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Applicant withdraws controversial application for a veterinarian office following heated public hearing A proposal to put a veterinarian's office at a home at 16 Griffing Avenue in Amityville got a host of opposition at a zoning board meeting June 28. Residents said the plan was ill conceived, out of character with the neighborhood and would pose a health and safety hazard. The applicant, Nancy Su, maintained that the office would be small and limited in scope. She withdrew the request for the special use permit following the meeting, however, saying she did not want to be at odds with her neighbors. Su and her husband purchased the home on Griffing Avenue in January. A veterinarian for 9 years, she currently works at animal hospitals and clinics on a per-diem basis but was looking to do something that would enable her to stay at home with her daughter. She believed the home at Griffing Avenue provided enough space for a small office, which would be exclusive for the care of dogs and have limited office hours. The plan was to put the office in the garage at her home, which is served by a long driveway that could accommodate three cars. The garage is separated from the home by a breezeway. Additionally, she said she would treat the animals as outpatients only, and not keep any overnight. But residents said the plan was unrealistic and did not take into account many serious questions such as the traffic, noise, and transients the plan would generate. "Under this plan the door to the office would be right next to my property," said Doran Seaquest. "When I moved into this residential area I never saw anything like this happening." Dr. William Phelps, a veterinarian with offices on Broadway in Amityville said it was unrealistic to think that a full-service animal hospital with x-ray equipment, prescription drugs and a surgical unit will not have an adverse impact on a residential area. "It (the office) should be placed in the area zoned for this kind of business," said Phelps. Village Zoning Board members asked Su if she had looked into other options such as renting an office in a commercial area. She responded that it was expensive to rent or buy a building, and that she wanted to keep her operation small. "It will be on an outpatient basis only and if an animal requires overnight care, then I will tell its owner that it is in their best interest to take them somewhere else." "Regardless of what hours she sets, people are going to come to the office when their pets are sick," said Phelps. "There will be a lot of commercial traffic and it is not going to take people who look for drugs long to find out that there is an animal hospital located in a residential area." "To be candid, I wonder why we are even here discussing this," said Bob Pluchner of 80 Griffing Avenue. "This is ludicrous and this Village has got to stop entertaining businesses in residential areas." Resident and former Mayor Emil Pavlik told the board that he remembers when the special use-permit for professional offices in residential areas was enacted by the Village, and that its "intent" was very limited. "It was designed for doctors and lawyers," he said. "But once you open the door (to other professionals) it will have an impact on every residential area in the Village. I would ask that you consider the intent of the law and protect and maintain the character of the village," he said. In other business:
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