Readers Write: Tower Ford another example of bad planning

The Island Now

The Tower Ford controversy is just one more example of Great Neck’s housing crisis and monumentally poor decision-making by its elected officials.

Just because a developer wants to put up an apartment house and make some money is no reason why he should be allowed to do so if it’s not in the community’s interest. And, let’s face it, more apartment houses are definitely not in Great Neck’s interest.

Why on earth would we encourage yet more people to move to an already grossly overpopulated community? That’s just stupid.

The first responsibility of the various village officials is to provide for the needs of the taxpayers who already live here, and there’s one population that’s completely unserved: those of us who are ready to downsize from our eight-room houses but aren’t ready to squeeze into a three-room apartment.

For us, the right choice is a townhouse with at least some outdoor space – a deck or a patio – where we can still entertain friends and family. There’s no such thing in Great Neck. Oh, sure, there’s the Portico, but those units start at around 1.5 million, and that’s not in everyone’s price range.

I’m not talking about massive developments with clubhouses and pools; we have Parkwood. There are small parcels of land all over Great Neck that would accommodate eight or ten units with absolutely no impact on noise, traffic, parking or school enrollment (especially if they’re designated over-55.)

Talk to your mayors. Stop urban sprawl before Great Neck turns into Rego Park.

Lloyd Perell
Great Neck Village

TAGGED: Lloyd Perell
Share this Article