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Board continues Best Western public hearing after owner vows to reduce DSS placements
Summary
At a June 1 Flower Hill Board of Trustees public hearing, the hotel owner and counsel said the Best Western has reduced Department of Social Services placements and is working to get them to zero; trustees continued the hearing to July 6 and demanded written weekly updates.
Flower Hill trustees continued a public hearing on the Best Western Hotel, 1053 Northern Boulevard, after the owner’s counsel described steps to reduce placements of Department of Social Services (DSS) clients at the property.
At the meeting, the board said it had received complaints from neighboring businesses and the Nassau County Police Department about incidents at the hotel since its change in operation from the Holiday Inn Express to a Best Western flag. Alex Leon of Abrams Fenster, who represents the owner identified as Mr. Gandhi, told trustees that placements routed through DSS have fallen from what counsel described as the mid-20s to the mid-teens and that Mr. Gandhi is working with DSS to move toward zero placements. Leon said the owner has been providing weekly updates to the board.
Trustees and residents pressed Leon and the owner for precise numbers and timing. Board members noted inconsistent counts in the record — counsel referenced figures of 16 and 14 while the board reported hearing 18 at one point — and asked whether families with school-age children would be allowed to remain through the school year. Counsel said DSS handles relocation and notification and that the process typically involves roughly 10–14 days’ notice; he also said no new DSS placements have been made since the prior meeting.
Residents who spoke during public comment thanked the board for its swift action and urged continued oversight. One resident said he had witnessed disruptive nighttime behavior near the hotel and asked for continued enforcement.
Given ongoing uncertainty about numbers and logistics, a trustee moved to continue the public hearing to the July 6 Board of Trustees meeting at 7 p.m.; the motion passed. Trustees asked for written confirmation of the owner’s status report by the upcoming Friday and requested weekly written updates between now and the July hearing. One trustee warned that if DSS placements remained at the July hearing the board would consider voting to revoke the hotel’s operating license.
The board left the public record open and will review the owner’s written reports before the July meeting. No formal vote to revoke or alter the hotel’s license was taken at the June 1 meeting.
