Hempstead Town public hearing on Costco gas station
A 22-acre parcel is Bay Shore is being considered for a new Costco store. The Islip Town Board would have to change the zoning from industrial to business before the store could be built. Credit: Tiffany L. Clark
Hempstead Town’s board of appeals will hold a public hearing Wednesday on a petition from Costco Wholesale Corp. as it looks to build a gasoline station at its Lawrence store.
Costco is seeking an off-street parking variance and a special exception to allow parking in the front yard of the property on Rockaway Turpike and Nassau Expressway. If its petitions are approved, the location would be the first Costco on Long Island with a gas station.
The appeals board will hear the case at 2 p.m. in the Nathan L.H. Bennett Pavilion, adjacent to Hempstead Town Hall. The hearing had been scheduled for March 21, but was adjourned to May 23 and then rescheduled again.
The Hempstead Town board also held a separate hearing on April 24 on Costco’s request to build the gas station. A decision has not been made yet.
The wholesale club is seeking the permit to install three 30,000-gallon storage tanks. The company, which has seven outlets on Long Island, wants to put in 22 gas pumps that would be for outlet members only, company representatives have said.
Costco plans to take 163 of its 822 parking spaces to create the gas station. There could be 915 spaces if the club creates additional spots on undeveloped land owned by New York State, company representatives have said. The town requires 775 spots for a store its size.
