The Village of Kings Point held a Meet-the-Mayor event on Wednesday, Jan. 21, outlining 10 updates to the village, but residents were primarily concerned about just one—the proposed alienation of 2.48 acres of Kings Point Park.
The village’s proposed plan to take sections of the park and do a land swap for just under six acres owned by the United Mashadi Jewish Community of America has sparked outrage and pushback from residents across the Great Neck peninsula.
“There is a tremendous amount of misinformation and needed clarification,” Mayor Kouros Torkan said of the plan.
Torkan said he does not plan to seek reelection and used the meeting to showcase the village’s accomplishments over the past several years.
Residents mostly approved of the village’s governance and Torkan’s tenure, but not of the proposed alienation.
“Obviously, we are not in favor of this,” longtime resident Carolee Solof said.
Solof lives near the Wildwood property owned by the Mashadi Community, which would be turned into a park under the plan, and said she was upset about the increased traffic that would result from the swap.
“You are going to bring in more buses, more foot traffic,” Solof said. “I’m tired of driving and having people sitting on my tail when I’m driving the proper 20 miles per hour to get into my driveway.”
She also expressed concern that no environmental studies have been conducted for the Wildwood property recently.
“Do your due diligence before trying to alienate land that may or may not be suitable for what it is that you’re looking for.”
Carol Frank, a representative of the Water Authority of Great Neck North, also raised concerns that the section of Kings Point Park where the park district plans to add recreational facilities may be contaminated.
Frank said the site had previously been used for dumping building materials and asked that the soil be tested for contamination.
Torkan said community members historically used it for waste disposal, and testing is being done as part of the environmental study.
Superintendent of the Great Neck Park District Jason Mara gave a presentation on the swap for the fifth time this year.
“The Village of Kings Point presented the opportunity, and the board thought it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Mara said.
Under the plan, the park district would receive 13.57 additional acres of land from the Mashadi community and Kings Point, to be converted into a park.
Carrie O’Farrell, a senior partner at Nelson Pope Voorhis, a land use planning firm assisting with the projects, also gave a presentation.
O’Farrell showed the potential updates to the Wildwood property—adding a loop walkway, removing invasive species, building a greenhouse, and introducing an educational component that could coordinate with Great Neck schools.
“I love the park district, but I’m very unhappy with this plan,” said Joanne Goldstein, a resident of over 50 years.
Regarding the planned recreational activities, Goldstein said, “They can happen at other places. They don’t have to happen at Wildwood.”
Chief Building Inspector Chris Aiossa, who has been with the building department for over 20 years, gave a presentation on the zoning code updates over the past few years.
More than 80 changes to zoning rules were made in the last four years, largely to relax stringent codes and reduce the need for variances.
Torkan also said they have added design tools to help builders avoid “cookie-cutter” buildings in the village.
The department also upgraded its software and will soon be accepting online submissions for applications and credit card payments for fees.
“The software development process has been ongoing for the last 18 months,” Aiossa said. “And right now we’re in the final stages of development and expect implementation to occur in the next three to four months.”
Kings Point Police Department Commissioner Dan Flanagan reported on crime in the village and the department’s modernization efforts.
“We’ve seen a steady decrease in crime since 2022,” Flanagan said. In 2022, the village had eight burglaries and 14 stolen autos. By 2025, incidents of both crimes had dropped to zero.
But Flanagan said the village was grappling with an increase in cybercrime and identity theft.
Flanagan touted the department’s partnership with the Nassau County Police Department’s intel unit and the Mid Atlantic and Great Lakes Organized Crime Law Enforcement Cluster network to combat this rise.
Flanagan said, “They make available to us, not only intelligence, but support during investigations.”
Regarding the safety of houses of worship, he said, “This is the top thing that keeps me up at night.”
“The rabbis have my phone number,” Flanagan said, adding that they regularly coordinate with all the village houses of worship.
He also said the department has new records management and portable radio systems.
Lastly, Flanagan said that $792,000 from federal and state grants was used to buy a BearCat, an armored personnel carrier that will arrive in August.
BearCats are widely used in the U.S. military and it would be deployed in the event of an active shooter situation or heavy flooding.
Superintendent of Public Works Domenick Stanco presented on the DPW.
This coming year, DPW plans to repave several streets—Split Rock Drive between Kings Point Road and Cherry Lane, West Shore Road between Steamboat Road and Beach Road, and Beach Road between West Shore Road and Lawson Lane.
The DPW will also upgrade street lights and is looking to go out to bid in the next month.
Torkan also said he is looking to alienate DPW property abutting Steppingstone Park and lease the land to the park district for $100,000 a year for additional park parking.
Torkan also talked about savings brought to the community through the village’s negotiations with Great Neck Vigilant, the community’s emergency medical services.
Vigilant charged the village for its services based on an assessment of home values, not on the number of residents or homes in the village.
Torkan said Kings Point, one of the wealthiest villages in Great Neck, paid a hefty price for the service before reaching an agreement with Vigilant that villages will be charged based on the average number of service calls over the past three years instead.
But Torkan said, “The biggest savings, not just for us but for the entire Great Neck community, was that we demanded and they agreed to accept insurance.”
As Torkan’s term comes to a close, he urged residents to be more active in local politics.
“Our village elections often see only a couple of hundred people voting,” Torkan said. “200 people out of 5,000…It really doesn’t give a vote of confidence.”
Torkan has served on the zoning board, the planning board, the board of trustees, and, finally, as mayor.
“It’s been an honor serving this community,” Torkan said. “It’s time for new energy and new ideas.”
