The Village of Mineola board of trustees and several residents expressed concern over a proposed martial arts studio at 331 Willis Ave., citing parking and garbage at the building as major problems.
The application by Dr. Eugene Simons, who owns the property on Willis Avenue and operates a dentist office on the first floor, was first brought before the village board on June 15 and suspended until the July 13 meeting as Simons was absent.
The plan calls for a 500-square foot addition, for a total of 2,533-square feet, to the second floor of the building to accommodate a hwa rang do studio. Simons said the facility’s hours, which would be 6 to 9 p.m. from Monday to Friday and 1 to 4 p.m. on Saturday, would have only “half an hour or an hour” of overlap with his dental practice downstairs, which is open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays (with the last patient being seen at 6 p.m.) and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday.
However, residents and the board voiced worries about what adding a new business would do to the existing parking and garbage issues at the site. Though the property has a parking lot with 14 spaces, many patients park on the nearby residential streets, causing headaches for residents who said they had a tough time finding parking for their own vehicles, or pulling out of their driveways because cars were blocking them or obstructing their views.
“Parking is a tremendous problem. Pulling in and out of my driveway is a nightmare, they park right up to the edge,” said a Pomander Road resident. “It’s a dangerous situation. It’s a free for all.”
Another community member voiced concerns about the garbage, noting that he thought the bins should be moved to the parking lot instead of by the street.
“The garbage is terrible. It’s been a problem for as long as I’ve lived there,” he said. “I don’t see it getting better. I see an additional pail, but I don’t see less garbage.”
Simons said he had purchased an additional garbage bin and asked his maintenance company to not leave garbage on the ground. He said he did not anticipate the studio producing much more garbage. Because the hours between the studio and dental office would not overlap much, he said the studio also would not generate more parking problems. The project architect also noted that parking spaces will be added to the lot. Simons said the studio, which will specialize in hwa rang do, a type of Korean martial art that incorporates fighting techniques and weaponry, will accommodate four to 10 students in each class, with three one-hour classes every weeknight.
While the studio would not host tournaments, Simons said it would potentially host award ceremonies and birthday parties on Saturdays.
At the end of the hearing, the board voted to reserve decision on the application.
