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Decision deferred on Oceanside auto‑repair special‑exception after board seeks landscaping plan
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Summary
The town reserved decision on Shiv 138 LLC’s application to maintain an auto‑repair facility at 3256 Long Beach Road after hearing testimony from the applicant’s attorney and experts; the board required a formal landscape plan and covenants restricting sidewalk parking and outdoor work.
The Hempstead Town Board on April 14 heard testimony from the applicant and experts on a proposal by Shiv 138 LLC to operate an automotive repair facility at 3256 Long Beach Road in Oceanside and reserved decision until the applicant submits a landscaping plan.
Dominic Minerva, attorney for the applicant, described the property as two existing buildings with a central parking lot and an automotive repair operation in the northerly building. He told the board his client purchased the site in April 2022, noted prior lumber‑yard use dating to 1947, and outlined proposed repairs and site improvements, including a flagpole and landscaping within a 10‑foot setback.
Barry Nelson, qualified as an expert in land use and valuation, described surrounding uses, the existing site configuration and code criteria for a special‑use permit. Nelson said the 3‑bay service area (about 1,100 square feet) would be at the rear of the northerly building and not visible from the Long Beach Road corridor; he characterized the proposed operation as minor automotive repair (oil changes, tune‑ups), not collision repair.
Ethan Chikoski, a parking and traffic expert with TPD Engineering, presented parking and circulation plans. He described four customer stalls in the main lot (including one ADA stall) and proposed to use a vacant lot immediately north of the subject property as overflow, estimating room for about 9–10 stacked vehicles. Chikoski described an attendant/valet operation to move customer vehicles to the overflow lot and described vehicle‑turning templates to show access was feasible.
Board members pressed the applicant on a handful of neighborhood concerns: photographs submitted with the application showing vehicles parked on the sidewalk, whether work would occur in the rear lot, visibility of tires or equipment from the street, gate closure after hours, and whether the overflow storage would use the municipal lot across the street (the applicant said no). Minerva and witnesses said they would covenant no sidewalk parking, conceal storage behind fencing or slats, close gates outside business hours and confine repair work to inside the garage.
After questioning, a motion to reserve decision until the board receives and reviews a formal landscape plan carried on a recorded vote. The board’s action preserves review authority while the applicant prepares and files the landscaping and covenant documents requested by the board.
What’s next: the applicant is expected to submit the landscape plan and written covenants (no sidewalk parking, screening for storage areas, gate operation). The town will schedule further consideration once the materials are received.
