A variance request by Schmitty’s Family Auto in Manhasset with the North Hempstead Board of Zoning Appeals has been pushed to a future date.
The variance request to operate as an auto body repair shop was set to be heard Wednesday, Aug. 16, but was delayed since the applicant did not properly notify nearby homeowners of the hearing, as required by the town code, according to the board.
The business, located at 55 Bayview Ave. in Manhasset, currently operates as an auto service station.
An online petition was started in late June by Preserve Manhasset in opposition to the appeal, saying Schmitty’s is already operating as a repair shop as opposed to a service station, which is what it is approved to do.
“Approval of this variance would set a dangerous precedent for Manhasset in the industrial use of Business B Zoning,” according to the online petition, which has grown to over 340 signatures. “This owner may be looking to add the Locust Street Manhasset Park District lot and the Citibank property to expand his auto empire, further diminishing both the Business B and Residential zoning character and harmony experienced over the past decades.”
The petition says additional issues with the body shop include its location on the corner of Bayview and Locust Place – which is one block off Plandome Road – a chemical spray application facility it contends was illegally installed and other quality-of-life concerns.
