The Mineola Village Board approved a special-use application at last Wednesday night’s board meeting for a new 99-cent store on Jericho Turnpike to sell packaged foods.
Naeem Baig and Ed Marinelli, partners in the retail business at 500 Jericho Turnpike, applied for the permit as they prepared to open the store last week. The location formerly contained a Blockbuster Video store that closed six months ago.
William McDermott, an attorney representing Baig and Marinelli, said the 6,600-foot-square structure that housed the video store would remain substantially unchanged. He told the board that the limited sale of packaged food, including snacks and cookies, would have “no detrimental” effect on the area and added it would be a “benefit” to the community.
“We fell the application should be granted in all aspects,” McDermott said.
In response to a question from Mineola Mayor Scott Strauss on whether they would maintain a refrigerator on the premises, McDermott said they would have a refrigerator to sell bottled water and Snapple drinks.
McDermott said the store hours would be 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. He said deliveries to the store would be made between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. on weekdays.
“The store is ready to go. We have a very clean operation,” said Marinelli.
Marinelli said the store would be opened within a day or two. He told the board he and his partner would be making a separate application to the village Building Department to put up a sign for the new business.
Strauss recommended that the store owners purchase a Knox-Box to enable emergency access for the fire department to the premises.
The board voted to approve the special-use application unanimously.
