Last March, Sonic Drive-in lost its bid to come to the former Rita's location in East Meadow.
Spencer Hart, the franchisee who also owns the North Babylon location, was seeking approval for eight variance applications. These included special exceptions to install a drive-thru window and use a portion of the premise for outdoor dining, as well as variances for off-street parking. Additionally, they were asking for permission to install 24 menu board signs under two proposed canopies, install a drive-thru preview menu and regular menu board and install a speaker and confirmation screen system for the drive-thru.
"That's too bad," Kristina Hollywood, an East Meadow resident, said after the rejection. "All I can say is, something great better be put there in its place because right now it's just an eyesore and to date nothing of value has come to East Meadow in a long while. I think Sonic would have been a welcomed addition."
Concerns with parking, traffic and the proximity to local bars were the main determinants in the Hempstead Town Board of Zoning Appeals' (BZA) decision to deny Spencer Hart's application to bring Sonic to East Meadow.
On Wednesday, Patch took some photos of the vacant building to see its current state, which you can see above.
What do you want to see come to this vacant property? Tell us in the comments section below.
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