Serving Port Washington, Manorhaven, Flower Hill, Baxter Estates, Port Washington North and Sands Point
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Friday, April 2, 2021
Vol. 6, No. 14
Port WashingtonTimes GUIDE TO SPRING
GOP ANNOUNCES SLATE FOR TOWN ELECTIONS
CURRAN DELIVERS STATE OF THE COUNTY
PAGES 25-40
PAGE 2
PAGE 6
Port North to review film studio site plan
LIVE! WITH CHEWY
Former Publishers Clearing House location could become development BY R O S E W E L D ON A site plan hearing on the proposed movie studio in the Village of Port Washington North will take place next week. An article of the village’s code lists offices, laboratories, food establishments, storage facilities, health clubs and similar businesses as permitted uses. The village board unanimously approved adding a “movie and film studio” to the list on Sept. 23, and cleared a path for 101 Channel LLC to renovate a 100,000-square-foot former Publishers Clearing House building into a state-of-the-art film studio. Owned by developer Parviz Farahzad, who spearheaded the Grumman Studios project in Bethpage, the plans call for turning the vacant property into six film production studios modeled on the Grumman layout. The addition of the studio as a permitted use followed months
of residents from the neighboring Mill Pond Acres condominiums voicing concerns about noise, sight lines and height at public hearings. At a January 2020 meeting, Mayor Robert Weitzer said that the board was “open to being creative.” “Don’t forget, we lost Thompson Industries and we lost Publishers Clearing House,” he said. “We are open as a board to being creative, because if you’re not creative, these locations will die, and we are trying to do our best with exploring these options and other opportunities.” The Nassau County Industrial Development Agency also approved support for the $15 million investment in September and said that it expected the project to create 400 jobs once in use. The IDA estimated that the 15-year payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT) agreement for the Port Washington project, as well as a planned Continued on Page 45
PHOTO VIA INSTAGRAM, @ANIMALLEAGUE
Television personality Kelly Ripa with her dog Chewy, whom she adopted from the Port Washington-based North Shore Animal League America. The organization appeared on Ripa’s show “Live with Kelly and Ryan” last week, and showed several adoptable dogs.
County OKs Nassau Knolls Cemetery land expansion BY R O S E W E L D ON
At a session on March 22, the Legislature unanimously A 121-year-old cemetery in approved an emergency resoPort Washington is on track to lution regarding a request to receive a land addition follow- acquire a parcel of land subing approval from the Nassau mitted by the Nassau Knolls Cemetery. County Legislature.
The cemetery, which has operated in the same location since 1900, is currently in contract to purchase a small parcel of land on Beechwood Avenue from its current owners. Continued on Page 44
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