The Village of Mineola Board of Trustees reserved decision on Wednesday night on a special-use permit application for a new Walgreens store proposed for the site of the former Entenmann’s outlet store at 12 Jericho Turnpike in Mineola.
The existing structure that housed the Entenmann’s store on the northeast corner of the intersection would be demolished to make room for a 14,500-square foot Walgreens to replace the chain store’s current location on the southwest corner of the intersection at 1 Jericho Turnpike.
“The building is really not up to speed anymore. They want a nicer building,” said attorney John Libert, who represented applicant Mark Development, Inc. at the hearing.
Mark Development principal Marc Steinberg, who presented in site plans at Wednesday night public hearing, said the store would operate 24-hours-a-day. Steinberg said he has developed 150 Walgreens sites in the northeast and has been working on the plans for the new Mineola location over the past 10 months.
The Entenmann’s outlet on the site proposed for the new Walgreens closed last August.
Libert said the proposed Walgreens would have a drive-through window primarily for prescription drug pick-ups. The existing Walgreens store has no drive-through window.
Craig Tompkins of Hauppage-based Bohler Engineering said the proposed Walgreens would have two access driveways on Jericho Turnpike and one entrance on Roslyn Road.
He said a landscaping buffer of trees and shrubs would line both Jericho Turnpike and Roslyn Road. The site would be illuminated with five light poles along the Jericho Turnpike side and two light poles on Roslyn Road, he said.
Architect Anthony Sirizotti said the building would be constructed with “very traditional red brick,” as shown in artist’s renderings he presented, and would also feature large windows in the building’s corner where Jericho Turnpike and Roslyn Road intersect.
The windows are designed to bring in light and save on energy costs, he said, adding that all interior and exterior lighting on the site would use LED lights.
Traffic engineer John Harder said current access driveways to the site on Arlington Street would be eliminated in response to feedback from the village to keep traffic out of the residential neighborhood immediately north of the site.
Based on traffic observations at the intersection, he estimated 60 cars would stop at the Walgreens during peak traffic periods of 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays and 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Saturdays. He said he anticipated an average of two or three cars would be in line at the drive-through window during peak hours.
Residents expressed concerns about eastbound traffic on Jericho Turnpike making left-hand turns across westbound traffic to enter the site.
Harder said discouraging left-hand turns by eastbound motorists would push traffic onto Arlington Street.
“There’s no perfect solution,” he said.
Deputy Mayor Paul Pereira said eastbound traffic crossing Jericho Turnpike to enter the site would be preferable to cars entering the site from the existing entrances along Arlington Road.
Village Trustee Dennis Walsh suggested the easternmost site entrance on Jericho Turnpike could pose a problem with vehicles stopped at the intersection of Jericho Turnpike and Roslyn Road backing up to enter the site. Harder said cars were observed backing up to enter the Entenmann’s site during peak hours.
Harder said the said the site’s entrances on Jericho Turnpike, which are located directly across from Royal Avenue and McKinley Parkway on the south side of Jericho Turnpike had been approved by the state Department of Transportation.
Pereira and Walsh both criticized maintenance at the current Walgreens store. Pereira called the landscaping “atrocious” and Walsh said the site is “very unsightly and is not always swept up.”
Steinberg said he would convey concerns about maintaining the new site to the store manager, who he said would remain in charge at the new location.
In response to a question from Walsh, he said Walgreens had a 20-year lease on the site with a 50-year option.
Tompkins said the site owners, who Libert identified as the Frame family, were considering a bank as a co-tenant on the site. Steinberg said there is no currently no “sincere” interest from a bank to locate a branch on the site.
After the hearing, Steinberg said it would take 10 months to build the store following demolition of the existing building.
Pereira said the Walgreens proposal is “an improvement on what’s there now.”
Following routine practice, the board reserved decision on the special-use permit application pending a review of the site plan by the county planning commission.
