Vacant storefronts on Middle Neck Road purchased for residential use

Robert Pelaez
A lot of vacant storefronts on Middle Neck Road has been purchased with the intent to build residential units. (Photo courtesy of Google Maps)

A row of vacant storefronts on Middle Neck Road in Great Neck has been purchased, and the buyer plans to build a residential complex with about 40 units. 

McKinley Homes purchased the 1.22-acre property at 212-230 Middle Neck Road for $8 million from Great Neck Properties.

Bradley Diamond of Lee & Associates represented the sellers, and Daniel Abbondandolo, Robert Kuppersmith and Dimitri Mastrogiannis of Cushman & Wakefield represented the sellers.

A development plan for a residential complex at the site called The Rose was submitted to the Village of Great Neck Estates in 2009. Diamond said that those plans remain the basis for the proposed project, despite ownership changing several times.

“The buyer’s intentions are to use the same plans that were presented to the village five years ago,” Diamond explained. “The plan does not have a mixed-use aspect to it, and will be solely for residential use, for around 40 units.”

“This site is one of several ground-up projects in the Great Neck region,” Abbondandolo said in a written statement. “With approved plans in place, The Rose will serve as a catalyst for surrounding sites looking to break ground.”

The most recently available set of proposed plans from February 2014 featured a three-story structure with a mixture of one- to three-bedroom units, a fitness studio and a rooftop lounge.  Diamond mentioned that the property was sold as a shovel-ready development site, meaning that a project is at a stage where workers are employed and construction can begin after demolition.

The proposal included an underground parking garage that could accommodate 41  vehicles.  Additional outdoor spaces would be used as needed by those who have more than one car per unit.

“Like all pending revitalization projects on the horizon, I’m certainly ready for this to be completed,” Great Neck Estates Mayor William Warner said.

After the owners were unable to develop the project in 2009, plans were resubmitted to the village, with minor alterations, five years later under then Mayor David Fox. Past public hearings featured residents expressing concerns about increased traffic and those who wish to rent units.

Diamond said that the plans have been approved by various local governments and agencies.  Warner said that the buyers will come before the Board of Trustees again at an undetermined time and that the building permits will need to be updated.

“To my knowledge, there is nothing new about the plans, and I’ve been told they have been properly submitted and approved,” he said. “Like the playhouse project, we want to get all of these storefronts filled and properly revitalize this area.”

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