The Mineola Board of Trustees unanimously approved a site plan and special-use permit last Wednesday for a new Walgreens location on the site of the former Entenmann’s outlet store at 12 Jericho Turnpike.
The former Entenmann’s store on the northeast corner of the intersection at Jericho Turnpike and Roslyn Road is to be demolished under the proposal to make room for a 14,500-square foot Walgreens to replace the chain store’s current location on the southwest corner of the intersection at 1 Jericho Turnpike. The special-use permit will allow the sale of food in the store.
“They were very accommodating about our concerns and the residents’ concerns. I think it’s a pretty good deal,” Village of Mineola Mayor Scott Strauss said after the vote at the village’s board meeting.
The site where Entenmann’s stood has been unoccupied since the store closed last August.
The new Walgreens will feature a 24-hour drive-through window for prescription pick-up. Curb cuts on Jericho Turnpike and Roslyn Road will provide access to the site.
“It’s definitely an improvement on what’s there now,” Strauss said. “They’re going to remove an eyesore of a building.”
Acting village attorney John Gibbons read a list of conditions the village board gave the applicant, Mussina Mineola LLC, operating on behalf of Walgreens. Among the stipulations agreed to by the applicant were:
• A six-foot-high perimeter fencing along Arlington Road will be constructed on the northern border of the property that abuts a residential neighborhood and a four-foot-high fence will be erected along Roslyn Road.
• No sign with scrolling capability to advertise store promotions can be on the site.
• No entrance or exit to the site will be permitted on Arlington Road, including access during construction.
• A full landscape plan is to be submitted to the village Building Department for approval and plants will be irrigated and maintained at all times.
• All lighting must be designed to shine on the store’s premises and not on the neighboring residential neighborhood.
• Panel truck deliveries will be made to the front of the building and tractor trailer deliveries will be made to the rear, with all deliveries occurring no earlier than 7 a.m. or later than 8 p.m.
• Garbage pick-up shall be made during non-peak hours, and not earlier than 7 a.m. or later than 8 p.m.
• A “no left turn” sign is to be installed at the western Jericho Turnpike exit and at the Jericho Turnpike exit, and a “no left turn” sign is to be placed facing eastbound traffic on Jericho Turnpike.
Traffic flow was a primary concern raised by village trustees and residents at the site plan hearing in mid-April. Trustees were particularly concerned about the prospect of motorists eastbound on Jericho Turnpike crossing over westbound traffic lanes to enter the store site.
At the April hearing, Mineola Deputy Mayor Paul Pereira described the condition of the current Walgreens site as “atrocious” and Trustee Dennis Walsh called it “very unsightly,” prompting the stipulations about maintaining the site.
Attorney John Libert, representing Mussina Mineola LLC at the hearing, said the current Walgreens store “is not up to speed anymore” and that Walgreens “wanted a nicer building.” The existing Walgreens stores has no drive-through window.
Architect Anthony Sirizotti said the building would be constructed with “very traditional red brick,” as shown in artist’s renderings he presented, and would also feature large windows in the building’s corner where Jericho Turnpike and Roslyn Road intersect. The windows are designed to bring in light and save on energy costs, he said, adding that all interior and exterior lighting on the site would use LED lights.
Marc Steinberg, principal of Mark Development, which is planning the project, said in April it would take approximately 10 months to build the new store after the former Entenmann’s structure is demolished. Steinberg said he has developed 150 Walgreens sites in the northeast.
