Great Neck homeowners ask to keep existing family room as board presses on 700‑sq‑ft overage

Jeffrey and Sharon Spiegel asked the board to permit them to retain a first‑floor family room at 7 Rosemont Place that, together with recent construction, brings the house’s gross floor area to about 4,715.69 square feet — roughly 35.73% coverage on a 13,197‑sq‑ft lot. Their attorney, John Farrell, described lot dimensions and earlier approvals and said the room is on the west side of the dwelling and was part of prior construction.

Sharon Spiegel, speaking for the family, said the room already exists and is needed for family care: "The space that we're asking to keep is already there." The Spiegels said the room will allow them to care for aging relatives and avoid repeated remodeling. Board members probed alternatives and asked whether the family could reconfigure existing rooms, noting the town’s 4,000‑sq‑ft cap and precedent. One member called a roughly 700‑sq‑ft variance “a very significant deviation.” The board agreed to continue the hearing so the applicants can consider scaled‑back options or further documentation; no vote was taken.