Village Wants to Take New Businesses 'by the Hand'

To combat the potential of further congestion in Rockville Centre, the village will consider a new process on commercial properties that switch from one type of business to another.

As of now, anything zoned for business can host any type of establishment, such as restaurants, retail or fitness centers. This new “special use process” would require owners of new businesses to go to the zoning board for approval, if, for example, a retail store were to be changed into a 250-seat restaurant.

As vibrant and wonderful as our village is, it’s becoming more urbanized,” said Deputy Mayor Nancy Howard. “We’d like to take the process by the hand. We just want a mechanism in place to protect the village from extreme congestion.”

Purchases of property or new businesses will be able to get an expedited hearing before the zoning board before any transaction take place, according to Trustee Michael Sepe. The public hearing on the new process will continue when the board next meets on Nov. 4.

“The concern is traffic and parking. During certain peak times, it’s congested,” Sepe said. “We do this very carefully and seriously. We don’t want to do anything hostile.”

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