HICKSVILLE, NY – The Town of Oyster Bay has denied a request to construct a gymnasium, made by the community of the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in Hicksville, a village within Oyster Bay. The Town’s denial of the request triggered immediate response by the community’s leadership.
Town spokesman Brian Devine explained that the request originally was denied in 2013. The community lodged an appeal with the Board of Appeals, which was denied the following year.
Neighborhood residents (predominantly not of the Holy Trinity Community) complained that the gym would change the neighborhood’s character: that it would generate additional traffic and more noise, and that property values would decline. They have called for one of the structures the community owns, which would be demolished to make way for the gym, to be preserved as a landmark.
Although that item will not be on the Landmarks Preservation Commission’s upcoming meeting agenda, TNH has learned that the Commission plans to discuss the matter anyway.
Several members of the community expect to attend the September 2 meeting, which will be held at 7PM in the Town Board Hearing Room at 52 Audrey Avenue in Oyster Bay.
The community plans to pursue the matter in court, relying upon the federal statute Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000 (RLUIPA), which protects religious communities may experience unjustified discrimination in matters of land use, such as this. Mineola attorney Thomas Pantelis will represent the community.
The Holy Trinity Greek community is among the most vibrant on Long Island. The parish was established in 1977, and in 1980 the Church was built. Ten years later, in 1990, they built the Cultural Center and envisioned a state-of-the-art gymnasium that would accommodate GOYA sports and other Greek youth athletic activities.
To that end, they purchased two properties, 32 and 36 Field Avenue, in order to demolish them and erect the gymnasium in their place. It is the latter property that Hicksville residents are attempting to preserve as a landmark.
The community first hired architect Frank Ralk to draft the plans in January 2013, never imagining the difficulties they would encounter from the Town.
Holy Trinity’s Rev. Theofanis Papantonis described to TNH his dismay at the Board’s position, and emphasized that the community is resolute in achieving its goal to construct the gym, noting the tremendous need for it. Namely, because now, the community’s youth have to use public facilities that are not always readily available to them.
Rev. Papantonis denies the validity of the residents’ claims. He refutes that traffic would increase, because the number of people driving to the gym at any given time would have a negligible effect on traffic overall.
He added that, contrary to the notion that property values would decrease, they would in fact increase, as the gym would be an incentive for Greek-Americans to by homes in that neighborhood.
Papantonis says the costs incurred as a result of the Board’s denial to this point are close to $100,000.
Part of the problem is that the 32 and 36 Field Avenue properties are in such poor condition at the moment, they cannot be rented. To renovate them would cost a great deal of money. Yet, the community has to foot the bill for insurance, sanitation, and other related costs, even as it generates no income.
The community is upset, Papantonis explains, but at the same time motivated to rally and “exercise all legal means” in order to ensure the gym’s construction.
The Church’s Greek Festival takes place September 11 through 13. “We call upon all Greek-Americans to visit the festival and to offer their contribution for the construction of the gymnasium,” Papantonis said.
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