Glen Cove’s long delayed Piazza project could begin this summer

The developer of the planned Piazza apartment and retail complex in downtown Glen Cove said he is planning to begin construction on the long-delayed project this summer.

Michael Puntillo said in an email to Mayor Reginald Spinello on Tuesday that he has “finalized my financing and will be proceeding with demolition [of some existing buildings] in the near future.”

Puntillo is president of Great Neck-based Jobco Realty and Construction, which is planning to build 110 apartments and more than 25,000 square feet of commercial space around a European-style public plaza.

The city planning board approved the project in 2011. But Village Square, the office and retail complex that Jobco plans to demolish to make way for Piazza, has sat nearly empty for months. Much of it is surrounded by chain-link fencing.

Spinello said he has been frustrated by the lack of progress on the project and the unsightliness of mostly vacant property in a highly visible downtown location.

The mayor said that, after meeting with Puntillo on Tuesday, he asked him for a written commitment on the next steps in the development.

“In a way it makes him more accountable now on the project, not only to me but to the public,” Spinello said Wednesday.

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Puntillo has declined to discuss the timeline for the Piazza with Newsday, citing a lawsuit that one of his attorneys said has delayed the project.

Companies associated with Puntillo and dermatologist Dr. Joseph Onorato have sued each other over attempts by Puntillo to shut off utilities to Onorato’s Village Square office, so Puntillo could demolish an adjacent property.

A judge has temporarily blocked a utility shut-off while he reviews the suits. The doctor is open to selling his property to Puntillo but negotiations to do so broke down, Onorato attorney Jon Ward said.

Puntillo did not respond to emails and phone calls on whether he will make a future offer.