Neighbors press Planning Board for traffic, parking studies after proposal for 90-seat restaurant at 44 Merrick Road

The Amityville Planning Board held the application for a proposed commercial building at 44 Merrick Road on June 4, asking the applicant to supply a traffic study and civil engineering plans before the board will move forward.

Architect David Bush, speaking for 44 Merrick Holding LLC, presented two exterior material options and a site plan for a roughly 4,500-square-foot shell building designed to accommodate a 90-seat restaurant and a back-of-house mezzanine for dry storage. Bush said the design provides 31 parking spaces; by his calculation the code requires 23 spaces for the proposed seating, and the submitted landscaping plan includes a 10-foot buffer to the residential properties north of the site and a dumpster positioned behind the building.

Chairperson Stephen Greenwald said the site is on a heavily used corridor and voiced worries about evening peak traffic and parking overflow onto nearby residential streets. “One of the things that I am going to recommend is that we would like a traffic study done,” Greenwald said, noting the board may need to consider residential parking restrictions on adjacent blocks if overflow occurs. The board asked the applicant to coordinate with village staff and to supply an independent traffic analysis to the board’s consulting list.

Multiple neighbors told the board they expect the project to increase congestion and create parking pressure on Ketcham Avenue and nearby streets. “It’s going to be a nightmare at that light,” said resident Brian White, who lives on Ketcham Avenue and described peak-period backups at the Merrick Road signal. Rebecca White, another nearby resident, asked where employees would park and raised concerns about nighttime trash collection schedules. Residents also asked about venting and potential odors from restaurant kitchens; Bush said the shell will be designed to accommodate code-compliant kitchen hoods and make-up air and that equipment will be screened behind a parapet.

Board member Justin Kennedy requested full civil, grading, drainage, and utilities drawings as part of the site-plan submission. Bush said he had prepared preliminary drainage calculations and would provide full engineered plans in the next filing. Board members and residents also discussed possible curb-cut arrangements; Chairperson Greenwald noted that any change to access on Merrick Road would require New York State approval because Merrick Road is a state route.

After extended discussion, the Planning Board voted unanimously to hold the application and require that the applicant submit the requested traffic study, a complete civil/site-engineering package, and revised landscape screening (including hedging along Ketcham) in advance of the board’s August meeting. The board instructed the applicant to provide the materials at least two weeks before the meeting so consultants and board members can review them.

The board’s vote to hold the application is procedural; no site-plan approval, zoning waiver, or building permit has been granted. Next steps: applicant to supply engineering and traffic analyses; board to review and schedule further hearings as needed.