Friday, August 24, 2018
Vol. 94, No.49
FOUNDED 1923
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LOCALLY OWNED AND EDITED
"History House" PAGES 38-39 n LIJSL champs PAGE 49
ADRB to discuss future concepts for Sears property
NATIONAL NIGHT OUT
BY RIKKI N. MASSAND
The Garden City Police Department recently participated in the National Night Out crime/drug awareness program at the Garden City Pool. Above, GC Detective Rich Pedone poses with some young pool patrons. See page 33.
CPOA initiates search for new high school ambassador
It’s that time of year when all things relating to new beginnings for students come to pass: new classes, new text books, new friends, and new experiences. This last is where the CPOA High School Ambassador Program comes in. Some nine years ago, the Garden City Central Property Owners’ Association offered high
school juniors and seniors the opportunity to become involved in Village affairs and to serve as Ambassadors from their schools to the CPOA. It took off like a shot, and since then each year, when the Senior member graduates and goes off to college, the CPOA adds one new Junior Class student to the organization as the current Junior moves up to
his/her Senior position. The program is open to all students no matter the high school they attend. It is required that the applicant live in the Central Section. At least one person in applicant’s family must be a member of the Garden City Central Property Owners’ Association. See page 42
On the agenda for the Village of Garden City’s Architectural Design Review Board (ADRB) meeting on Tuesday, August 28, is a discussion item on future concepts for the current Sears building, 1111 Franklin Avenue, which is now owned by the Bethpage-based commercial property management and development firm Steel Equities. The high-profile Garden City building was previously owned by Sears Holdings and sold to Steel Equities earlier this year, after much speculation about the future of all Sears department stores as hundreds of locations have closed nationwide in the past 18 months. Steel Equities owns and operates several notable commercial and office buildings along Franklin Avenue, including 1100 Franklin. The Village Board of Trustees questioned former trustee and current executive director of the Garden City Chamber of Commerce, Dennis Donnelly, about Sears’ future at meetings in 2016 and earlier this year. Donnelly spoke with The Garden City News on August 22 and said the ADRB discussion was a preliminary step, as Sears remains open and still has years left on its lease for 1111 Franklin. “Steel Equities owns a number of buildings in the village, and most of their buildings have some component of NYU-Winthrop Health system in them. Although Sears is physically still in the building the ADRB’s agenda item, I believe, is to discuss some conceptual idea of what to do with the Sears’ space. Eventually, Sears will not be there although no announcement on its future has been made. The building has been sold and its owner (Steel Equities) is looking to the day when Sears is not there, and what would or could be acceptable uses with any necessary changes that the village’s ADRB would be okay with, or not okay with,” Donnelly explained. There is no current application on file with the Village of Garden City for a future use or potential change to the physical building at 1111 Franklin Avenue. In a February meeting on the Streetscape plan for the village’s downtown, attended by the Board of Trustees, architecture and building department officials, and Garden City Chamber members, Mayor Daughney mentioned the potential for a residential development to be located along Franklin Avenue, and specifically the Sears’ location as a possible site down the road. He mentioned the building in reference to the changing dynamics of the Garden City shopping and downtown experience, as the village has seen progress in See page 42
Cool happenings at GC Community Church PAGES 40-41 GC Public Schools getting ready for year PAGE 3