Renovation of Former Social Services Building Slated For Spring

Village officials recently met with Nassau County administration regarding the county's decision to move the family court to the old Social Services site at the corner of Eleventh Street and County Seat Drive in Garden City.

The county will completely renovate the exterior and interior of the building, according to trustee Dennis Donnelly, who further notes that the county's detention center will remain in Westbury, where it is currently located.

"There will be no new entrances to the parking lot and all construction traffic will come in and out from Old Country Road and Court House Drive, thereby avoiding village streets," he said.

The building has lay vacant and in disrepair for years and is filled with asbestos. In May 2006 it was the site of an overnight protest organized by members of the now defunct Association of Community Organizations for Reform (ACORN) to shed light on what they called "an affordable housing crisis." The protest was in response to zoning changes village officials approved for the parcel to allow for luxury homes and townhouses.

NY Communities for Change and MHANY Management Co. then filed a lawsuit against the Garden City, alleging the village's actions were intended to keep affordable housing - and African Americans or Latinos who might occupy such housing - out of Garden City.

The parcel of land was more recently in the news again when a decision in the case was handed down in December. U.S. District Court Justice Arthur Spatt ruled that the 2004 Garden City zoning ordinance intentionally discriminated against minorities in an attempt to keep them from living in the village.

"Extremely disappointed" with the ruling, village officials are appealing the decision, stating, "There was no discriminatory intent on behalf of the village when, in 2004, it enacted a zoning change for the 25-acre Social Services site owned by the county. The village made the change at the request of the former county executive who wanted to maximize the purchase price of the property."

According to Donnelly, construction will occur in two phases; Phase I will entail all exterior work and environmental abatement while Phase II will tackle all interior work. The first phase of construction is expected to take 20 months and the second phase 24 months.

The county intends to begin construction this spring for 2018 occupancy.

"We will be working with the county on the related traffic study and collaborating on issues affecting our village," Donnelly said.