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Developer Brian Keller tells Hicksville council Verizon delay has stalled industrial park spec building
Summary
Brian Keller told the Hicksville Village Council Oct. 6 that his planned spec building at the Industrial Park is on hold because Verizon has not signed an addendum to the original lease. Keller said a grant opportunity with an imminent deadline is at risk; council agreed to send Verizon a stern letter and discussed cancelling the lease as leverage.
Brian Keller, accompanied by Erika Willitzer, told the Hicksville Village Council on Oct. 6 that the Industrial Park property he intends to use for a speculative (spec) building is on hold because Verizon has not signed an addendum to the original lease.
Keller said he has a potential grant for the project and that the application deadline is approaching. Council members said the delay threatens the project’s viability and agreed to ask the village solicitor to send a stern letter to Verizon requesting it sign the addendum. Councilman Ron Beverly suggested the village could threaten lease cancellation to prompt Verizon to act.
Council did not record a formal motion or vote on sending the letter in the minutes; the meeting record states only that “it was decided a stern letter should be sent.” The minutes note the village has already provided Verizon with the items it requested, including a new survey and an environmental report.
Erika Willitzer was recorded as accompanying Keller; no direct quotes from Keller or Willitzer appear in the minutes. The council did not take any formal vote recorded in the minutes to change the lease or to authorize litigation. The representative from EK Technology separately requested an executive session to discuss proprietary information; that request was recorded but not tied to the Industrial Park discussion.
Next steps recorded in the minutes: council instructed staff to prepare the stern letter to Verizon; no timeline or further authorization is specified in the minutes.
