The matter of the 51 trees on Potters Lane that were clear-cut in December 2008 will re-emerge before the Village of Great Neck board of zoning appeals. Attorneys for the United Mashadi Jewish Community of America will be asking the board for a variance to construct a parking lot on the site. Currently, the area is zoned residential.

The five-member board consisting of Board Chairman Dennis Grossman, Victor Habib, Norman Namdar, Nick Nabavian and Steven Markowitz will hear the case on Thursday, May 7 at 7:30 p.m. at village hall, 60 Baker Hill Road. The public will have an opportunity to be heard on whether the variances should be granted or not.

The case was adjourned from the village court to give the defendants an opportunity to apply for permission to construct a parking lot, but Justice Jerome Reisman is scheduled to hear the case in court on May 13. The defendants, if found guilty, are subject to fines up to $500 per tree cut without a permit.

(Editor's Note: For background on this matter, visit the Great Neck Record website at www.antonnews.com and go to "archives" for Dec. 12, 2008, "51 Trees Decimated for An Unapproved Parking Lot.")