Kids & Family

Bay Terrace Community Alliance Talks Tax Abatements, Zoning at Meeting

Group also discusses plans to replace Valentino's on the Green with Italian eatery.

members said they were hopeful that the state Legislature would pass an increased tax abatement for co-ops and condos.

Every four years, the city extends a program granting most co-op and condo owners a 17.5 abatement on their property taxes.

But Warren Schreiber, the alliance’s president, said he had heard that the abatement could soon be higher.

Find out what's happening in Bayside-Douglastonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“The talk was that they’d raise the abatement to 25 percent," Schreiber said during the alliance's June 28 meeting. "Hopefully, it will pass.”

State Sen. Tony Avella, D-Bayside, will join co-op and condo owners as well as other local leaders for a press conference at 11 a.m. on July 2 at the Bay Terrace Cooperative Center.

Find out what's happening in Bayside-Douglastonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Avella has to place co-ops and condos in their own tax class.

The alliance also discussed zoning in the community during Thursday’s meeting, especially a proposal by the owner of the Bay Vista to upzone a neighboring property and construct a building at the site.

“In this day and age, nobody upzones,” Schreiber said. “It’s considered spot zoning, which can only be done if there’s a community benefit. It would be completely out of character with the community.”

Alliance member said they were not pleased with the process to replace Valentino’s on the Green, which recently closed.

The concessionaire has changed several times for the property, which was once the home of actor Rudolph Valentino, in recent years.

The site, which is owned by the city’s Department of Parks and Recreation, was formerly known as Caffe on the Green prior to Valentino’s moving in three years ago.

Giacomo and Gennaro Alaio, the new concessionaires, will operate Patrizia’s, an Italian restaurant, at the site.

“I was told they did not need a public hearing or community oversight because a restaurant on park property is not considered a major concession,” Schreiber said. “They didn’t have a public review when it changed from Caffe on the Green to Valentino’s. If that’s not a major concession, then what is a major concession?”


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

More from Bayside-Douglaston