Great Neck Plaza board of trustees adjourn talks on proposed Bond St. building

Joe Nikic

The Village of Great Neck Plaza Board of Trustees adjourned their “special” meeting on Tuesday on a permit of compliance and site plan review for a proposed 61-unit apartment complex at 15 Bond St to further answer state environmental report questions.

“Bottom line is that there are still open issues and the village still has to get further data regarding these issues before they can make an environmental determination,” Village Attorney Richard Gabriele said. “We will endeavor to get that information as quickly as possible and give everybody a fair chance to comment and then the village will evaluate it once the file is complete and make its determination.”

In July, the board voted to become the lead agency of the project to handle the State Environmental Quality Review Assessment, which would identify if the project would have any significant environmental impacts on the surrounding area.

At the last board meeting, Paul Bloom, attorney for Effie Namdar of 14 Park Place LLC, which is seeking to build the complex, submitted an updated environmental report to the board upon request.

Chris Prior, an attorney with Ackerman, Levine, Cullen, Brickman & Limmer who represents residents at four buildings surrounding 15 Bond St., sent a letter to the board raising concerns about the number of floors of the building, sewer availability, and traffic concerns, Gabriele said.

Prior represents residents at Westminster Hall Apartments, located at 4 Maple Place, The Cartier Apartments, located a 21 Bond St, and the owners of 22 Park Place and 25 Park Place.

Both documents were sent to engineering firm VHB, who the village hired in July to oversee the SEQRA review.

Gabriele said VHB responded to the two documents at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, an hour and a half before the meeting began, and found that two-thirds of the environmental report were adequately addressed, but one-third of it still had to be addressed mainly relating to ground water and storm water issues, sewer availability, and traffic concerns.

Bloom requested the case be adjourned to the Oct. 21 board meeting, but Prior said he recommends that the board adjourn the case to the Nov. 4 board meeting to allow ample time for all parties involved to answer all necessary questions from VHB.

The board said they agreed with Prior that Nov. 4 was a better date for the two attorneys to submit requested information and VHB to respond to the documents.

“I would like to put this on to the fourth,” Trustee Gerald Schneiderman said. “We’ve been pushing this faster than I can absorb, and I dont’ feel comfortable with that.”

Gabriele said the zoning board should adjourn Wednesday’s scheduled BZA meeting until after the Nov. 4 board meeting because they would not be able to make a determination until the board of trustees approves the environmental report.

The developers sought a height variance that would permit a four-story, 45-foot high building. Village zoning laws permit only three-story buildings that are 45 feet high.

The developers also asked for a 13-foot-high room on top of the building that would be used as a recreation room. Bloom had said at a previous BZA meeting that many buildings surrounding 15 Bond St. are more than three stories high.

Gabriele requested that Prior send him figures on the number of stories and height of the four buildings he represents so the board can have that information.

The next board of trustees meeting is on Oct. 7.

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