Business & Tech

Sonic Rep Speaks Regarding BZA Decision [POLL]

Bob Fanelli told the Long Island Report that Sonic planned to implement the same traffic control method that was used when the North Babylon location opened.

Spencer Hart has regarding his next move when it comes to bringing Sonic to East Meadow, according to his attorney William Cohn.

Hart's proposal for Nassau County's first Sonic at 1900 Hempstead Tpke. in East Meadow by the Hempstead Town Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) last week. He approval for eight variance applications, including 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, Hart 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.

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Bob Fanelli, a media relations representative for Sonic, told the Long Island Report that there was a plan in place to manage the boom in traffic that East Meadow location might have received.

"Security will be on hand to direct vehicles in a safe manner so as not to interfere with the regular flow of traffic,” Fanelli said. “In North Babylon, security was around until the early winter, directing the surplus traffic onto the shoulder of Deer Park Road in order to acquaint the community with our restaurant’s drive-thru procedure.”

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From the Long Island Report:

The North Babylon location also employed cleaning crews to collect garbage around the immediate residential area in an effort to keep community unrest at a minimum. The on-going effort to work with the community, however, extends beyond simply waste collection. Since the location’s opening, the North Babylon Sonic has donated to 12 local charities and has provided school supplies to Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School in Wyandanch.

Cohn told Patch that his client needs to review the explanation of findings from the BZA before making a decision on how to proceed, and he doesn't expect any new developments before next week.

Do you think traffic concerns regarding Sonic are unfounded? Tell us in the comments.


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