The Village of Great Neck Plaza Board of Trustees on Wednesday unanimously approved conditional-use permits for two new businesses in the village.
The first permit was granted to Cold Laser Massage Therapy, which will be located at 1 Barstow Road.
Owner Cheryl Russell said her business has been operating in Great Neck “for quite a long time now.”
Her current office, she said, is located in a different suite in the 1 Barstow Road meeting. The new office, Russell said, is a “larger space.”
The new business would treat “damaged tissue with infared light,” Russell said.
Responding to questions from trustees, she said the practice is “just starting to become a little more mainstream.”
“There’s not any real regulations for it in the United States,” Russell said.
She said despite the lack of regulations, she requires all of her employees, including herself, to receive light therapy certification at a class in Canada.
“It is a science but there is a real art to the science,” she said.
Trustees also approved a permit for Cominda Academy, an after-school learning center to be located at 15A Great Neck Road.
Karen Jai, the owner of the business, said the center will teach Chinese language classes, public speaking and creative writing to children in kindergarten to fifth grade.
Jai said there is a need for the school because of the “changing demographics” of the peninsula.
Asian-American students currently make up about 33 percent of the school district population, up from about 19 percent 10 years ago, according to a study presented by school officials in May.
The change is particularly pronounced on the south side of Great Neck, where Great Neck Plaza is located, with Asian-Americans now making up 45 percent of Great Neck South High School and 51 percent of Great Neck South Middle School, the study found.
Jai said she believes the school will benefit students of all ethnicity.
“Even parents who are not Asian want their kids to learn the language,” she said.
Cominda, Jai said, loosely translates into “Smart bag” in Chinese.
Trustees approved the business but requested Jai hire a male teacher to accompany young boys who may have to use the bathroom during class time.
Jai said she expects the school to open in September.
Reach reporter Anthony O’Reilly by e-mail at aoreilly@theislandnow.com, by phone at 516.307.1045 x203 and on Twitter @ ORiled_Up. Also follow us on Twitter @theislandnow and Facebook at facebook.com/theislandnow.
