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Friday, March 8, 2019
Vol. 94, No. 10
SCHOOLS & EDUCATION
ENG PROMISES LIRR IMPROVEMENTS
NEW IDA CEO
PAGES 37-42 and 47-52
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PAGE 6
Village to make ‘significant’ changes to plan
ROCK ON
VGN plans to modify zoning code proposal after public feedback BY JA N E LL E CL AUSEN The Village of Great Neck’s attorney will be drafting “significant” amendments to proposed incentive zoning changes, officials said on Tuesday, after residents once again expressed concerns about the proposed zoning changes and the reports behind the proposal. Residents filled Village Hall, with some raising flyers about congestion, preservation and saying “no” to “rezoning.” Among their concerns were fears of possible five-story buildings, overdeveloping the village, and worsening traffic. The incentive overlay district would essentially act as a blanket over parts of Middle Neck Road and East Shore Road, allowing the Board of Trustees to determine on a case-by-case basis, subject a public hearing, whether or not to offer developers to add an extra floor in
certain projects. The additional floor would serve as an incentive for developers in exchange for a “community benefit,” such as affordable housing, commercial development or assisted living facilities. Mayor Pedram Bral said the village plans to “significantly amend the proposed local law based on what we have heard so far” and continue the public hearing into the next meeting. “We’re not closing it tonight. I would like to hear positive comments and recommendations of what people would like to see and we’re going to take all those things into account,” Bral said. “But, for now, we’re just going to hear their people and their recommendations before we table the meeting.” Amy Glass, a Great Neck resident, said the report by VHB, an engineering firm serving as the village’s consultant for revitalization, Continued on Page 74
PHOTO COURTESY OF GREAT NECK PARK DISTRICT
The Barry Mitterhoff Klezmer Trio will play at Great Neck House this weekend. See this and other Great Neck Park District news on page 87.
Great Neck schools pitch $233.64M budget BY JA N E LL E CL AUSEN
the 2019-20 preliminary budget, which translates to a 1.65 percent budget increase and The Great Neck Public nearly 2 percent increase in Schools will propose $233.64 property taxes. The preliminary budget, million in spending at a hearing March 11, according to crafted by the district’s busi-
ness office, currently calls for a nearly $3.8 million boost from the current $229.84 million to $233.64 million, or a 1.65 percent increase. This is paired with increasing the property Continued on Page 73
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