The prospective operator of a Mexican grill in Great Neck Plaza was met with a chilly reception by residents of the restaurant’s adjoining apartment building at Wednesday’s permit hearing before the village board of trustees.
Bill Chan, the owner of Taco King restaurants in Forest Hills and West Hempstead, petitioned the board to allow the opening of Station Mexican Cuisine in the former site of hibachi restaurant The Carousel located on the bottom floor of The Wychwood Apartments, a luxury coop designed by the historic New York architectural firm Schwartz and Gross. The site is located near the Great Neck LIRR station.
Some of Chan’s proposed co-tenants, coop residents living above the proposed restaurant site, condemned the project, citing potential problems with noise, traffic and quality of life.
“It’s just going to be a disaster,” said Wychwood resident Claudia Kirshner. “It’s very distressing.”
Kirshner told the board residents already were dealing with nighttime noise and public drinking outside a nearby convenience store, and delivery service proposed by Chan could exacerbate existing traffic problems.
Chan told the board that Taco King restaurants derived about 50 percent of their business from takeout and deliveries, sparking questions from the board on how Station Mexican Cuisine would operate given the site’s lack of reserved parking for delivery cars.
Village of Great Neck Plaza Mayor Jean Celender told Chan the village would not assign a public parking space for use by his restaurant and said the village was committed to avoiding double parking.
“That will just add to the congestion and clog up the road,” Celender said.
Village of Great Neck Plaza Commissioner of Public Services Michael Sweeney suggested that the restaurant deliver by bicycle – a suggestion shot down by Chan.
“The other two stores, I used bicycles at the beginning – it was too dangerous,” Chan said. “I’ve tried everything already. The best way is car.”
Seemingly at an impasse, the board adjourned the hearing until its Dec. 19 meeting, but not without words of warning for Chan.
“It’s maybe not the right spot,” Celender said. “We’re going to have an inherent problem from day one.”
On that point, the Wychwood residents at the meeting were in agreement.
Resident Mark Bomser warned that traffic and loitering could quickly become unacceptable to residents and expressed concerns that a new restaurant could, like The Carousel end up venting odors into the coop’s private garden.
“This will become something that will boomerang and you will hear about it,” Bomser said. “These are issues that affect six stories of homeowners and residents in the village.”
