The Argo Theater in Elmont
*NOTE* This story was originally written and published in November, 2007. See my notes below the story to find out why.
The Town of Hempstead is set to declare a central intersection in Elmont "blighted," potentially transforming the area as part of an urban renewal plan, government officials said.
A study drafted for the Hempstead Department of Planning and Economic Development declares the southwest intersection of Hempstead Turnpike and Elmont Road to be substandard and unsanitary. If a Jan. 22 town board hearing agrees, the current businesses may be bought out by developers, according to the commissioner of the department, Charles T. Theofan.
"The blight study is the first step for implementing the urban renewal plan," Theofan said in an interview. He said contractors would submit proposals to develop the area and offer to pay business owners for their property and to relocate. If a deal cannot be reached, the town can take the land using eminent domain, he said. Hempstead Supervisor Kate Murray had spearheaded the renewal project after several community meetings in September.
The Argo Theatre, an old-style cinema constructed in 1950, dominates the disputed area. It is described by the study as “obsolete” and “awkward.” Today it houses the Elmont Discount Department Store, one of several businesses affected. They may all be demolished as part of the plan, according to Theofan.
“Pay me my money and I’m out,” said the store’s owner, who asked to be identified only as Ali. He said business had been down 15 to 20 percent over the last few years, and he welcomes relocating from the ailing local economy. A deli next door is going out of business, its owner, Roger Patel, said. He blamed a decrease in traffic. “Small businesses just can’t compete.”
The study concluded that the area is "underutilized” in what should be a thriving neighborhood intersection. The town wants a 40,000-square-foot supermarket to take the place of the Argo, filling the community’s need for a large grocery store after a local Waldbaum’s closed down several years ago. Civic organizations have tried to bring another supermarket to Elmont, unsuccessfully because of lack of space, said Sandra Smith, leader of the Elmont Coalition for Sustainable Development.
Smith described the intersection as a commercial center, and said the Coalition had been working for years with Saccardi & Schiff, who drafted the blight report, on ways to revitalize the area. However a Nov. 13 town board decision on the study was delayed two months after a phone call from Smith, asking for more time. “How can we decide without knowing?” she asked. She said the Coalition had not been informed where the blight study was taking place, and needed more time to talk to all parties involved.
Smith said that Elmont residents may have mixed feelings about demolishing the Argo, adding that “it’s become more than just a 99 cent store.” She said refurbishing the outside of storefronts may be enough without relocating important Elmont businesses.
Evelyn Martinaz works in one such business, a restaurant owned by her mother for eight years. She agreed that the community needs help, but said more should be done to solve crime and drug problems. “People in this neighborhood hear about these problems, and unless the families and kids are more engaged, they will leave.” She said a supermarket would help, but “a YMCA would help more.”
Theofan said the town is trying to fast track the process, so that by May 2008 officials will be ready to adopt a plan and select a developer. He said the new developers could benefit from state grants of up to $2 million to restore the area and receive tax credits for being in a special business zone.
Some current business owners said they are skeptical about how long the acquisition will take. Ram Thapa, who recently opened a retail store near the Argo, is worried about the relocation. “A new business has more expenses: new merchandise, new location…who will pay for all that?”
Thapa and others said they want to hear a good offer before deciding to move.
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This was my first "official" journalism piece for Hofstra University's school of communication. It was first published on a site called NassauNews.org, and "lost" when the school did not renew that domain. Later it was updated and became part of a multimedia project, with an interactive HTML map of the location (I'm still looking for that).
I approached Newsday about publishing the article in print, and I thought it had a shot since no one in the community had heard about the project and it had not been written about before this point. The Newsday editor I approached said (I paraphrase) "thanks so much for the lead but we will not publish your story." Now it's up here just so I have a public record of it.
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