The Village of Great Neck Board of Trustees meeting was met with a virtually verbose presence from the peninsula’s young adult population on Tuesday night, as the board voted to have the village declare itself lead agency in the 777 Middle Neck Road project.
Plans for multifamily housing on the location have been presented to the board and the public for nearly a year. The most recent proposal from the developer, Lions Group NYC, along with Newman Design and a traffic study conducted by Cameron Engineering, would feature nine one-bedroom apartments, 31 two-bedroom apartments, four three-bedroom units, and 79 parking spaces on the first floor.
Roughly 65 people were virtually in attendance for Tuesday night’s board meeting, including nearly 25 young adults from other areas on the peninsula including Kings Point, Oxford Plaza and Saddle Rock. Those who spoke mostly supported the project, though the vote was only on declaring the village the lead agency of the project, not the final approval for plans.
Kings Point resident Joshua Kadden was one of the most verbose people in the virtual chat room of the meeting, discussing the trends of retail, newer amenities in communities, and the importance of catering to younger populations.
“My question to the board is, why the hesitancy on moving forward with this project and investing in the community to attract newer and younger families,” Kadden said.
“We are not here to discuss the final plans for the project, we are just here to start the administrative process to get into it,” Saddle Rock resident Daniel Weisen said. “No one’s going to be here forever but we want to have this place grow for more younger generations who want to start their lives.”
Village of Great Neck resident Sam Yellis said younger adults who spoke who do not reside in the village may not be fully attuned to what happens. Yellis said not everyone is against development, but many are opposed to overdevelopment.
“No one is saying no new apartments,” Yellis said. “We’re not all against development, but we are against overdevelopment. I understand we want more apartments for the empty-nesters, for the younger generation, and places that are close to shul, but how can we do it safely is the question.”
Kings Point resident Jacob Harooni said he was in favor of the project being pushed through, but wanted to ensure the safety of other residents on streets such as Gutheil Lane, a dead-end street that will be directly affected by the project.
“I think everyone here is looking to add value to the entire peninsula and collectively improve it,” Harooni said. “This needs to be approved by the board for safety. If a traffic person needs to be there during the daytime, then that could work.”
Rosita Ebrani, a Gutheil Lane resident, said that her biggest concern was the potential increase of traffic on the cul de sac.
“It’s a tiny, tiny street full of children playing outside,” Ebrani said. “Right now in our street there are maybe overall 10 to 12 cars. Once the building is approved there will be 10 times more cars.”
Fellow Guthiel resident Ken Lee also expressed concerns about traffic, especially during rush hour in the morning between 7 and 8 a.m.
“When I am leaving my house and backing out of my driveway in the morning, I don’t know how many cars will be coming in and out,” Lee said. “How do I back my car out when there are cars backed up the entire road due to a red light?”
Lee said one of the main concerns Gutheil residents have is the potential influx of traffic and parked cars that would be unsafe and congest an already narrow road, which eventually turns into a cul de sac, with an entrance on Gutheil. Lee, an architect, presented a proposal that caught the attention of Village of Great Neck Mayor Pedram Bral and the board in late August.
Lee’s proposal uses a curb cut off Middle Neck Road next to the Department of Public Works building which leads to a ramp down to the parking garage. Lee also proposed a traffic light on Middle Neck Road that would be shared by the tentative dwelling and the Department of Public Works to alleviate traffic flow for Gutheil residents to exit as well.
Rebecca Goldberg, transportation director at Cameron Engineering, said that access to the site is required by the Nassau County Department of Public Works to be on the residential road rather than Middle Neck Road.
Bral, however, commended Lee on his proposal at the August meeting and decided to table the resolution for another meeting.
Paul Bloom of Harras, Bloom and Archer LLP, said the building will go up “as of right,” which the developer is allowed to do under municipal laws, and implored the village to stop the delay of a much-needed project.
“We are now at a point where we are asking that of which we are entitled to under the law,” Bloom said. “There is no relief that we are seeking in terms of incentives. I think this is an easy decision for the board to make as an as-of-right use.”
Bral wanted a presentation to be made to the board and public to get public input on tentative plans, which took around two hours. Bral said he agreed that the board does not want to see overdevelopment be the downfall of the village and peninsula.
“The board is for the proper and smart development, not bad and rushed development,” Bral said. “I agree that we need to have developments in order to keep Great Neck alive. I don’t think anyone on the board is saying no to all developments, but we want to make sure they are properly presented and developed.”
Ultimately, after advice of counsel, the board unanimously declared itself lead agency of the project, along with granting the board jurisdiction over site plan approval, facade approval, architectural jurisdiction and sending the application to the Nassau County Planning Commission.
