Plandome Manor residents narrowly defeat $600G referendum to relocate Village Hall

Plandome Manor residents rejected a proposition Wednesday to fund the relocation of a historic house to serve as the new Village Hall, leaving the future uncertain for the nearly 300-year-old property.

The referendum was defeated 119-87. It called for the issuance of a $600,000 bond to finance the relocation and acquisition of the Richardson House — which was built in New England in the early 1700s and transported to the village in the 1920s — to serve as a new Village Hall. Developers purchased the lot at 149 Circle Dr., where the house is located, with plans to rebuild on the property.

Officials were hoping to move the Richardson House about 1,000 feet away to an empty village-owned lot at 31 Circle Dr. Village trustees said the move would save taxpayers money in the long run, as the village pays $55,000 a year in rent and property taxes for office space in neighboring Manhasset.

Mayor Barbara Donno told Newsday that the current Village Hall at 55 Manhasset Ave. in Manhasset, which is in a multipurpose building squeezed between a law firm and flower shop, was becoming too small for daily operations.

In a statement Thursday, Donno said the board of trustees was disappointed in the outcome of the bond vote, but hope the  “pristine 300-year-old home can still be preserved and saved from demolition.”

“This Board has always based their decisions on what is best for the whole village and its residents and will continue to do so,” Donno said. “The bond vote does not change our pursuit of finding adequate space within the Village and moving our Village Hall back to Plandome Manor where it belongs. The Board of Trustees will continue to discuss and evaluate all other options.”

Increased traffic, possible flooding and loss of green space were a few of the concerns residents expressed about the relocation.

Sarah Meriggi, who was among a group of residents opposed to the move, said she was happy with the results.

“We are a tight-knit community, and this was a collaborative effort,” Meriggi said. “The group is especially proud to have run a campaign that was honest, transparent with supporting facts, and above all integrity. We could not have won without the support of other neighborhoods in our village, and for this we give heartfelt thanks.”

Developer William Lindenmeier, who purchased the property at 149 Circle Dr., could not be reached Thursday for comment on the future of the Richardson House.

Mallory Rutigliano, a local preservationist who pushed to save the home, said she was “heartbroken” over the outcome and hopes someone with private funds and who values preservation can help save the structure.

“The whole project in my mind was a win-win,” Rutigliano said. “It was a way for the village to get the space that they needed to operate … and it was also a beautiful plan to preserve a historic home with incredible value.”