Rezoning for LI hospital parking gets OK

The Hempstead Town Board unanimously approved two rezoning petitions from South Nassau Communities Hospital seeking to build two parking lots adjacent to the Oceanside facility.

The decision at Tuesday night's board meeting came despite opposition from community residents. The approval allows the properties to be rezoned from residential to business.

Hospital officials next must submit parking lot site plans to the town's building department for approval.

"The board considered the comments of the residents and the needs of the hospital to provide health care to the community," town spokesman Michael Deery said yesterday.

At a November public hearing, many residents claimed the lots would diminish their property values and that the school district and town would lose thousands of annual tax dollars. They also said many employees, who now park on the streets, won't use the lots because smoking is not permitted on hospital property.

"I am really upset about how this got approved -- no explanation or no nothing," said Oceanside resident Charles Giordano. "I feel our voices were not heard or listened to at all."

Hospital officials have said they purchased the two residential properties in the hopes of building lots to accommodate 100 vehicles and reducing the number of employees parking on residential streets. The hospital now has 1,087 parking spaces, they said.

"I applaud their [the board's] decision and South Nassau will continue to strive to be a good neighbor to those residents surrounding the hospital," hospital president Joseph A. Quagliata said in an emailed statement.