Some residents oppose plan to relocate Village Hall to historic home, plot in Plandome Manor

Several Plandome Manor residents are opposing the village’s plan to relocate a centuries-old home onto an unused plot of land to serve as a new Village Hall and have hired a lawyer to block the move.

More than a dozen residents attended a contentious meeting Wednesday night to voice concerns regarding a resolution calling for a referendum on a proposed 10-year, $600,000 villagewide bond to finance the project. The Village Board voted 4-0, with trustee Tony DeSousa absent, to hold the vote on April 6. If the vote fails, the relocation is unlikely to happen, Mayor Barbara Donno said.

Officials estimate the project would cost just under $650,000 and would save money for the village in the long run. Plandome’s Village Hall is in neighboring Manhasset and costs about $55,000 a year in rent and property taxes, officials said.

Linda S. Agnew, an attorney representing homeowners on Circle Drive, where the new Village Hall would be, said her clients are frustrated about the board’s lack of transparency and a seemingly "rushed process." She noted that studies performed by the village have not been made public and that concerns about property values and drainage issues haven’t been addressed. Agnew is calling for additional traffic and environmental studies and hearings to discuss the findings.

"These are homeowners, they’ve chosen Plandome Manor to raise their families," Agnew said. "Now, without taking the time to make sure things are done correctly, [the trustees] are railroading through a referendum and a project that I don’t think they have a handle on."

The Richardson Home has an attached garage and is about 2,700 square feet. It was built in New England in the early 1700s and transported to the village in the 1920s. It was purchased last year by developers who planned to demolish it and rebuild on the lot. After discussions on how to preserve the structure, village officials decided to use it as an opportunity to relocate Village Hall, which they said is becoming too small for daily operations.

The Village Hall at 55 Manhasset Ave. in Manhasset is a multipurpose building squeezed between a law firm and flower shop.

"This would benefit our residents to have our Village Hall in the village of Plandome Manor," Donno told Newsday on Thursday. "We’re saving a 300-year-old home. It becomes our Village Hall and gives us the space we need for our staff and our files."

The plot at 31 Circle Dr. where the home would be moved to is a green space with benches and a walkway to a nearby Long Island Rail Road station. Residents who live on the street expressed concerns about a potential decrease in property values, increased traffic in the area and flooding.

Anna Pace, who lives adjacent to the empty lot, said she is worried the new structure would cause additional flooding at her home.

"Water has a way of finding an outlet no matter what," Pace said. "Right now, you’re going to disrupt that whole area and change the topography of the ground. You’re going to knock down trees with root systems that absorb water."

Residents who live on Circle Drive have asked for alternative options to relocate Village Hall, but Donno said other rentals cost more than what the village now pays, and renovations would have to be made to accommodate a local government.

"We’re not here to harm the community," Donno said. "We just feel this is a really nice thing for the village."