The would-be owner of a 7-Eleven in the Village of Great Neck presented a revised plan to the village board of zoning appeals Thursday, in the face of vocal opposition from residents.
About 40 people filed into Village Hall to watch the hearing, which was punctuated with back-and-forth between petitioner Kouros Torkan, his attorney Paul Bloom, board members and members of the public.
The board did not reach a decision on the plan, and said that they did not know when the ruling would occur.
“I love [7-Eleven’s] slurpees, but I’m not sure about the safety,” said Dalia Levy, who moved this year to the village from Queens to raise a family with her husband David.
Bloom listed the concessions that Torkan was willing to offer for approval of the zoning variance, including renovating a nearby police booth, building a new police booth on the store lot, building a fence around the store’s dumpster and prohibiting alcohol sales between midnight and 7:00 a.m. – measures designed to allay residents’ fears of lower quality of life, increased crime and loitering.
But Bloom would not cross one red line, despite the demands of residents who voiced their concerns.
“There is a greater possibility we’re going to put out a table cloth and have a guy serve the food on a plate than that [the 7-Eleven] will operate for less than 24 hours,” he said.
Village code allows 24 hour operation for bars and grills, ice cream parlors and restaurants.
While 7-Eleven is none of those things, Bloom argued that the distinction was arbitrary and that the board should approve a variance for 24-hour operation.
Complicating the debate was a recent ruling by the Nassau County Planning Commission, which recommended that the village reject the project. The commission’s recommendation means that the board must have a four-vote supermajority to approve the plan.
Bloom called the commission’s ruling a disservice to the county.
“I am disappointed by the stance and position taken by the NCPC,” he said.
Bloom read from a letter written by Nassau County Police Commissioner Thomas Dale that supported the building and renovation of the police booths, and said that the presence of the booths would deter crime.
Board member Victor Habib questioned whether police officers would be used as private security at taxpayer expense in a heated exchange with Bloom.
Torkan took the microphone and told the board that the booth would not be staffed at taxpayer expense, and that he could not guarantee that officers would staff the booth at any given time.
“The general appearance of it along will give a sense of protection,” Torkan said. “They will not be sitting there guarding anybody’s property.”
But every village resident who spoke opposed the project, citing noise and safety concerns.
“We do not want a 7-Eleven… it’s going to be a very loud noise, and it’s going to be inconvenient for the families who live there,” said Julia Shields, who lives in an apartment complex adjacent to the proposed building.
Jean Pierce of Arrandale Avenue accused village officials of engaging in a quid-pro-quo with Torkan – a claim that drew condemnation from board member Steven Markowitz.
“Maybe the mayor’s friend Kouros sweetened the deal with a bribe – and I say that [the police booth] is a bribe,” Pierce said.
“I think the use of the word ‘bribe’… is totally uncalled for and unfair,” responded Markowitz.
Rebecca Rosenblatt Gilliar, a 40-year resident, praised the board for its efforts to rehabilitate Middle Neck Road’s commercial center but said that the 7-Eleven was the wrong approach.
“The 24 hour use is absolutely one of the deal breakers here,” she said.
Gilliar also said that Torkan’s application failed to meet the requirements of New York City village law, which states that use variances can only be granted if the code causes the applicant a hardship that is not self-imposed. Village Attorney Stephen Limmer said that the section of law cited by Gilliar did not apply and pushed back on the public pressure exerted by opponents of the 7-Eleven.
“The fact that 50 people or 1,000 people or 150 people sign a petition doesn’t make a difference,” he said.
David Levy, who said that he served as an NYPD officer in 2002 and 2003, suggested that the board inspect the existing police booth’s log books.
“My recommendation is this: pull those log books and see what they’re doing in these booths.”
One speaker was in favor of the project: Richard Solomon of Kings Point.
“As an insurance point of view, a vacant lot sitting there is much more dangerous than a fully operational and functioning 7-Eleven,” he said.
