Village of Great Neck trustees on Tuesday unanimously voted to repeal the village’s workforce housing law and rely solely on the state’s Long Island Workforce Housing Act to regulate the percent of apartment units developers must set aside for affordable housing.
The village law had required developers building within the village to set aside 10 percent of an apartment building’s units for affordable housing. The law preceded the Long Island Workforce Housing Act,, which was passed in 2008 and also requires developers to set aside 10 percent of an apartment building’s units for affordable housing.
The two laws taken together required developers to set aside 20 percent of an apartment’s units for affordable housing – 10 percent for the village and 10 percent for the state, village officials said.
Village of Great Neck Mayor Ralph Kreitzman said at a June meeting that having the two laws together “would not make projects economical.”
In other developments:
• Trustees continued to hear comments from developers in the village on the proposed rezoning of parts of Middle Neck and Steamboat roads.
Developer Albert Shirian proposed that trustees change the proposed maximum height of buildings on Middle Neck Road from 42 feet to 44 feet.
Shirian said that at 42 feet a building’s floor would be at the same level of the sidewalk.
“If the height is 44 feet, the floor can be four feet above the sidewalk,” he said.
Trustees said they would study the proposed law and consider the changes proposed by Shirian.
The five proposed bills that would rezone Middle Neck and Steamboat roads were sent to the Nassau County Planning Commission two weeks ago.
Trustees will be able to vote on the laws after hearing comments from the commission, Village of Great Neck attorney Stephen Limmer said.
The planning commission’s next meeting is scheduled for Sept. 11, according to its website.
Village officials have been working with engineering firm VHB on the proposal for several months.
The proposed rezoning is aimed at revitalizing the village’s business district and adding more residential properties along parts of Middle Neck and Steamboat roads.
VHB engineers have recommended that zoning for Steamboat Road be changed from commercial and residential to only residential and that Middle Neck be changed to only residential at its northern and southern ends, with a central business core.
Steamboat Road residences, VHB engineers said, would be zoned for townhouses and Middle Neck Road residences would be zoned for multi-family apartments.
The proposal made by VHB would zone Middle Neck Road from Hicks Lane and Arrandale Avenue to Baker Hill Road for business use.
Mixed-use buildings, with commercial properties on the first floor and residential on the second floor, would also be permitted under the proposed zoning changes.
