Demolition on the Citibank building at 199 Second St. is set to begin this month, as Lalezarian Developers looks to begin construction on the Village Green, their 266-unit apartment complex.
Construction on the Village Green, which includes 500 underground parking spaces, is expected to take 18 months.
Mayor Scott Strauss said he is not anticipating construction to cause any permanent road closures, but incidents might be sporadic throughout the course of construction. There might also be a loss of parking on the south side of second street.
“We’ll take that as it comes,” Strauss said. “The building department and I are in constant communication with the developers. We will have a very hands-on approach to this project because of the congestion that’s there and will do whatever we can to ease the pain.”
Two spots on the bottom floor of the new building will be allocated for retail use. Developer Kevin Lalezarian said while they have received interest from “many” parties, they have not offered up the space for rent yet.
The Citibank at 199 Second St. has moved to Lalezarian’s apartment complex at One Third Avenue, with the building’s other tenant, Island Harvest, moving their main office to Bethpage.
The Village Green marks Lalezarian’s second Mineola development; their first, One Third Avenue, opened a few months ago and is more than 70 percent leased.
“There’s been overwhelming, positive demand for One Third Avenue and we look forward to continuing to invest and build a high quality building at Village Green,” said Kevin Lalezarian.
The apartment complex met with opposition from both residents and the school district, eventually being approved by the board last May after four public hearings and numerous plan alterations.
As part of the approval agreement granted by the Village of Mineola, Lalezarian will install pavers, lighting and street furnishings in the downtown area near Second and Main streets, Mineola Boulevard and the Mineola Long Island Rail Road station. The horseshoe-shaped building will have an outdoor plaza area, which will include seating and a fountain and be open to the public.
According to the agreement, Lalezarian will also pay approximately $175,000 to the village for lost revenue from eight on-street parking meters on local roads, and Second Street will also gain a right-turn lane at Mineola Boulevard, heading east. Lalezarian must also pay an additional $2 million in amenities to Mineola.
