Great Neck Plaza trustees discussed various proposals on Wednesday to amend the village’s parking regulations, including an increase in lot rates from 25 cents per hour to 25 cents per half hour and a two-hour reduction in the time one can park in garages.
Village of Great Neck Plaza Mayor Jean Celender said the village board has had various meetings with its consultants as well as public meetings to take in comments from merchants and residents in the Plaza, but Wednesday night was the first time the board sat with the proposed legislation in front of them.
“We’re doing all of this with the intent of trying to create more turnover in our lots and on the streets, because one of the major findings of a study we had done was that many areas of the village are not serving as many patrons as these spots could if the proper turnover was happening,” Celender said.
Trustees said decreasing the time on meters, despite maintaining its offer of five free minutes at the end of a metered period, would increase turnover for spaces, though Celender said she was concerned it could also create scenarios where motorists would have to keep feeding quarters.
“When I write about friendly parking in the Plaza, I encourage people to put in that extra quarter because you may not get out in time,” she said. “You don’t want to get caught with not enough money in the meter. But that’s going to happen irrespective of this rate change.”
Other changes would include changing the existing four-hour parking maximum to a two-hour parking maximum in the municipal garages at Plaza Centre on Gussack Plaza and Maple Drive, with the exception of 20 spots in the Plaza Centre garage, which will continue to remain as four-hour spots.
Parking in these garages, which is currently free after 3 p.m., would change to be free after 6 p.m., matching current policies with street parking meters in the Plaza.
“If we raise the rates and encourage shorter times in some of the lots that they observed, we should get a more efficient use of our parking facilities,” Celender said. “It’s going to help the downtown and our merchants have additional shoppers here.”
The amendments also remove Presidents Day as a holiday.
Celender also mentioned that discussion about changes to Sunday parking had previously occurred, but the board has decided to leave the free parking on Sunday until the Plaza absorbs the current changes.
Village Attorney Richard Gabriele said the board is able to reassess the amendments a year after they are approved.
The board tabled the issue for its September 16 meeting.
In other developments:
• Michael Deluccia was sworn in as a member of the Board of Zoning Appeals and Art Zander as a member of the Historic Preservation Commission, for five year and three year terms, respectively.
• Danny Arbusman, the owner of Middle Neck Road jewelry store Jewels by Viggi, appeared before the board in a continued hearing from June where he came applied for a conditional-use permit in June to convert the second floor of his building into two apartments and add a third floor, which would house two more apartments.
Gabriele told Arbusman that he needs to return to the board with a binding easement agreement from the owner of a passageway between his property and neighboring property that allows his tenants the right to use the passageway for whatever purposes needed in connection with his building.
Arbusman said he had already spoken to the owner of the passageway, who he said seemed to be on board with allowing his residents to use the passageway.
Gabriele also said Arbusman needs to ensure that he finds out who owns the pole in front of his building to move forward with the removal of power lines, which Arbusman said at the July 22 meeting PSEG could “definitely do.”
Trustees also expressed concerns with the rerouting of power lines to ensure that the fire department can safely access the facility in the event of an emergency.
Gabriele said the board will not approve the permit unless the wires in front of his building come down, and also requested that Arbusman’s architect provide the village with a letter about the materials being used in the construction.
• Paul Bloom, an attorney for 14 Park Place LLC, also came before the board seeking a permit of compliance and site plan review for a proposed residential multiple dwelling at 15 Bond Street.
He said at a June 16 meeting that his client is looking to demolish the existing structures and build a 61-unit apartment complex.
A required traffic study will be conducted in the next few weeks, Bloom said.
The zoning board hearing for 14 Park Place LLC has been adjourned until Sept. 9.
• The board will hold its next meeting on Aug. 19 at 8 p.m.
