Prime Ave. Service Station Rejected Again

The Town Board Tuesday night rejected for the second time a proposal to put a service station on Prime Avenue.

But the lawyer for the owner trying to build the three-bay shop immediately vowed to take the case to court again.

Several town employees reviewed the proposal and legal issues before the board voted again to turn down the proposal on the 114 Prime Ave. site. Assistant town attorney Deirdre Butterfield said the board had voted down the plan Feb.  6, 2012, but that a judge ruled in December that the board had to give it another look because of documentation issues.

Public Safety Director Kenneth F. Lindahl Jr. said the owner, Seamus Coyle, had been cited several time for code violations and Anthony Aloisio, director of planning and evironment, said the station was not an acceptable use for the historic area.

Attorney John J. Breslin Jr. said the board's characterization of the area as residential was wrong, citing nearby businesses. "This was always a mixed-use property," he said.

Outside the hearing room, Breslin said Coyle "has too much invested to just give it up."  Of the homeowners who oppose the plan, "Their best scenario is an office building. It's not going to be a house" on the site.

The battle has intensified over the years, with homeowners in the area saying a station just not belong in their district of historic homes.

Several residents spoke against the service station before the vote, among them Gerard Seitz. "Has anyone noticed the bizarre coincidence to Groundhog Day? We get to revisit the same issues time and again," urging the board to reject the proposal.

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