The Village of Great Neck Estates Board of Trustees voted Tuesday to further review the impact a possible second Shop Delight market might have on parking and traffic on the area.
Great Neck Estates Mayor David Fox said there are many issues that would need to be resolved before the building could be constructed at its proposed location at 154 Middle Neck Road at the site of a former Rite Aid pharmacy.
“There are a lot of issues with parking, traffic on Middle Neck Road, where the trucks are going to be,” Fox said. “And beyond the scope of these, there are also issues or noise and delivery hours.”
The idea to fill the fill the vacant 14,500 square-foot, two-story space initially came before the board in December. It would be second Shop Delight market in Great Neck, less than 10 minutes away from the current store on Welwyn Road.
Alan Stein, an attorney representing Great Neck Gourmet Inc., the applicant’s official corporate, said he was disappointed with the board’s decision, as it puts the project on hold.
“We understand the issues,” Stein said. “But we aren’t opposed to have a meeting and delve into this all together – we’re ready to work with all the parties to help mitigate the perceived impacts.”
Fox said the issues are not going to be so easily worked out by a simple meeting.
He said many residents have come to meetings to oppose the building of the Glatt kosher market, and that it would only be fair to them to look at the issues more closely.
In January, the board voted to continue the hearing after analyzing issues the new store may present, such as noise, odor, parking and traffic. The board said they wanted to figure out if any of these issues would have to involve other entities, such as Nassau County or the state health department.
Engineers for Great Neck Gourmet said in December the Welwyn Road location has an average of 89 customers during peak hours. They said the new location could accommodate about 125 during the same hours.
The Great Neck Park District has a five-year agreement with the current store that allows shoppers to use the district’s Shoreward Drive parking lot near the store during certain times through a program in which shoppers leave their keys with attendants from the Progressive Valet Parking Corp.of Woodhaven. The plan was intended to alleviate parking problems in the area.
Great Neck Estates residents have in the past few months said their biggest concerns were with traffic congestion as a result of more delivery trucks. Residents have also said they are concerned with sanitation and waste disposal at the proposed store.
Representatives of the market have said at past village meetings that Great Neck Gourmet is considering traffic-calming measures with its application, such as a valet parking service and transporting stock between stores by van rather than by truck.
The board voted to schedule a scoping session for the project at their March 9 meeting where members of the public can express their concerns.
Also at the meeting, the Great Neck Historical Society awarded the Great Neck Estates Village Hall with a plaque acknowledging its historical significance.
Great Neck Historical Society Secretary Leila Mattson said at the meeting the Dutch Colonial Revival Village Hall was built around 1913 by Frank and Isabel Crowell. She said it was eventually sold to John Jacob Atwater, who was involved in shipping and coal businesses.
“Atwater was the secretary of the Great Neck Business Association,” Mattson said. “They tried to bring order out of the chaos of the rapid development of Great Neck in the 1920s.”
The building became Great Neck Estates Village Hall in 1956, Mattson said. The plaque, part of the Heritage Recognition Program, is awarded to structures in Great Neck for their architectural, cultural and historic interest, according to the society’s website.
“Many visitors see these plaques and certificates as a reminder of Great Neck’s memorable history,” Mattson said.
