The Floral Park Board of Trustees reserved decisions during two public hearings Tuesday night on new restaurants looking to operate in the village.

The first hearing of the night was for a Greek restaurant, Gyro Village, on 144 Tulip Ave.

Applicant Demtris Demetrious, who was representing owner Peter Gioulos, told the board they were approved by the village’s board of zoning appeals earlier this year to have 21 seats inside the establishment that is the former location of Tin Sing.

Gioulos said the intended hours of operation would be 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. seven days a week with four to five employees including himself and his son. 

The owner added he intends to buy two parking spaces and if approved, he can start renovations and open the restaurant in approximately two months. 

The second hearing was regarding a special use permit for American Bistro on 99 Covert Ave, the previous location of Sterling National Bank.

Owner and applicant Michael McGuire, the previous owner of Trinity Restaurant in the village for 27 years and a Floral Park resident, said the hours of operation would be noon to 2 a.m. seven days a week. 

If approved, the restaurant would be one of the few in Floral Park that has its own parking lot, providing 17 parking spots for customers, McGuire said. 

McGuire said he intends to have outdoor dining and keep the building’s current footprint.

“We want to keep the building very similar to the way it is,” McGuire said. “We appreciate how beautiful the building is and how important it is to Covert Avenue.”

Residents from Clayton and Cunningham Avenues, the two dead-end streets off Covert next to the property, raised concerns with the board about the potential influx of traffic and cars a new restaurant would bring. 

“The opening of a restaurant would totally disrupt life on Clayton Avenue as we know it,” said Helen Gateson.

Gateson said her issues revolved around the late hours of operation, noise from deliveries and cars going up and down the dead-end avenues to find parking, which she said could add to noise during the late hours. 

Jay Piskin, who owns a dental office on Covert, said the area is missing a sit-down restaurant and the location has sat empty for too long. 

“I do think it is time for changes on Covert Avenue. I like that there’s hopefully new construction coming in and we can start seeing some new faces and businesses,” Piskin said. “I’ve seen too many empty stores over the years and we need to revitalize them.”

The next Floral Park Board of Trustees meeting will take place on Tuesday, Aug. 15.