renewal plan. However, at least one member of the town board joins the civic association's philosophy that the town should close the Courtesy now and ask questions later.

Councilman Ed Ambrosino, who is one of six members of the Hempstead Town Board, said the town should do whatever it can to close the hotel immediately.

Ambrosino, a Republican, said he supports Town Supervisor Kate Murray, also a Republican, in trying to develop the area around the hotel. "I know the supervisor wants to take it down immediately, but I think we need to take aggressive action to pursue a remedy, craft legislation, do whatever we need to do to take it down immediately," he said.

The thought was that the town had legislation to close premises that were deemed to be public nuisances through a public nuisance law that the town board adopted in 2000.

According to a letter sent to concerned residents by Murray and Ambrosino, the town had sought a restraining order and injunction against hotel owners in 2004 to shut the hotel but the town was ruled against by the Supreme Court.

While Ambrosino believes the re-development of the site is important, he said he would prefer the town close the hotel immediately and then proceed with the development of the site.

Ambrosino suggested that if the public nuisance law isn't working as it's written perhaps the town board and the supervisor should look at rewriting the law to make it work. "The most important thing for me right now is to have the hotel stop functioning. After that, let's see what happens," he said. "If we don't meet the requirements, let's redraft the law to make us meet the requirements. The community has had enough and I stand with the community."

- Joe Rizza

Fast Track To Nowhere!

2007-04-23T13:11:00.000-05:00

From The New York Times: Town Takes Different Tack to Shut Down a Hotel

And still, the answer to that time-worn question – WHY IS THE COURTESY STILL OPEN? -- eludes us.

The Nuisance Law was “technically” inadequate in 2004, 2005, 2006 [as it was when it was adopted in 2000.] So why not amend that law (assuming the Town couldn’t get it right in the first instance) – in 2004, 2005, 2006 -- so as to withstand the scrutiny of the courts?

“We’re looking at it now,” they’ll tell you at Town Hall.

Sure. Look at it. Hold it up to the light. Pass it through. Put it to the test. And see which comes first – a condemnation, the padlocking of the hotel, or the Messiah. [My money is on the Messiah!]

Blight studies. Environmental studies. Studies of the studies. And we are no closer today to ridding our community of the horrors of this hotel then when Kate Murray stood before us in 2005, “buoyed”, and said that she would not rest until the Courtesy was closed. [Note the black circles under her eyes. . .]

The only “fast track” here is for Town Supervisor Kate Murray to lead instead of wallow. Make believe you give a damn. Test the law today as it has never been tested. PADLOCK THE COURTESY HOTEL!
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The Supervisor's e-mail address is katemurray@tohmail.org [Just how Kate Murray can be reached, is anybody's guess!]

A Sign of the Times

2007-04-17T15:59:00.000-05:00

"Padlock" Replaces "Police Booth" As Courtesy Signage

In fact, signs are popping up all over town!

E-mail Town of Hempstead Supervisor Kate Murray at katemurray@tohmail.org and tell her that the "sign" she's been waiting for has arrived. PADLOCK THE COURTESY NOW!

Yet Another Sex Offender At The Courtesy

2007-04-16T13:49:00.000-05:00

Convicted of "Deviate Sexual Intercourse," and Sentenced to "150 Month(s) to 25 Year(s) State Prison," Predator takes up Residence at Courtesy Hotel

Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse...

Forget that second gunman on the grassy knoll. We now have a second sexual predator in residence at the Courtesy hotel.

Check out Current Reported Offender Details at the New York Sex Offender Registry.
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From Newsday's 'Spin Cycle'. . .
W. Hempstead: Alfano In The Fray

Join the fight to padlock the Courtesy NOW!

Send an e-mail to Assemblyman Tom Alfano at alfanot@assembly.state.ny.us and let him know that you want the pressure on Hempstead Town Hall kept up.

Send an e-mail to Town Supervisor Kate Murray at katemurray@tohmail.org and demand that the Courtesy be padlocked immediately!

Send an e-mail to Town Attorney Joe Ra at JRa@tohmail.org and ask him why he hasn’t put the owners of the Courtesy on notice of the hotel’s continuing violation of the Town’s Nuisance Law.

Send an e-mail to Town Councilman Ed Ambrosino at eambrosino@tohmail.org telling him its time to break ranks with Supervisor Murray, to take his fellow councilmembers to task, and to move forward with the four easy steps necessary to close the Courtesy.

Send an e-mail to County Legislator Vincent Muscarella at vmuscarella@nassaucountyny.gov and ask him to publicly condemn the continued operation of the Courtesy and to act accordingly.

Send an e-mail to State Senator Dean Skelos at skelos@senate.state.ny.us asking him about that Police Booth that’s been “coming soon” since October of 2005.

Send an e-mail to Dana Williams of the Malverne/West Hempstead Herald at dwilliams@liherald.com, to Joe Rizza of the Three Village Times at jrizza@antonnews.com, and to Barbara Yohe of the Beacon at thebeaconnews@aol.com, asking them to keep the Courtesy on the front pages.

LET’S KEEP THE PRESSURE ON TOWN SUPERVISOR KATE MURRAY.

LET’S MAKE THE COURTESY HISTORY!

Together, we will win the fight to close the Courtesy, to return civility to our town, and to revitalize this gateway to our community!

Civic Leaders Continue To Urge Town To Close Courtesy

2007-04-12T15:48:00.000-05:00

From The Three Village Times. . .

Civic Leaders Urge Town to Close Courtesy
Town Hopes Urban Renewal Plan Is the Answer

The Courtesy Hotel. Photo by Andrew Vardakis

The West Hempstead Civic Association has been urging Town of Hempstead officials to get moving on closing the Courtesy Hotel, which is thought by many to be a blight on the community. But the town says that they are doing what they can to close the hotel.

"The only thing standing between the closure of the Courtesy and the revitalization of the southeast gateway to West Hempstead is the will of the Town Supervisor to get the job done, " said former civic association president and longtime community activist Seth Bykofsky.

Hempstead Town Supervisor Kate Murray has taken criticism for not being able to close the Courtesy, but, according to a letter recently sent out to residents who expressed concerns over the hotel, the town has tried in the past to close the hotel.

A town spokesperson said the town is exploring all options and the Courtesy Hotel is not being ignored. The recent letter, signed by Murray and Town Councilman Ed Ambrosino, stated "we will not rest until this blight on West Hempstead is shut down forever."

Civic leaders want to close the Courtesy through a public nuisance law enacted by the town in 2000. According to the letter, the town sought to utilize its public nuisance law to close the hotel.

In 2004, the town sought a restraining order and an injunction against the hotel owners. However, the Supreme Court ruled against the town.

Civic leaders then hoped the town would use the power of eminent domain to take ownership of the hotel to close it. However, condemnation proceedings weren't commenced. "In the absence of an urban renewal plan and the absence of the idea of developing the property, the town would have had to have been prepared to pay for the acquisition so they did not go forward with that. Then it was decided let's utilize the urban renewal process," said Charles Theofan, commissioner of the town's Department of Planning and Economic Development.

The town board adopted a blight study for the area around the hotel, which includes a delicatessen, gasoline station, municipal parking fields, vacant structures, a Long Island Rail Road station and the hotel. The town also has asked for developers to submit their qualifications to develop the area. The town board hopes to adopt the urban renewal plan, which will act as the plan for the redevelopment of the area this summer.

"Upon adoption by the town board, we will direct that the properties be acquired through condemnation for redevelopment by the private sector," stated the letter.

Four developers have been notified that they have been selected to produce competing proposals to redevelop the area. Among the selected developers is the Trammell Crow Company, which has entered into contract to purchase the Courtesy Hotel, according to the hotel. The town's urban renewal project will not interfere with the ability of Trammell Crow to seek zoning changes for its proposed development of the hotel, according to the town.

As if pressure from the civic association isn't enough, Assemblyman Tom Alfano has also gotten into the act of pressuring the town to close the Courtesy. Alfano, who was a candidate to become town supervisor when former supervisor Rich Guardino stepped down and was ultimately succeeded by Murray, has put out a flier urging the town to close the hotel. "After six years of discussion, the Courtesy needs to be shut down immediately," stated Alfano in a letter to Murray that was printed on the flier.

Although it's been over six years since the hotel has been in the civic association's radar, civic leaders may have to show more patience while the town's urban renewal plan is followed.

- Joe Rizza

The Latest Word From Town Hall

2007-04-04T11:40:00.000-05:00

A Message From Supervisor Murray And Councilman Ambrosino

Publisher's Note: Oddly, the Town references the commencement of a court action under the so-called Nuisance Law. Interestingly, no court action is required in order to invoke the padlock provision of said law. The Town's most recent missive does not so much as mention the word "padlock."

READ Four Easy Steps To Close The Courtesy

Are we missing something here, or are they?
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KATE MURRAY
Supervisor

OFFICE OF THE SUPERVISORTOWN OF HEMPSTEAD

ONE WASHINGTON STREET, HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. 11550-4923

(516) 489-5000

April 4, 2007

Dear Resident,

Thank you for contacting the town with regard to the Courtesy Hotel. We share your frustration over the fact that the hotel is still standing, and we will not rest until this blight on West Hempstead is shut down forever. We have taken several steps to shutter the facility and redevelop it along with several other properties surrounding the site.

Many residents have called upon the town to commence a “nuisance action” against the hotel’s owners based on the illegal and dangerous activities that have occurred on the premises. In fact, we have utilized our public nuisance law to close down the hotel once and for all! In 2004, we sought a restraining order and an injunction against the hotel owners. Unfortunately, the Supreme Court ruled against us.

More recently, we have called upon the town attorney to explore commencing a new public nuisance action, based on new facts, to shutter the Courtesy. Simultaneously, we have demanded that Nassau County cease placing social service clients at the hotel.

Increased police surveillance has been requested and we have sought required county cooperation to place a police booth at the location.

We know you will be interested in an update on the town’s other efforts related to edevelopment of several parcels of property surrounding Hempstead Avenue and Westminster Road/Woodfield Road.

Several months ago, the Hempstead Town Board adopted a blight study determining that the Courtesy Hotel and the area surrounding the aforementioned intersection was blighted. This area includes a delicatessen, a gasoline station, municipal parking fields, vacant structures, a Long Island Rail Road station as well as the hotel. This study established the foundation for an Urban Renewal Plan, which is being developed by the town’s Department of Planning and Economic Development. The Plan will set forth a blueprint to redevelop and revitalize the entire area. Upon adoption by the town board, we will direct that the properties be acquired through condemnation for redevelopment by the private sector.

In anticipation of the proposed Urban Renewal Plan, we have overseen an effort by the Department of Planning and Economic Development to gauge interest by the private sector to redevelop the subject area. In fact, nine developers responded to town solicitations in this regard. Furthermore, four of the aforementioned developers have been notified that they have been selected to produce competing proposals to redevelop the blighted zone.

One of the selected developers, the Tramwell Crow Company, has entered into a contract to purchase the Courtesy Hotel. You should be aware that the Planning Department’s Urban Renewal Project will not interfere with or inhibit the ability of Tramwell Crow to seek zoning changes for its proposed development.

Our goals concerning the Courtesy Hotel are simple and straightforward…let’s shut the doors to this eyesore forever! Further, let’s redevelop the hotel and the surrounding area for the benefit of West Hempstead neighbors.

We hope that this update is helpful and provides insight regarding our efforts to make West Hempstead an even greater place in which to live.

Sincerely,

KATE MURRAY

Supervisor

EDWARD AMBROSINO
Councilman

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Nice letter.

Unfortunately, it adds absolutely nothing new to the mix, and begs the question (or avoids it, entirely) as to why the Courtesy has not been closed utilizing the padlock provision of the Town's Nuisance Law.

That's the question that West Hempstead residents should be asking of Town of Hempstead officials?

E-mail Town Supervisor Kate Murray and Town Councilman Ed Ambrosino and tell them you want the Courtesy padlocked NOW!

The Courtesy Hotel In The News. . .

2007-03-22T15:34:00.000-05:00

. . .And Its Not Good!

From the Three Village Times
Will the Courtesy Close by Election Day?

From the Malverne/West Hempstead Herald
Sex Offender Living In Hotel

From Newsday
Effort to shutter Courtesy renews

From the Malverne/West Hempstead Herald
Curtains for the Courtesy?

And OLD NEWS (September, 2005) from the Three Village Times
Town Still Trying to Close Down Courtesy

STILL trying to close down the Courtesy? Hmmm. . .

How about, TRY HARDER!
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Keep sending those e-mails to Town Supervisor Kate Murray. Tell her you want the Courtesy closed NOW! KateMurray@tohmail.org

Four Easy Steps To Close The Courtesy

2007-03-20T18:15:00.000-05:00

Residents to Town: "Take The First Step..."

Closing the Courtesy Hotel is as easy as 1-2-3. Okay. Its actually 1-2-3-4.

Truth is, the Town of Hempstead has the power to padlock the Courtesy, and all the Supervisor and Town Board have to do is take four small steps. . .

STEP 1: Two predicate Felony arrests within 12 consecutive months. [We have that and more!]

STEP 2: Town Attorney puts owner of Courtesy on written notice of its violations of the Nuisance Law.

STEP 3: Town Board schedules and holds a public hearing, upon due notice, to determine whether, in fact, the Courtesy is in violation of the Nuisance Law, and so finding, fashions a remedy – to wit, invoking the padlock provision.

STEP 4: Town of Hempstead Supervisor Kate Murray, acting under color of the Nuisance Law and the authority of the Town Board, padlocks the Courtesy.

Then, watch the sales price plummet, and the wrecking ball fly!
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SEND AN E-MAIL TO KATE MURRAY. TELL THE SUPERVISOR TO TAKE THE FIRST STEP TOWARD CLOSING THE COURTESY NOW! KateMurray@tohmail.org

What's Old Is New Again???

2007-03-16T10:21:00.000-05:00

How Quickly We Are Asked To Forget, As History At The Courtesy Repeats Itself -- Again, Again, And Again!

Where is former Town Councilman Joe Kearney when we need more foot-in-mouth rhetoric from the Town of Hempstead?

How fortunate for Town Supervisor Kate Murray that we peons in the hither regions of the Town have such short memories!

Call it GROUNDHOG DAY in the Town of Hempstead. Yeah.

That's the ticket. BILL MURRAY FOR TOWN SUPERVISOR!
---
From the September 15, 2000 edition of the Three Village Times (emphasis added):

Banks: Courtesy Hotel Not Courteous
Town Councilman Says West Hempstead Hotel Is Blight on Community
By Joe Rizza

Citing the violation of the Town of Hemsptead Public Nuisance Law, which went into effect last month, Councilman N. Scott Banks publicly spoke out against the Courtesy Hotel, located on Hempstead Avenue in West Hempstead. Banks urged the town to take action against the hotel, which he said is the source of numerous criminal activities, and has become a detriment to the surrounding areas.

Banks, who was elected to the town board this past November, said he had been concerned about the hotel since 1995. "From the start of getting involved in this government, I decided we're going to do something about this because this particular facility is bringing our community down. It affects our quality of life that we have in West Hemsptead," Banks said at a press conference he called on Thursday, Sept. 7 in the hotel's parking lot.

Banks also said the presence of the Courtesy Hotel is preventing the surrounding area from being developed. "What has happened here through neglect, be it of the town ignoring the wishes and needs of the community, nothing has gotten done," he said.

In January, Banks submitted a Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) request for the purposes of inquiring about possible criminal activity having occurred at the Courtesy. Banks said he learned that from 1997 through early 1999, there were 40 incidents involving the police either at the hotel or in its vicinity. Among some of the crimes committed, according to Banks, include drug dealing, prostitution and violent sexual assaults.

The issue of the Courtesy Hotel may have sparked a political battle between Banks and Town Councilman Joe Kearney since both are running against each other in the second councilmatic district in the upcoming election.

Banks, a Democrat, said he proposed a nuisance law to the town back in June, which was modeled after the Town of Babylon's public nuisance law, to guard against facilities that threaten the health and welfare of a community and bring that community down. Kearney said a public nuisance law was drafted at the request of Town of Hempstead Supervisor Richard Guardino, Councilman Anthony Santino and himself - all Republicans.

Banks said he found Guardino's public nuisance law to be too difficult to understand and too draconian. When it came time to vote on Guardino's proposed public nuisance law, Banks abstained, although, he said, he is in favor of having a strong law.

Despite Banks' abstention, the law was passed on August 8 and went into effect on August 17. Although the law wasn't written the way Banks would have liked, he is still urging the board to use it in the case of the Courtesy Hotel. "Since we have a public nuisance law in effect, let's use it," he said. "Let's use it right now to give the people of the Courtesy Hotel notice that they are violating our rights in the Town of Hempstead. I am sick and tired of standing around, walking past this facility and watching drug dealers on the corners. I'm sick and tired of hearing and speaking to police officers telling me they made prostitution and drug arrests."

Kearney believes it was his lead as well as that of Guardino and Santino that got the law passed.

"I'm happy that Mr. Banks has decided to get on board and follow my lead," he said, adding that he disagrees with Banks holding a press conference concerning the Courtesy Hotel. "What we did after the law became effective is what we should have done, without hoopla."

On August 18, the day after the law went into effect, Guardino and Kearney directed the town's attorney, Joe Ra, to contact the police and let them know the law had gone into effect and to look into predicate offenses, Kearney said. "The law was being enforced with respect to the Courtesy Hotel quietly, efficiently, and effectively without the need of a press conference the day after it became effective," he added.

Banks, however, has a different view of the situation. The town, he said, has done nothing about the problem. "This has been going on for years. No political leader or representative from anywhere has done anything about this facility. They just ignored it," he said. "Enough is enough. This community is getting killed by this place. I think this is the number one issue in West Hempstead right now."

Kearney said he and Guardino know of the problems at the Courtesy Hotel and they have been working with police. In fact, Kearney said the owner of the hotel has been cooperative. "He's not looking to avoid responsibility," he added.

Under the law, Kearney said, there have to be two arrests at a location from the effective date of the law. "On August 18, we asked the police to monitor the situation and to let us know if and when the two arrests occur. They are looking into that now and we hope to hear as soon as they have the information," said Kearney last week, adding that police have not notified the town as to whether the Courtesy Hotel is in violation of the public nuisance law.

Once it is determined that the public nuisance law has been violated, the town can take action. The town then can schedule a hearing for the town board to hear evidence and testimony and then consider, by vote, whether or not there is a public nuisance at a particular location. If there is an affirmative determination by the town board, the town can order the shut down of the facility, although there can be an appeal process. Another course of action for the town is to move directly into court, seeking an injunction and asking that the facility be shut down. Representatives would then prosecute the case in court under the law.

Banks said he is demanding that the Town of Hemsptead take immediate action against the Courtesy Hotel since, the hotel, he said is in violation of the town's public nuisance law.

According to Banks, an arrest made at the hotel would require the town to give notice to the facility that it is in violation. A second arrest made within the period of a year gives the town the option of holding a hearing to take action against the hotel, whether it is shutting it down, fining it or taking other types of action so as instituting conditions of operation. "If we can't close it down, we could make them clean up their act too so we have to work in any direction we can," he said.

Banks, a resident of West Hempstead, also stated he would like the town to make an effort to close down the Courtesy Hotel. However, according to Inspector William McHale of Nassau Police's Fifth Squad, the Courtesy Hotel is not yet in violation of the Town of Hempstead's public nuisance law.

The way the law is written, there have to be two arrests at a location; they have to be arrests for incidents that occurred within the actual building and they have to be for certain offenses, said McHale.

"As it stands at this moment, the Nassau County Police Department has not charged or arrested any individual in the building for any offenses [contained within the law since it took effect]," said McHale on Tuesday. "That's not to say that there have not been arrests in or about the building for various things. There have been several arrests in the building for certain things but none of which come under the categories."

Those categories in which arrests can cause a violation of the public nuisance law include prostitution offenses, controlled substances offenses, alcohol and beverage control law violations and unlawfully dealing with a child. "It has to be offenses in the law and it has to be in the building," said McHale, adding that there have been arrests for involving at least two of the offenses including possession of drugs and prostitution but those incidents occurred in the street.

"Those types of offenses are much more difficult to make arrests for [in the building] than those same types of offenses in the street."

The police inspector said the fifth squad wants to cooperate with the town the best it can and help the town deal with issues it views as important. McHale also said arrests that would violate the public nuisance law are public information. The town's attorney, he said, has been checking to see if there have, in fact, been arrests that would violate the law.
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The Deputy Commander of the Fifth Precinct confirmed at the February 28th meeting of the West Hempstead Civic Association that there were a multitude of Felony arrests inside the Courtesy Hotel in 2006, certainly enough upon which to institute action under the Town's Nuisance Law.

How many Felonies -- rapes, assaults, drug and weapon possessions, prostitution, endangerment of the welfare of children -- have there been at the Courtesy since September of 2000?

Enough to have shuttered the doors to the hotel ten times over!

SEND AN E-MAIL TO KATE MURRAY. KateMurray@tohmail.org. DEMAND THE CLOSURE OF THE COURTESY NOW!

Can Anybody Say "PADLOCK?"

2007-03-16T07:29:00.000-05:00

Town Nuisance Law Merely A Nuisance To Town of Hempstead
Why Won't Supervisor Kate Murray Padlock The Courtesy?

You really have to wonder.

First Kate Murray is against condemnation. Then she's for it. But the Town STILL has not commenced a Condemnation Proceeding to close the Courtesy Hotel.

Then Kate Murray is against invoking the padlock provision of the Town's Nuisance Law. Now she's looking at the "option" of renewing a failed civil suit brought under the Nuisance Law.

The Town's Communications office tells West Hempstead civic leaders -- time and time again -- that a Condemnation Proceeding is underway, and that the reason the Supervisor cannot padlock the Courtesy is the pendency of the Town's civil action brought under the Nuisance Law, the civil suit precluding resort to the padlock provision.

There is no pending Condemnation Proceeding, and never was, and even assuming, for argument sake, that the Supervisor's hands were tied (and mouth gagged, apparently, given her utter failure to personally go on the record here), with respect to preclusion of padlocking during the pendency of the civil suit, we learn now, through Newsday's report, that the civil suit was dismissed on appeal, years ago.

THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING STANDING BETWEEN THE SUPERVISOR OF THE TOWN OF HEMPSTEAD AND THE PADLOCKING OF THE COURTESY BUT FOR THE WILL OF THE SUPERVISOR TO ACT!

Ask the Town why they have not closed the Courtesy -- as West Hempsteaders have been doing for a dozen years -- and you'll get the old song and dance.

"Well. Ah. Ya know." "We're working on it." "These things take time!"

Now, the Town wants our community to wait until July, when the Town "hopes" to adopt an Urban renewal plan -- itself only a prelude to a long, drawn-out condemnation process.

We say, "time has run out," both on the Courtesy and on the patience of the good people of this community.

We're tired of the excuses, the runaround, the smokescreen, and, yes, the out-and-out lies that flow from the Town's press office.

At this point, Supervisor Kate Murray has but two options as far as the residents of West Hempstead are concerned: PADLOCK THE COURTESY OR RESIGN FROM OFFICE!

E-MAIL SUPERVISOR KATE MURRAY -- KateMurray@tohmail.org -- AND TELL HER TO PADLOCK THE COURTESY HOTEL NOW!
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Effort to shutter Courtesy renews
By Eden Laikin
eden.laikin@newsday.com

The 12-year campaign by West Hempstead residents to shut the Courtesy Hotel has moved into the electronic age: Residents have sent more than 130 e-mails to Hempstead town officials, asking that it be padlocked immediately.

The West Hempstead Civic Association began its crusade in 1995, and is now urging Supervisor Kate Murray and Councilman Edward Ambrosino to speed up redevelopment plans for the area and close the Hempstead Avenue hotel.

"It's very simple: there's a law on the books, known as the nuisance law, which contains a padlock provision permitting the town to close the hotel after two predicate felony arrests," said Seth Bykofsky, former president of the association. "All we are asking is for the supervisor to apply the letter of the law ... "

The group has pointed to drug activity and police arrests at the hotel as having an impact on their quality of life. Last month, town officials spoke to 200 residents who gathered at the West Hempstead Middle School to voice their anger about the hotel, where police said they have responded 28 times this year. Most recently, a Level 3 sex offender, paroled after being convicted of raping a 9-year-old girl, moved into the Courtesy.

Hotel owner Bruce Zwelsky could not be reached for comment, but he has said the business has increased security.

Assemb. Tom Alfano (R-North Valley Stream) said he also sent a letter to Murray, asking her to condemn the hotel. "It is a source of violence, danger and embarrassment to the residents," the letter read. "Instances of rape, assault and drug violations cannot continue; it is unacceptable. "

Town officials say they are working to redevelop the area. Hempstead is pursuing several initiatives, including preparing an urban renewal plan, which they hope will be adopted by the town board by July, town spokesman Mike Deery said.

"That will give us the authority to acquire any properties affected by the plan and/or to commence condemnation hearings," he said.

The town tried to close the hotel in 2004 under the nuisance law, but its order was overturned by an appellate court. Deery said the town is exploring the option of renewing the nuisance case.

In 2005, the town initiated a "blight study," as the first step toward condemning the property. That process, they said, would take about 18 months. In December, the town issued a request for qualifications from interested developers. And last month, the list of potential developers was narrowed to four.

Copyright 2007 Newsday Inc.

Sex Offender Takes Up Residence At Courtesy

2007-03-15T08:44:00.000-05:00

Just When You Thought It Couldn't Get Any Worse. . .

In room 411 of the infamous Courtesy Hotel, William Wright, convicted (Rape - 1st Degree; Sodomy - 1st Degree) Level 3 Sex Offender (Female, 9 Years; Female, Younger than 17 years), begins his "parole" smack, dab at the eastern gateway to our West Hempstead.

Click HERE to access NYS Sex Offender Registry

Among other conditions of his Parole, Wright is to have "NO UNSUPERVISED CONTACT WITH MINOR CHILDREN UNDER AGE OF 18."

And yet, there he is, in residence at the Courtesy Hotel on Hempstead Avenue, a short stroll from West Hempstead's residential neighborhoods and business district.

Tell us, do you know where your children are? Are they safe from harm? Why is the West Hempstead community continuously placed at risk?

And speaking of supervision, where is Town of Hempstead Supervisor Kate Murray? Why does she remain silent as the Courtesy's doors remain open?

Send an e-mail to Kate Murray, and ask her when the Courtesy Hotel will be closed. KateMurray@tohmail.org

Demand that the Supervisor invoke the padlock provision of the Town's Nuisance Law to padlock the Courtesy TODAY!

Tale Of Two Towns

2007-03-12T09:20:00.000-05:00

If Only The Courtesy Was On Knoll Lane

The Town’s response vis-à-vis the Courtesy Hotel – or lack thereof – brings to mind events of yesteryear (as in, “déjà vu, all over again):

In the mid-1990s, West Hempsteaders were fighting to close an after-hours club (Café Wandyful) situated on the Turnpike near Mayfair Avenue, its parking lot abutting residential properties. Noise, lewdness, and rough-housing spilling into the streets until dawn; nude, table-top dancing; you name it, Café Wandyful was dishing it out – all without license or permit.

Up in arms, the community – with Scott Jablow (President of the Cathedral Gardens Civic Association) and Seth Bykofsky (then Executive Vice President of the fledgling West Hempstead Civic Association) leading the charge – enlisted what it hoped would be the aid of the Town of Hempstead (Greg Peterson, then Supervisor) to help close the club, which was operating outside the variances and conditions issued by the Town’s Board of Zoning Appeals.

The Town issued summonses, and eventually brought suit against Café Wandyful, which lawsuit languished for what seemed like an eternity.

Then, out of the blue, and some two-years into the war on Wandyful, a story appeared in Newsday, detailing the seemingly overnight closure of a similar after-hours club with like untoward propensities located on the Turnpike in East Meadow, which club was shut down by the Town of Hempstead, swiftly, summarily, and apparently without resort to protracted litigation.

The difference between West Hempstead’s Café Wandyful and the East Meadow “gentlemen’s” club? The East Meadow club was just a stone’s throw away from the East Meadow home of one Greg Peterson, Supervisor of the Town of Hempstead.

Seizing upon this injustice and the negative ensuing press highlighting the blatant inconsistency in the Town’s actions, West Hempstead’s civic leaders prevailed upon Supervisor Peterson to immediately take up the community’s cause.

Righting the wrong – and taking center stage before the media (flashy jewelry, and all) – Greg Peterson himself argued the case against Café Wandyful before the State Supreme Court in Mineola, and, lo and behold, within a matter of weeks, the doors to the notorious after-hours club were shuttered forever.

We'd venture a very strong guess here, that if a no-tell hotel similar in nature to West Hempstead’s Courtesy was in operation but a stone’s throw from the Levittown house on Knoll Lane in which current Town Supervisor Kate Murray resides, its doors would have been padlocked, the wrecking ball swinging away with abandon, years ago.

Unfortunately, in the unincorporated areas of Hempstead Town west of Levittown, it is the residents and taxpayers who are left abandoned, having to fend for themselves to hold on to what little remains of that ever-diminishing quality of life!

Assemblyman Tom Alfano's Public Statement on the Courtesy

2007-03-06T16:00:00.000-05:00

Assemblyman Tom Alfano, a true friend of the West Hempstead community and longtime ally in the battle to close the Courtesy Hotel, made the following statement today:

"The Courtesy must be padlocked, shut and wiped off the map of West Hempstead now. It's an embarrassment, a disgrace and a clear and present danger to the community."

--Thomas W. Alfano, Assemblyman, 21st Assembly District

West Hempstead Residents To Town Supervisor Kate Murray --

2007-03-06T11:50:00.000-05:00

"PADLOCK THE COURTESY HOTEL NOW!"

When residents of the unicorporated hamlet of West Hempstead joined a standing room only crowd at the community's middle school for a civic meeting last week, the Supervisor of the Town of Hempstead, Kate Murray -- conspicuous by her absence -- got an earful in absentia:

"We want the infamous, crime-ridden Courtesy Hotel closed NOW!"

Its not like West Hempstead residents haven't been calling for the closure of this hourly-rate haven for rapists, drug dealers, prostitutes, and the like for years on end.

The battle to shutter the hotel -- and to clean up the eastern gateway to West Hempstead -- now enters its 12th year, and residents are now well into their third Town Supervisor.

The Town of Hempstead, having jurisdiction over zoning, building codes, and enforcement, has final say over what will become of this "scourge" upon the West Hempstead community, and yet, for more than a decade, the Town has done little to move the hotel toward closure, vehement protests of the citizenry notwithstanding.

West Hempstead residents -- and those who reside within the Town of Hempstead who are concerned about their neighbors' quality of life -- are urged to send an e-mail to Town of Hempstead Supervisor Kate Murray, demanding the immediate closure of the Courtesy Hotel.

In 2000, upon the introduction of then Town Councilman N. Scott Banks, the Hempstead Town Board adopted a so-called Nuisance Law.The Nuisance Law contains a "padlock provision" which permits the Town of Hempstead, upon appropriate notice, to padlock the doors to the hotel upon two (2) felony arrests committed within 12 consecutive months.

In 2006 alone, there were 94 “reports” to the 5th Precinct of the Nassau County Police Department emanating from the Courtesy in 2006 (meaning officers actually wrote up an incident report); 46 actual arrests (many felonies); and more than 200 calls. [Prior years, dating back to the 1990s, bore similar reports and arrests.]

Shortly after the enactment of the Nuisance Law in 2000, and continuing to date, community and civic leaders in West Hempstead have made demand after demand upon the Town of Hempstead to envoke the padlock provisions of the Nuisance Law, all to no avail.

Dating back to 1995, through no less that three Town Supervisors -- Greg Peterson, Rich Guardino, and Kate Murray -- West Hempstead residents have asked the Town of Hempstead to take appropriate action [condemnation, civil enforcement, padlocking under the Nuisance Law] to forever close the Courtesy Hotel, all to no avail.

With a contract for private sale pending with a respected and reputable developer -- Trammell-Crow -- pending, and other avenues of renewal and redevelopment at hand and under consideration, residents of West Hempstead now need and deserve the breathing room, permitting the opportunity to review, examine, and ultimately select the best proposal for the redevelopment of the Courtesy site.

Such "breathing room" can only be had through the Town of Hempstead's immediate closure of the Courtesy.

CLICK HERE TO SEND AN E-MAIL TO TOWN OF HEMPSTEAD SUPERVISOR KATE MURRAY. Remind her that this is an election year. Tell her to CLOSE THE COURTESY NOW!

A Timeline of Infamy

2007-03-06T09:06:00.000-05:00

"Scourge" of the Courtesy Dates Back to 80s; Waging War To Close Hotel Began in 1995

Fall 1995 – West Hempstead Civic Association (WHCA) forms Committee to Close the Courtesy. WHCA President Nick D’Alessandro and Executive Vice President Seth Bykofsky selected to co-chair the committee and spearhead a grassroots movement to close hotel.

Late Fall 1995 through 1998 – WHCA leadership meets repeatedly with Town Of Hempstead (TOH) Supervisor, Greg Peterson, and Town Councilman, Joe Ra, with respect to closing the Courtesy. “Assurances” given that Courtesy will be closed. Joe Ra saying, “I will close the Courtesy!” The taking of the hotel by Eminent Domain (Condemnation) is discussed. Community meets, rallies, protests repeatedly. No action is taken by the Town.

1999-2000 – Repeated meetings with TOH Supervisor Rich Guardino and Town Councilman N. Scott Banks. Banks calls continued operation of Courtesy “an outrage and an affront to the dignity of the good people of West Hempstead.” Supervisor Guardino says he has a “special place in his heart for West Hempstead,” and will “work with the community” to close down the Courtesy. The taking of the hotel by Eminent Domain is again discussed. No action is taken by the Town.

2000 – Introduced by Town Councilman N. Scott Banks, the Town Board adopts a Nuisance Law, including therein a padlock provision that permits the Town to close a commercial premises – upon due notice – when there have been more than 2 predicate felony arrests upon the premises within a 12-month period.

October 2001 – Petitions, bearing the signatures of nearly 4,000 West Hempsteaders, demanding immediate closure of the Courtesy, are hand delivered to Supervisor Guardino.

2001-2002 - Multiple felony arrests – rape, assault, prostitution, drug possession/sale, kidnapping, weapons charges – upon the premises of the Courtesy. Town takes no action to padlock hotel under its own Nuisance Law.

2001-2003 - Numerous “walks-about-town” with Town Councilman Joe Kearney. Courtesy Hotel, the scene of ongoing and longstanding criminal activity, much of it heinous in nature, is “highlight” of the tour. Community leaders, including Seth Bykofsky of the West Hempstead Civic Association, Scott Jablow of the Cathedral Gardens Civic Association, and Greg Yuknek of the Chamber of Commerce, implore Councilman Kearney to have the Town padlock the hotel. Action is promised. No action is taken by the Town.

2002-Mid-2005 – Ongoing discussions with Town Supervisor, Kate Murray, and, from 2003 on, regular meetings with Town Councilman, Ed Ambrosino (attended, on occasion, by Town Attorney, Joe Ra). Closure of Courtesy always on community’s front burner. Supervisor Murray calls Courtesy a “scourge” upon community, and says, “Courtesy will be closed. You have my word.” Supervisor again asked to invoke padlock provision. Town refuses, citing “obstacles,” and proceeds instead during this time with a civil suit designed to close the Courtesy under the Nuisance law. Lawsuit goes nowhere. Condemnation discussed. Supervisor Murray says, “Condemnation is not the way to go!”

May 2003 – Petitions, bearing the signatures of nearly 5000 West Hempstead residents, demanding the immediate closure of the Courtesy, hand delivered to Supervisor Murray’s office. Supervisor not available to receive them. Originals left with receptionist at desk on the 4th floor of Town Hall.

June 2005 – Supervisor Murray addresses Annual Meeting of the West Hempstead Civic Association. Tells residents that condemnation proceedings – as used effectively to close the Oceanside Motel – would not, on a cost basis, be feasible vis-à-vis the closure of the Courtesy. Instead, Town would conduct a “Blight Study,” and proceed to close the Courtesy by Eminent Domain under the Town’s Urban Renewal law [Article 15 of New York State General Municipal Law], a process expected to take 18 months. Supervisor asked by residents to padlock hotel under Nuisance law in the interim. No action taken by the Town.

Fall 2005 – “Buoyed” by the Supreme Court’s Decision in Kelo (a decision that did not change the law, but merely affirmed its longstanding application), Supervisor Murray says condemnation of the Courtesy is now a good idea. Wheels set in motion for Condemnation Proceedings to go forward.

September 2005 – Town Board, with hundreds of West Hempsteaders appearing at Town Hall for support, adopts site plan and maps as necessary step toward the commencement of a Condemnation Proceeding, then, waiting until the 11th hour, flubs the requisite publication in Newsday. No Condemnation Proceeding is commenced.

May 2006 – Town Board adopts “Blight Study” as first step toward Eminent Domain under Town’s Urban Renewal law [Actually, Article 15 of New York State General Municipal Law.] "The town continues to work closely with the West Hempstead community to develop a plan for this area,” concluded Murray. "We are committed to making this an even better community in which to live, work and shop. West Hempstead has a bright and promising future."

Summer 2006 – Trammell-Crow enters into private contract with corporate owner of Courtesy for redevelopment of property as high-end rental units, subject to approval of zoning changes by the Town of Hempstead. Town takes “wait and see” stance.

December 2006 – Town of Hempstead issues a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) from interested developers in furtherance of intended “Urban” renewal. Courtesy remains open for business as usual, notwithstanding ongoing violent criminal activity.

February 2007 – Standing room only crowd attends WHCA meeting at West Hempstead Middle School, and hears “options” as presented by Charles Theofan, Commissioner of the Town’s Department of Planning & Economic Development. First Deputy Commander Kanavan of the 5th Precinct, NCPD, informs audience that, in 2006 alone, there were some 94 “reports” emanating from the Courtesy (meaning officers actually wrote up an incident report); 46 actual arrests (many of which were Felonies); and more than 200 calls for assistance. Residents demand that Courtesy be closed NOW, charging Theofan with taking that message to Town Supervisor Kate Murray, and asking why she has failed to padlock the Courtesy under the applicable provisions of the Town’s Nuisance law.

TODAY – The Courtesy remains open. Waterbeds available. The next felony only a short-stay away!
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CONTACT TOWN OF HEMPSTEAD SUPERVISOR KATE MURRAY TODAY AND TELL HER TO PADLOCK THE COURTESY NOW!

Telephone: [Kate Murray's Helpline] 516-489-6000
E-Mail: KateMurray@tohmail.org
Snail Mail:
Supervisor Kate Murray
Town of Hempstead
1 Washington Avenue
Hempstead, New York 11550

Closing The Courtesy Hotel Is So Easy. . .

2007-03-06T07:41:00.000-05:00

. . .Even A Cave Man Can Do It!

A Kate Murray, on the other hand. . . Well, that's not so easy.

[Open to a scene at West Hempstead's Venus Restaurant, where a caveman sits across the table from an indignant, pouting Town Supervisor. Both are staring at menu. Kate Murray looks up at caveman and begins to speak]

KATE: Your ad was totally insensitive and offensive.

CAVEMAN: Sorry, Kate, we didn’t realize you were still around…

WAITER: Would you like to order?

CAVEMAN: I'll have the cheeseburger deluxe, extra onions.

KATE: Frankly, I've lost my appetite. Just give me some of that MTBE water West Hempstead is so famous for.
[Kate’s cell phone rings. She picks it up.]
It’s my father, brother, and third cousin four times removed – all calling from their patronage jobs at Town Hall. I’ll put them on speaker…

CAVEMAN: Look, Kate, we just assumed, since you hadn’t closed the Courtesy, fixed the potholes in our streets, removed illegal basement apartments, improved the facades in our business districts, or cited the multitude of code violations along the Avenue and the Turnpike, that you were extinct.

KATE: (sarcastic) Sure, okay. I bring you garbage collection at four times the going rate, special taxing jurisdictions that bleed homeowners dry, and do everything I can to reinvent the wheel, no matter what the issue. Sorry I took so long getting these things to you.

[Fade to black]
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SEND AN E-MAIL TO TOWN OF HEMPSTEAD SUPERVISOR KATE MURRAY. TELL HER TO COME OUT OF HER CAVE AND PADLOCK THE COURTESY! KateMurray@tohmail.org