Village board OKs storage lot for car dealership

The Amityville Village Board this week approved auto dealer Security Dodge's plan for a vehicle storage lot at Broadway and Sunrise Highway.

The move could lighten Security's footprint at its Merrick Road showroom, where neighbors have complained of traffic and parking problems.

Former village attorney Bruce Kennedy, representing the dealer, said Security would store 100 to 150 vehicles on the parcel, including some now parked off Merrick Road.

Trustees voted 5-0 to approve the special use permit Monday night. But Security, one of the largest businesses in the village, still needs approvals from the Zoning Board of Appeals and the Planning Board. If those are given, the dealer could start moving vehicles in the fall, Kennedy said.

Development of the vacant L-shaped parcel is difficult because much of it abuts the Sunrise Highway cloverleaf to the south, he said. Security would not drive vehicles in or out there but would use existing curb cuts to the north, he said.