Great Neck Plaza trustees gave a conditional green light to a proposed 55-unit apartment dwelling at 15 Bond Street on Thursday night, following more than two years of deliberations, appearances and plan updates before village boards.
The proposal from Effy Namdar of 14 Park Place LLC, which seeks to develop the building, saw numerous changes over the years ranging from reducing the number of units from 61 to 55 and capping the building to four floors to parking garage tweaks. It has also undergone SEQRA environmental review.
The village will not issue the building permit until the developer submits final plans for review, which will likely happen between two and three months from now.
Michael Sweeney, the commissioner of public services for Great Neck Plaza, said the review could then likely be completed within a month.
Great Neck Plaza Mayor Jean Celender described the project as complimenting transit-oriented-development zoning adopted back in 2011, as well as an important part in helping strengthen the area.
“It’s the right type of development, as I stated before, for this village and it’s exactly the vision we laid out more than five years ago after the national recession,” Celender said.
But, Celender noted, the project should be finished as soon and as safely as possible to minimize disruption and get ahead of a potentially “volatile market.”
Officials said the developers must complete the building within 24 months – or two years – following the issuance of the building permit.
Joel Namdar, representing 14 Park Place LLC, described the 24 month issue as “a very aggressive timeframe” because there are possibly a number of unknowns underground and said 30 months would be a safer number.
But, Namdar said, they should be able to finish within that period and will be transparent with the board about any updates.
The 24-month period is one set into law, meaning trustees would have to change it to use 30 months as a default period of construction. Sweeney and the trustees noted, however, that Namdar could technically come before the board to a request extension, provided there is “good cause.”
Following the approval of some variances before the Zoning Board of Appeals and the submission of further plans to the board of trustees on Dec. 14, the village had created drafts for site plan approval and a conditional use permit.
In unrelated business, village officials adjourned consideration of a pair of local lawsamending the village code in two zones that would incentivize local housing and appointed four village election inspectors for the March 20 election.
Officials also signed onto the advertisement of public bids for a Transportation Enhancement Program – or TEP – project for Shoreward Drive and Welwyn Road, which aims to make the area more pedestrian and bicyclist friendly.