The Village of Farmingdale board planned to hear from the public and specify what could be built in a Conklin Street area zoning district after residents spoke out against an upscale restaurant's interest there, but has since decided reversed the decision.

"We had an 'aha' moment," said Mayor George Starkie at the February board meeting Monday night. "One person in particular brought up a very good point that after everything we have done to avoid spot zoning, this would be spot zoning."

Starkie said that through the public hearings these past few months, the board decided to eliminate "restaurant" as a permitted use in the office-residence district, but will not define any more limits, thus discontinuing the public hearings.

This past fall, the Bohlsen Restaurant Group expressed interest in leasing the former Chase bank property on Conklin, but residents spoke out against a restaurant going there for congestion and cleanliness concerns, since the area is highly residential.

Monday, Mayor Starkie announced that he heard the Chase property has been sold.

"Nobody has told us to who and nobody has come to us with an application, this is just what I've been told," he said.

Starkie and the board voted that they will address what can be built in that area based on future applications brought to them.

Interested in what's going in the former Chase building? Return to Patch in the upcoming days for the answer.