By Neglah Sharma
A proposed self-storage facility in Floral Park drew traffic concerns from residents at a public hearing Tuesday night.
Engineers representing Men on the Move, the moving company that occupies the building at 50 Carnation Ave., said the storage facility would decrease traffic in the area.
But some residents questioned their traffic study and said the intersection at Carnation Avenue and Atlantic Avenue is “dangerous.”
On the village attorney’s recommendation, the Floral Park Board of Trustees reserved decision on the application until it could further review the traffic study trustees received moments before the hearing.
MOM Realty LLC and Floral Park-based Men on the Move want to build an additional 54,273 square feet of floor space to add self-storage units to the existing building.
Men on the Move President John Beyer said the reduction of company trucks and the building’s overall reconfiguration will result in far less traffic, as the company’s warehouse is relocating to Port Washington.
Wayne A. Muller of RMS Engineering, a Huntington-based firm that does traffic studies for many storage facilies, said the change would actually lessen traffic because there will be 39 fewer trucks at the building.
Muller said car traffic would be minimal because tenants do not usually visit their self-storage units frequently.
The building has plenty of room for the expansion, which would not increase the existing footprint, the project’s architect said.
“As far as the aesthetics, this building is going to look better than it ever did in 100 years,” Beyer said.
The proposal includes no substantial physical change to the building, except the possible modification of doors, support columns and landscaping, planners said.
While some residents welcomed the possible traffic reduction, others questioned the accuracy of the traffic study and raised other concerns.
Resident Raymond Skraburt asked if the traffic study included Lily Street, a dead-end block currently used as an entrance and exit point for the Carnation Avenue building.
“Some of the trucks are almost the same size as Lily St,” he said.
Irene Mascari said she was concerned about lighting at the facility in addition to traffic.
“We moved to Floral Park and pay the taxes of Floral Park to live in a village,” she said.
Some residents asked how the Atlantic Avenue intersection could be impacted when someone is driving up Atlantic Avenue and wants to make a left on Carnation Avenue.
Trustees asked about the screening process for materials housed on the premises.
Beyer said tenants must provide a credit card for billing and signing a contract stating that hazardous materials cannot be stored onsite.
