RSS 2.0 FeedJanuary 13, 2011, Bellmore Life
Court denies White Castle appeal
Some upset Arby’s will come to Bellmore
The state Supreme Court upheld the Town of Hempstead’s zoning Board of Appeals decision to deny White Castle Systems variances to build a White Castle fast-food restaurant on property owned by Bill Sette at the corner of Sunrise Highway and St. Marks Avenue.
White Castle appealed that decision to the state Supreme Court.
“I think it may finally be over,” said Bellmore Preservation Group (BPG) President Matt Walden, which spearheaded the campaign against White Castle coming to Bellmore.
“White Castle had to appeal and beat the decision on 15 different counts,” he concluded.
Bellmore Life’s June 9 front-page story quoted Tom Pantelis, attorney for White Castle, as saying the “original zoning Board of Appeals decision was a wholesale adoption of the neighbors’ objections that are completely contrary to state law.”
Mr. Pantelis told Bellmore Life of the court decision that the company was disappointed in it, but that it is “exploring all its options and possibilities, and may appeal the decision to the [state] court’s Appellate Division.”
Arby’s to move into Bellmore
Mr. Sette, a retired plumber who owned the land White Castle wished to build on, was upset at the court’s decision because Arby’s has been granted variances to build a new restaurant next to the recently built 7-Eleven at the corner of Bellmore Avenue and Sunrise Highway.
“I just don’t understand it,” he told Bellmore Life. “Arby’s would butt up against people’s houses in the back, and White Castle would not have touched anyone’s property at all.”
He also recalled that in deciding on White Castle, he passed several of its stores several times and saw no evidence of the concerns the preservation group was voicing in its initial challenge.
Chris Benes, attorney for BPG, said that Arby’s layout was different from White Castle’s. “Arby’s doesn’t create a pass-through on to the streets” as White Castle would have.
He added that Arby’s had meetings with the community, and agreed to several stipulations, including closing by 11 p.m. on Saturday, and having no deliveries before 7 a.m.
Meanwhile, on Bellmore Life’s Facebook page, Krista Kugauer commented that the property White Castle wanted “...has been a commercial property forever. What makes White Castle bad but Arby’s OK two blocks over?”
Nancy Antonius responded that Arby’s isn’t “24/7. White Castle would have been, and there’s the difference right there.”
