The Village of Great Neck Board of Trustees scheduled a review for the site plan and architecture for a four-story mixed-use proposal at 733-41 Middle Neck Road during Tuesday night’s public meeting.
The proposed structure is a four-story mixed-use building that is 44 feet high and features 60 proposed dwelling units, with 56 two-bedroom apartments and four one-bedroom apartments, 93 below-grade parking spaces, a recreation center and a public art gallery.
There are also amenity spaces for the tenants that will include storage areas, a conference room, a lounge, a library and a small fitness center, according to the latest set of plans presented by John Farrell, who represents the developer, Gesher Community LLC.
The property is 34,849 square feet, according to Farrell.
Though similar proposals have been sent to the Board of Trustees in the past, these updated plans, submitted through the village’s zoning board, did not feature 12 variances provided by the village.
The 25-unit proposal sent to, and ultimately approved by, the Board of Trustees more than a year ago included the 12 variances along with requiring the applicant to pay the village $150,000 in lieu of a specific community amenity under the village code and the existing incentive overlay district.
Village officials said that the 25-unit project was ultimately withdrawn by Gesher Community LLC, and that the plan featuring 60 units and 93 below-grade parking spaces was taken directly to the zoning board.
Efforts to reach the Zoning Board of Appeals for comment and further explanation on the variances that the board granted for this proposal were unavailing.
Village resident and architect Ken Lee attempted to express his displeasure with the variances during the zoning board meeting on March 4, but the zoning board did not permit it since the public hearing was strictly focused on the site plan review for the proposed structure. Instead, Lee pleaded with the applicant to be as reasonable and accommodating as possible in constructing the building.
“Be considerate,” Lee said. “I mean, luckily you have all those variances approved. So at this point, you need to think about it, how to help the neighbors and how to not damage further.”
Lee also claimed the 5,000-square-foot easement for dry wells on 7 Hicks Lane was taken into consideration improperly. Lee claimed that the 5,000-square-foot easement should not be taken into consideration in terms of how many units were granted.
Village resident Rebecca Rosenblatt Gilliar, who resides within 200 feet of the proposed project, said she was not properly notified of the project by the developer.
“The developer has never sent me a notification,” Gilliar said in a letter to village officials. “In my possession are three of the envelopes in which the developer mailed to my husband notification of meetings/hearings, but not to me. My husband and I co-own the property.”
Gilliar said her husband had envelopes addressed solely in his name from June, September and December 2020. She also expressed disapproval for the way that zoning board Chairman Dennis Grossman and the zoning board handled the proposal’s evolution.
Kenneth Grey, legal counsel to the board, informed the public that there is no 200-foot notification requirement under the site plan review portion of the village code. However, under the Board of Appeals section of the code, section 575-193 states, “Before an application for a variance or a conditional, special or other use permit may be heard by the Board of Appeals or the Board of Trustees, a complete and accurate list of the names and addresses of the owners of all the lands within a radius of 200 feet of the property affected by such application shall be submitted simultaneously with the application.”
Concerns about the toxic plume in Great Neck were also brought up by several residents.
The underground plume originates from 1111 Marcus Ave., the former location of Unisys, a manufacturing company. The facility was acquired by the global defense company Lockheed Martin when it purchased Unisys in 1996. Lockheed Martin sold the property in 2000.
Among the harmful chemicals found in the plume is 1,2 dichloroethylene, a highly flammable substance that can cause effects on the blood and liver.
Glenda Clark, the lead project lead of environmental remediation at Lockheed Martin, did note that the public was at no risk of exposure to the contaminated groundwater that currently sits 100 to 400 feet underground.
The Board of Trustees scheduled the public hearing for the review of the proposal’s site plan for April 6 at 8:15 p.m.
