Massapequa Checkers OKd despite concerns

A Checkers restaurant is to open on Sunrise Highway in Massapequa, approved Tuesday by the Oyster Bay Town Board in a rare split vote amid residents' 11th-hour appeals.

The board voted 6-1, with Anthony Macagnone dissenting, to grant a special-use permit to franchisee Nassau Burger Corp., which plans to open a Checkers in a free-standing building with a drive-through.

Neighbors voiced concerns about traffic, bright lighting and late-night activity. The establishment is to stay open until 2 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays.

"One o'clock in the morning, 2 o'clock in the morning. We're going to be anticipating people who are going to be a problem," said Daniel McGee, 55, of Massapequa Park.

Richard Rosso, 70, of Massapequa Park, worried about youths loitering in the parking lot.

Town Supervisor John Venditto expressed confidence in the restaurant and pledged to monitor it.

Representatives for Nassau Burger Corp. could not be reached for comment.

Also Tuesday, the town board voted unanimously to accept a final environmental impact statement for a proposed Costco Wholesale store in Hicksville.

A findings statement must also be presented before officials vote on whether to grant a special-use permit.

Oyster Bay in 2003 rejected a zoning change application by the megamarket to open on West John Street. A series of legal challenges followed, and an appellate division of the State Supreme Court last fall directed the town to finish the environmental statement.

Hicksville resident Greg Yatzyshyn, 62, objected to the Costco, saying, "The true culprit in a business such as this is traffic."