In an effort to halt the proliferation of the construction of houses that look like Úquot;big boxes,Úquot; Great Neck Estates Mayor Ed Causin confirmed that the board of trustees at its Dec. 10 meeting approved a four-month moratorium on demolition.

A committee has been working on developing new approaches to the zoning laws that will provide incentives to builders geared toward promoting greater design diversity and upgrading the quality of architectural detail. Architect Barbara Dziorney, a village resident who has recently become the village's new building inspector, is heading the committee. Ms. Dziorney said that while life styles have changed and requirements for more space have increased, she believes it is possible to design homes that will meet those needs and at the same time blend more successfully into the neighborhood. She said, Úquot;We want to encourage innovative, high quality design and are taking a look at the code from a different angle.Úquot;

According to Mayor Causin, the four-month moratorium will give the committee some breathing room to complete its recommendations that will go to the board, but it will not cause unreasonable delays in proceeding with building plans as no applications are pending or stopped in mid-stream.