In an open-and-shut hearing Wednesday, the Town of Hempstead Board unanimously moved to prohibit occupancy at the Capri Motel on Hempstead Turnpike for one year, with signs declaring the site a public nuisance, and to assess a tax lien on the property to cover any costs associated with the closure.
“For years the Capri Motel has been a nuisance to the West hempstead community and seved as a hotbed of criminal activity,” including arrests for drugs, prostitution and violence, said Nassau County Legislator Bill Gaylor, whose district includes the motel. “It’s time to take some action.”
The motel owners vowed to continue the fight to operate their business, with their lawyer, Jeffrey Schrieber, angrily calling the closure “a complete farce” procedurally at odds with the US Constitution, “which applies, even in the Town of Hempstead.”
In his brief, time-limited testimony, the motel manager for the past 25 years, Saul Brooks testified that the business had a long history of passing inspections as well as cooperating with police investigations, and was deemed safe and comfortable enough for temporary emergency housing for clients of the Nassau County Department of Social Services.
Brooks noted that when officials on August 7 padlocked the motel’s rooms, they provided no instructions for remediating any alleged safety violations.
Schrieber noted that arrests at the property are not evidence of a crime, only allegations of a crime resulting from complaints, and said in at least one incident a prostitution arrest was the result of a police sting operation, involving an undercover officer, with no actual prostitution. He further claimed that a narcotics arrest cited by town officials actually took place off premises.
The proceedings were a continuation of a hearing last week that also included testimony by the motel and the local 5th Precinct Nassau County Police Commander, who cited a history of police responses and said there was ample support for the determination of a public nuisance.
The West Hempstead Community Suppport Association also strongly pushed for the closing, noting that the motel is a short walk from a public school.
The move may effectively cause the property owners, L&S Realty to sell, given the continued costs and lack of revenue. There is currently no plan to redevelop the site, although two large apartment complexes are set to soon begin construction in the area.
