In a vote of 4-1, the Mineola Village Board approved several amendments, allocating additional parking spots and one-bedroom units to two approved apartment complexes at 109 Front St. and 114 Old Country Road.
The board approved the complexes on Oct. 18, 2023, with 200 residential units at 120 Third St. and 240 at 125 Third St. The property’s address will change to 120 Third St., North building, and 125 Third St., South building.
Kevin Walsh, a founding partner of Walsh Markus McDougal and DeBellis, represented Kevin Lalezarian and Frank Lalezarian in proposing the modifications. Lalezarian Properties LLC requested additional parking, the conversion of two-bedroom units into one-bedroom units and the expansion of the complex’s courtyard.
Walsh said the Lalezarians believe there is a strong market for one-bedroom units near the train station, which is why they proposed these amendments.
“There is going to be virtually no change — it is certainly not a distinguishable change,” Walsh said about the project.
The Lalezarians proposed to donate a lot to the village they acquired from the office building at 114 Old Country Road. for recreational use.
They also requested to transform the parking lot on the corner of Third Street and Willis Avenue into a park owned by the village. The estimated budget for this project is about $1 million.
“I think this is adding another element to our community, for both the building as well as the residents, because you’re doing something different and proposing things like a putting green and just an open space, so I appreciate that,” said Janine Sartori, deputy mayor of Mineola. “It’s not only going to be open space for the park, but it’s the fact that you are going to have open space on each side of the building.”
The approved project would reserve 31 of the two-bedroom units and the ancillary space around them and transform them into one-bedroom apartments. Ten rooms will be placed in the south building and 40 will be placed in the north building.
Walsh said one way to look at these changes is that they are requesting 29 bedrooms for the entire property and, in turn, will give the village some amenities.
“They’re not looking for smaller units. They’re not trying to cram anything in. They have the room to make those one-bedroom units that are part of the original allocation,” Walsh said.
They are also proposing increasing the size of the courtyards to accommodate the new one-bedroom units.
Walsh said that when this project was approved last year, community members were concerned about taxpayer money increasing with more students being added to the schools. However, he said that the amendment to the 50 two-bedroom units would have a “positive influence on the schools.”
Last year, 630 parking spaces were approved. They proposed an amendment to add 753 spaces and an extra floor for parking below the North building.
“The traffic report indicates that the traffic changes or impact will be negligible here,” Walsh said. “But you know, logically, if I have fewer two bedrooms than I had before, it’s less likely you’re going to have more cars.”
Walsh said these amendments would also have less impact on the water and sewage systems because with fewer two-bedroom units, less people would use the bathroom.
“We have been in the drawing stage on the approved buildings and that does take a while,” Walsh said when asked what the timeline is for this project.
Walsh said that the building at 114 Old Country Road. will be torn down by the end of the year. The start date of the project is unclear, but Walsh said it will take about two years to complete.
