Mineola’s historic downtown will likely be getting new residents.
The village’s Board of Trustees enthusiastically received a proposal for a 62-unit multi-family, mixed-use building on the northwest corner of Main Street and Second Street, where a 2022 fire burned down the previous buildings.
The developer, DP Builders, plans to occupy the ground floor with two retail tenants alongside one or two restaurants.
Mineola Mayor Paul A. Pereira expects the official vote to permit the building’s construction to occur at the board’s April 9 meeting.
“I think that this will really put us over the hump of revitalizing the downtown,” said Pereira. “I think that this is the missing piece.”
Since the proposed building would be located in the village’s historic district, the developer’s team asked for a special permit exception to the village’s zoning code, which typically does not allow buildings over 40 feet. However, the mayor said buildings that abut municipal buildings are given a degree of leeway.
The lowest portion of the apartment building, nearest to the corner, would be around 45 feet tall and flush against the village’s municipal lot, according to the developer’s team.
The highest portion, or sixth floor, would be around 60 feet tall but set back from the street, which the developer’s team said would minimize how tall the building seemed.
They said the sixth floor would be a partial floor, only including amenities like a gym and community terrace, and the fifth floor would also be set back from the street.
To ensure the building would fit the historic district despite the height difference, the developer’s team said they worked extensively to design the building’s architecture to align with that of the surrounding buildings, which board members said they appreciated.
The Wednesday board meeting was the first time the project’s proposal was heard publicly. However, the project’s developer and his team have been in conversation with the mayor for over a year.
After the presentation, the mayor said he was not concerned about the project’s impact on the historic district, traffic, or negative public response.
“My concerns are really just about getting this off the ground and getting it complete,” Pereira said, adding he wanted to be sure construction did not go on for any longer than necessary and that there was coordination between its construction and other construction projects nearby that would likely overlap.
If approved in April, the developer’s attorney estimated construction would start early next spring and take roughly a year and a half to complete.
“I have not heard a lot of pushback on this because I think people realize that something has to go there, and this is a good use for the space,” Pereira said. “This is better than an office use. This is better than medical use. This is better than any other use that I can think of.”
The building would have 49 one-bedroom units, each roughly 750 square feet and costing around $2,500 a month, and 13 two-bedroom units, each around 1,000 to 1,100 square feet and costing roughly $3,5000 a month, according to Kevin M Walsh, the developer’s attorney.
He said these cost estimates were based on current market rates and would likely increase by the time the building began accepting tenants as the market rate rises.
Seven units will be designated as affordable and rented below market rate. The building would also have two levels of below-grade parking, with one space included with the rent of each unit.
Walsh said that the units on the fifth floor would have small balconies, and the sixth floor would include only amenities, including an outdoor terrace and gym accessible to all tenants.
“The building is a beautiful building. I think we can all agree, and we certainly have all heard from the community for many, many years: This corner is very important,” Pereira said. “As goes this project, I believe, so goes the rest of the downtown.”
