Great Neck Estates village officials on Monday heard the results of a second feasibility study for a new village hall that was described as a major step forward in practicality and sustainability.
The building concept shows a building that could be built into the grade with a green roof, solar panels, rainwater harvesting and other features. It would also increase the space from 6,000 square feet to over 10,000 square feet, given that it would have multiple levels, and potentially fit all the village functions into one place.
Unlike the current Village Hall, it would also have a full basement and the court room, where many of the meetings are held, would likely move to the lower level due to its relatively low use for a space its size. The L-shaped building would be located at a site near Gateway Drive where police cars usually park.
“The concept is to take all the public departments and put them into one building,” Great Neck Estates Mayor William Warner said.
Stuart Narofsky of Narofsky Architecture described the concept as a “22nd century building,” with a myriad of possibilities. Re-purposing the current Police Department and current Village Hall could also be a worthy investment, Narofsky said, because many people would be interested in the property.
“You would be making a very interesting statement about on one end building sustainably and on the other end, capturing and preserving the past,” Narofsky said.
This feasibility study differs primarily in the amount of space the building could offer.
The original study showed a possibility for a 3,025-square-foot administrative department, 2,147 square feet for the police, court facilities that could fit 60 to 70 people and 1,493 square feet available for storage and other function. In total, the building would have about 8,233 square feet of space.
The new study, however, features court facilities that could fit 80 to 90 people and more than 3,000 feet of storage space. Overall the building would have 10,597 square feet – which is nearly double the current village hall space.
Officials noted that at this time, there’s no official timeline or price tag and that the presentation was strictly informational. The next steps would be to figure out what the village can legally do, get formal estimates and do a cost analysis.
“It’s a beginning stage, but it’s a big step forward,” Narofsky said.
