August 10, 2015 -
Long Island
Wayne Edwards, partner, Sahn Ward Coschignano, PLLC, represented Eben-Ezer Haitian Baptist Church of Westbury before the town of North Hempstead's zoning board of appeals. The church is seeking to build a new structure at its existing location, 859 Prospect Ave., allowing it to meet the needs of its growing congregation.
The design calls for the construction of a new 4,500 s/f church plus a basement. The new church would give its congregants the needed space to provide religious services, hold community meetings and maintain its food pantry. Edwards represented the church to obtain the required variances for the new construction. The proposed building was designed by the architect, Angelo Francis Corva. On July 15th, the town ZBA unanimously approved the variance, allowing construction to go forward.
The Eben-Ezer Haitian Baptist Church of Westbury was established in 1984 to give Haitian immigrants living in the Westbury area a place to worship and to fill a need for a Baptist church in the area. In 1998, the church purchased the property on Prospect Ave.
"We are pleased to have the North Hempstead Town Zoning Board of Appeals grant us this variance," Edwards said. "Most of the congregants live in the New Cassel-Westbury area. Prospect Avenue has recently been undergoing a revitalization and construction of the new church will be in keeping with that redevelopment."