Potential traffic from New Hyde Park revitalization plan irks local residents

New Hyde Park residents believe that a proposed four-story mixed-use building would add too much traffic and be out of character for the area if it is built, according to Newsday. Currently, the property at 300 South 12th Street has a vacant one-story commercial building. Ernesto Tersigni, owner of 300 South 12th LLC, wants to erect a 18,567-square-feet building on the site, which would include 4,915 square feet of retail along with 11 ground-floor apartments topped by 20 other units above them. But in order to do so, Tersigni needs a special-use permit. New Hyde Park’s board of trustees will hold two more meetings before coming to a decision on the proposal. Tersigni’s lawyer, Andrea Tsoukalas Curto of Forchelli Deegan Terrana, argued that the project will help the town’s downtown revitalization effort. Local officials hope to combine other new apartment complexes near New Hyde Park’s Long Island Rail Road station to create a pedestrian-friendly area called Station Plaza. The aim is to attract millennials who work in New York City, but don’t want to live in Manhattan or its outer boroughs. In 2018, New Hyde Park rezoned the area around its LIRR station to permit developers to pitch buildings that exceed the town’s two-and-a-half story limit. Newsday reported that Tersigni’s building would be the first to exceed that limit. [Newsday]