LI Herald: Lynbrook, East Rockaway have major projects on tap in 2022

In Lynbrook

On Jan. 20, developer Terwilliger & Bartone Properties will officially open the four-story, 80-unit, $24 million Cornerstone at Yorkshire apartment complex, which replaced the Capri Lynbrook Motor Inn. The motel was razed in June 2020, after several battles between village officials and the motel’s owners over alleged criminal activity there. Terwilliger & Bartone recently received the village’s approval to open, and tenants began moving in last month.

The Nassau County Industrial Development Agency unanimously granted a payment in lieu of taxes, or PILOT, agreement for it in February 2020. The IDA granted a mortgage-recording tax abatement, a sales-tax abatement and a 20-year PILOT, which will begin at the present tax level of $228,155 per year and gradually increase to $1.1 million by its final year.

Lynbrook Mayor Alan Beach did not have a timetable for completion of the $95 million, 201-unit apartment complex at the former site of the vacant Mangrove Feather factory; however, village officials and the developer, Breslin Realty, said they hope the abandoned building will be razed by the end of February. After that, construction should take up to two years.

Breslin received approval from village officials last June to demolish the industrial building across from the Lynbrook Long Island Rail Road station, which has been vacant for more than a decade, and build a 278,014- square-foot, transit-oriented development with 55 studios, 111 one-bedroom and 35 two-bedroom apartments. The Town of Hempstead IDA approved a 30-year PILOT agreement for the project in November.

“We’re all looking forward to bringing life back to our downtown and to our local businesses,” Beach said, “and getting the pandemic in the rearview mirror.”

Beach also said he hopes to see the reopening of the Lynbrook Diner, which closed in March 2019 for renovations after 90 years of continuous operation. Its interior is now under construction.

The mayor would also like to conduct a feasibility study into adding a pedestrian walkthrough on the west side of Atlantic Avenue to connect it to Broadway, among other projects.

Beach added that a number of roads will be repaved in 2022, drainage issues will be addressed at areas that often flood in the village, the hockey rink at Greis Park will be redeveloped, recreation programs will expand, and the annual Oktoberfest will continue in the fall, along with other outdoor events slated for the spring and summer. That includes, Beach said, the possibility of Patriots Day returning on Memorial Day weekend, as village officials seek to discover a way to hold a fireworks display without damaging the new artificial-turf field at Greis Park.

“I also want to continue to attract quality businesses that make Lynbrook a prime destination for entertainment and commerce,” Beach said.

By Mike Smollins