The Mineola Village Board on Wednesday tabled an application for an auto repair shop after expressing concerns about aesthetics and building regulations.
Xin Zhang plans to open up an automotive repair and maintenance shop at 75 Windsor Ave., a 1,400-square-foot parcel located on an industrial lot that includes more than 20 other businesses.
The total property lot owned by the landlord, Zacarias Rodrigues, is approximately 76,000 square feet.
The lot, according to the applicant’s attorney, Dean Koutsoubis, “will not violate certain conditions, such operating hours and will be insulated to keep noise at a minimum.”
Rodrigues can use up to 31 percent of the property for automotive purposes according to a permit the board issued in 1994, and he said he is currently using 9 percent for such purposes.
But Trustee Dennis Walsh said he was concerned about abandoned cars he saw sitting on the lot, and wanted proof Rodrigues wasn’t already using the allowed limit for automotive purposes.
“There are about 11 abandoned autos, covered by snow — some are missing fenders, some are missing the front nose, some with no license plates,” Walsh said. “I would have to see that only 9 percent of it is used for automotive purposes
Rodrigues said he currently meets the permit conditions set by the board, and that any previous summonses are currently “satisfied” to his knowledge.
The board will clarify how much of the property is occupied by automotive businesses.
In addition to abandoned autos, separate structures on the same property lot should have unique addresses, village Building Superintendent Daniel Whalen said.
The building department plans to re-assess zoning at 75 Windsor Ave. prior to granting Zhang a special use permit.
The hearing will continue at the Village Board’s March 7 meeting.
The board also unanimously approved Wednesday a special use permit for Avzinus Corp. to sell pre-packaged food and beverages at its discount store at 500 Jericho Turnpike.
The discount store will sell a limited amount of food-related items, according to the owners.
“(We) will not sell raw foods or sandwiches. We intend to only sell things such as cookies, chips, and soda,” Avzinus representative Sandeep Thapar said. “We will not be cooking on the premises.”
The store is currently open seven days a week, and receives the bulk of its deliveries through the rear parking lot instead of the main road.
“You have a very clean store, a very nice looking store with wide aisles.” Walsh said.
