The long vacant Empire Billiards site on Jericho Turnpike has a tenant lined up for a long-term lease, property co-owner Dr. Mark Sommer said last week.
“It’s an upscale tenant. It’s something new in the community,” said Sommer, who declined to provide further details about the business.
Sommer, a Dix Hills dentist, said there is a conditional lease for the storefront at 1215 Jericho Turnpike, subject to approval of the business owner’s application to the New Hyde Park Board of Trustees.
He said the prospective tenant is currently going through the application process.
Village Building Department Superintendent Tom Gannon said he received an application last week for a restaurant seeking to occupy the space.
Sommer and his two partners have been seeking a tenant since Empire Billiards vacated the premises early July last year.
Empire Billiards was the subject of repeated complaints from neighbors and village board problems over several years and Sommer said last year he wants to avoid any repetition of that with the new tenant of the 3,800- foot-square location.
Sommer, who along with his partners owns all the property east of the Empire Billiards location to North 12th Street, did not specify the length of the lease being discussed with the prospective tenant. He has previously said he wanted to sign the next tenant to a lease of at least 10 years.
Empire Billiards shut its doors on June 30 last year – the same date village officials said the bar’s liquor license was to expire.
A former pool hall that was also operating as a bar, Empire Billiards had been the source of repeated complaints from residents about excessive noise and alleged illegal activities outside the bar including drug use and public lewdness. On May 9, 2013, two people were stabbed outside the bar.
The New Hyde Park Village Board declined to renew Empire’s gaming permit for pool playing in 2012 in response to residents’ complaints. After the board’s decision, Empire received summonses from the village for violating the prohibition for playing pool there.
Empire Billiards partner and manager Harbinder Singh appeared before the New Hyde Park Village Court on June 19 last year to answer two village summons.
Singh pleaded guilty to operating a billiard hall without a permit and violating the required height for window shades under the town code and was fined $500 by acting Village Judge Robert Morici, who warned Singh against any further offenses.
Village board members had met in late May with Inspector Sean McCarthy, commanding officer of the Nassau County Police 3rd Precinct, to discuss strategies to address problems with Empire.
Police officers from the 3rd Precinct cited the bar on June 15 for excessive noise, an offense that would have required Empire owners to appear before the state Liquor Authority.
