West Hempstead hotel to be razed

West Hempstead's infamous Courtesy Hotel will be demolished Thursday, ending a 10-year battle that will clear the way for the site's redevelopment.

The hotel, which was shuttered in January, will be replaced by a transit-oriented residential complex adjacent to the Long Island Rail Road's West Hempstead station.

Community, religious and government leaders are expected to be there at 11:30 a.m. as the demolition begins.

"We have waited so long for this to happen and we are absolutely delighted," said Rosalie Norton, president of the West Hempstead Community Support Association, which led the movement to shut down the Courtesy Hotel.

For years, Norton said she and other residents had complained to town officials about the drug and violent crime arrests that occurred regularly at the hotel. They also raised concerns about the registered sex offenders who lived there, she said.

The property owner, Trammell Crow Residential, now called Millcreek Residential Trust and based in Wilton, Conn., plans to construct a four-story residential building with 150 upscale rental units atop a two-story underground parking garage.

The project was able to move forward because the town created a "Transit Oriented Development" zone in late 2008 that allowed for greater density in the area. The LIRR's promise to keep vacant its 1-acre site between the hotel and the train station also gave the project the space it needs.

"We are exhilarated because it is not just removing what was an eyesore, but it will be something that will revitalize the whole area and give a new image to West Hempstead," said Norton, who has supported the project since the developer contracted to buy the hotel in 2006."The apartment complex is the proverbial cherry on the cake."