The Glen Cove Planning Board has unanimously approved a plan to expand the ballroom at the historic Mansion at Glen Cove, allowing the venue to host larger events and add parking to the site.
The vote was taken Dec. 16 on the application of Glen Cove Mansion Hospitality LLC, which sought approval to expand the existing one-story ballroom at 200 Dosoris Lane. The project calls for an addition of roughly 1,600 square feet, accommodating 107 more seats, along with the creation of 18 additional parking spaces. The ballroom currently has 185 seats.
Attorney Patrick Hoesch, representing the mansion, described the application as modest, consistent with previous approvals affecting the site, and necessary for the facility to remain competitive in the regional event market.
“I think this application is very straightforward,” Hoesch said.
The mansion property originally comprised 54.4 acres, but was subdivided in 2013 into three tax lots as one of the city’s estate-preservation floating zones, he said. Tax lots 2 and 3, totaling just over 31 acres, include the mansion and associated open space, and are owned by Glen Cove Mansion Holdings Company LLC.
Hoesch said the ballroom was built based on plans dated April 1977, with a certificate of occupancy believed to have been issued in 1978. He told the board that the proposed addition mirrors the footprint of the existing ballroom, explaining that the “rectangular space to the left of the westerly side is merely being duplicated or mirrored to the right, or eastern side, of the existing rounded ballroom.”
The addition will also remain separate from the mansion structure.
Hoesch said the expansion will achieve two primary goals. First, it will “allow for larger events periodically throughout the year.” And it will “allow for more space generally, elevating the comfort level for even the smaller events.” He called the expansion “a very important and needed addition.”
He also cited 2013 Planning Board documents that contemplated the future growth of the site, telling the current board that at the time, the city recognized that “the business must have the opportunity to continue to grow and change in the future to respond to market demands and industry standards” while preventing residential development on the property.
Architect Samuel Ciccalella, of Precision Designs of Architecture, told the board that the addition was designed to blend seamlessly with the existing structure without visually competing with the historic Georgian mansion. The plans call for exterior materials consistent with the 1978 ballroom construction.
A parking analysis was presented by engineer Wayne Muller, of Robinson and Muller Engineering. Muller said that under city code, the expanded facility would require 215 parking spaces, and the project will provide 231. He told the board that at a wedding last June, observers counted 134 vehicles parked on the site.
Accounting for the expansion, Muller estimated a future demand of roughly 179 vehicles, “which, again, is well below the 227 paved parking spaces,” he said. In his professional opinion, he added, the expansion represents “a very modest 1,600-square-foot addition.”
Members of the business and nonprofit communities expressed their support for the project. In a statement to the Herald, Gaitley Stevenson-Mathews, of the Tribute and Honor Foundation, wrote, “We’re fortunate to have two excellent catering venues in Glen Cove — Metropolitan Caterers and The Mansion at Glen Cove — both of which serve our community very well. However, for larger events, organizers are sometimes forced to take those gatherings out of Glen Cove. I see real value in a well-thought-out expansion at the Mansion, particularly in terms of convenience, keeping events local, and supporting our hospitality economy, while still respecting the historic character of the property.”
Chamber of Commerce President Maxine Cappel-Mayreis also spoke in favor of the expansion, calling the mansion “an important and valuable chamber member” and citing events such as the chamber’s annual Culinary Delights fundraiser.
“How wonderful will it be to expand the mansion’s capacity and open it up to larger parties and bigger contracts,” Cappel-Mayreis said, adding that the expansion would help keep events — and spending — in Glen Cove. “This project represents the careful balance between honoring Glen Cove’s past and securing its future.”
Willy Wang, president of the Glen Cove Mansion Hotel & Conference Center, declined to comment.
