In the latest step in their war against the Capri Motor Inn, town officials announced Tuesday (Oct. 3) that they would move to seize the motel property via eminent domain.
The town Council had already shuttered the trouble-plagued business on Hempstead Turnpike near Cherry Valley as a “public nuisance,” later voting to keep it shut for one year. They cited a history of arrests on or near the property. The closure has cost 27 people their jobs.
Town Supervisor Donald X. Clavin, who with other officials stands for re-election this year, announced at a photo opp today a Dec. 5 hearing on the matter. He was joined by Council member Tom Muscarella, Receiver of Taxes Jeanine Driscoll, Town Clerk Kate Murray and Burt Blass, a member of the local school board.
“The Capri Motor Inn has been a nuisance for many years, even dating back to when Blockbuster was right next door,” said Muscarella, referring to an adjacent property that now houses a liquor store.
The Dec. 5 meeting will convene at 10:30 am a the Nathan Bennett Pavillion at Town Hall to “guage community interest regarding a plan for acquisition.” Under eminent domain the property owner would receive “fair compensation” for the property, which would be converted for public use.
“We need you at these meetings to discuss what the community wants,” Maureen Greenberg, head of the West Hempstead Community Support Association said in a social media post.
Don Clavin stated in a press release sent out the same day: “It is clear the West Hempstead community feels strongly about the future of the Capri Motor Inn, “I am grateful to work with this passionate community in improving America’s largest township, and I look forward to hearing from them at the upcoming public hearing”.
