Village of New Hyde Park trustees reserved decision Tuesday on a proposed adult day care facility on Jericho Turnpike in New Hyde Park that drew heavy public opposition
Local residents objected to the plans of the applicant, TKV Hospitality, to convert the first floor of 1335 Jericho Turnpike into an adult day care center, medical office and physical therapy space. They said they were concerned with the day care’s clientele and an increase in traffic.
“People don’t go to day care unless they’re severely impaired,” Jeanie McNamara said. “It takes a certain kind of patient to go to day care and they’re psychiatric patients for the most part.”
Village trustees also objected to the developer not having determined the doctors who would work in the medical and physical therapy and their specialties.
“We’re only being told about half the business,” Village Mayor Robert Lofaro said.
The trustees said that without knowing what services would be performed by the doctors they could only consider a special-use application for the adult day care portion of the business.
Lawyer Lewis Soloway speaking on behalf of TKV and for Gordon Evergreen Corp., the owner’s of the first floor space, said the day care would provide social interaction for a functionally impaired clientele who would face a state screening before being admitted.
“A functionally impaired person according to the state regulations is a person needing assistance of another person in at least one of the following activities of daily living: toileting, mobility, transferring or eating or needing supervision due to cognitive or social impairment,” Soloway said.
He said TKV will operate the adult day care program on the west side of the building and license the physical therapy and medical office space on the east side.
TKV, he said, anticipates a maximum of 70 clients and nine staff members.
Village Trustee Donald Barbieri noted that he suffers from multiple sclerosis and asked whether he would quality for the adult care.
Soloway said the day care would serve adults like Barbieri who are suffering from chronic illnesses.
Susan Harris, who said she lived directly behind the building on Jericho Turnpike, questioned the need for the day care facility and expressed concerns about its impact.
“I really want to put my property on the market when they open that facility,” Harris said. “How old are the people that go into this facility going to be?”
When Soloway responded that the day care would be open to all adults that are functionally impaired, Harris asked if drug patients could be admitted.
Soloway said they would not.
“Drug rehabilitation is not in this program, that would be in a medical modality,” Soloway said.
Soloway said clients would be shuttled to the facility by ambulettes and acess-a-rides.
The trustees said they would require all clients to be dropped off in the parking lot on the west side of the building.
“Our traffic consultant has said that [vehicles can turn around in the parking lot and get out], he will be giving testimony at the board of appeals,” Soloway said.
Trustees said the application will be sent to the Nassau County Planning Committee for review. The application will also be subject to review by the village Zoning Board on Sept. 9.
In other developments:
• The board also reserved decision on the extension of special-use permits for the Walk Street Tavern sought by a New Hyde Park developer who has purchased the building in which the tavern is located contingent on the special-use permits being extended.
Laura Coletti of Impact Architecture, who was representing John Murnane, president of Erin Construction & Development Co., presented plans to renovate the first floor restaurant and build convert second floor boarding rooms into apartments.
Murnane said he has yet to find an operator for the bar and restaurant on the first floor.
“The restaurant will be similar to what’s there now,” Murnane said. “Whoever rents the bar will take it as we have it.”
Murnane said the bar will comply with noise ordinances put in place by the village. The tavern’s previous owners had gotten into a dispute with the Board about noise back in 2013.
The tavern has been co-owned since 2008 by Jimmy Tubbs and Robert Kloepfer Jr., who also owns the Walk Street Restaurant in Garden City. The tavern was previously known as Henry’s Inn and has been serving customers since the late 1800s.
Like the day care facility, trustees said the application will be sent to the Nassau County Planning Committee for review. And the application will be subject to review by the village Zoning Board on Sept. 9.
