Sonic Still Planning East Meadow Location

A year and a half after the Hempstead Town Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) declined Sonic Drive-In's application for East Meadow, the fast food business still plans on coming to the local area.

Bobby Fannelli, a spokesperson for Sonic, said that, while nothing's been finalized, plans are being worked on to move forward with the East Meadow application.

"We are still very excited about the possibilities of putting a Sonic in East Meadow," Fannelli said. "We are looking to have a plan together very soon. When that time arrives, we will inform you of our intentions."

Spencer Hart, the franchisee who also owns the North Babylon location, sought approval last year 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.

Many community members were concerned about the effect Sonic would have on traffic, which Fannelli said they dealt with when the North Babylon eatery opened. 

"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."

Others said that Sonic would be a great addition since it's taking the place of a vacant building. 

"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," East Meadow resident Kristina Hollywood said. "I think Sonic would have been a welcomed addition."

Do you think the BZA should grant Sonic's new application to come to East Meadow? Tell us in the comments section below.