The on Sunrise Highway in Wantagh is inching closer toward development.
Larry Weinberger, who purchased the 0.72-acre parcel on 3340 Sunrise Hwy. from Gloria R. Keily Trust for $3.4 million two years ago, said he expects to sign three to four tenants for the new retail center around late February. Weinberger, who is president of MGD Investments in Bellmore, did not say what retailers he expects to occupy the 6,100 square-foot building but indicated there have been discussions with many national companies as well as some local businesses.
“We have had a tremendous amount of retail interest,” Weinberger said. “We’re going to do a beautiful new storefront there.”
One national business that Weinberger came close to signing for the Wantagh property was Buffalo Wild Wings, but the Bellmore-based developer opted out because some of the demands the restaurant chain insisted on.
“We left at the altar,” said Weinberger, who owns several retail properties along Sunrise Highway and Merrick Road.
The property had been run by Nassau OTB until its lease ended on Dec. 31, 2010. The betting parlor had waged a legal battle against Weinberger for control of the land at the corner of Sunrise Highway and Seaford Avenue but ultimately lost in the courts.
Weinberger said he has already obtained the necessary building permits from the Town of Hempstead to begin construction once lease deals are in place. In preparation for the new retail space, Weinberger has installed a new façade around the old OTB building. The developer also renovated a car wash located next to where the shopping center will be located that he also owns.
