How Many More Photo Ops. . .

. . .Before The Courtesy Is Closed?

This one was taken in 2005.

Any questions?

Why Is This Woman Smiling?

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!"

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

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

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

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

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!

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

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

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!"

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

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

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

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?

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

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? ... "

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!

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

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. . .

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

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

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

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

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!

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!

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

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. . .

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. . .

"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.