By Tim Daly
Huntington residents voiced concerns about overdevelopment during a public hearing in March to discuss a rezoning plan. Green Meadow Estates, which applied for the rezoning to build more houses on a property that the company owns, disputed the residents’ concerns.
The application seeks to rezone an 8.8-acre lot to increase the allowed density of individual properties. Under current zoning, each lot must be at least an acre, but if the application were approved, each property would instead be a half-acre. The rezoning would accommodate Green Meadows Estates’ plan to build 14 houses on the lot, on the west side of Lake Road and south side of Elks Court.
Several residents spoke against the rezoning, citing concerns about overdevelopment of the area, traffic, the aesthetics and potential harm to the local wildlife. Multiple residents also spoke against any building on this property, advocating for the area to be designated open space upon which nothing could be built.
The land is now private property. For it to become open space, it would have to be purchased by the town or county from its current owners.
Those representing Green Meadows Estates argued against residents’ concerns, preparing a traffic study and an analysis of the impact on property value. Wayne Muller, vice president of Robinson and Muller engineering, said, “Based on the detailed analyses we performed, we do not believe that the subdivision of the property to contain 14 lots to have any significant impact on traffic conditions on the subject property or surrounding roadway network.”
The value analysis found the rezoning would not negatively impact property values.
For certain Huntington residents, though, the issue was about more than property value and traffic. Some residents said further development would change the area’s character.
David Steinberg, who lives across from the lot, said, “We moved into that property 15 years ago, understanding there was one acre zoning in that area. To drive down that road has a very bucolic feel, a country feel, and we look to keep that.”
Regina Ritcey, who grew up in Huntington and lives in Greenlawn, said, “It breaks my heart when I drive through the town and see another area that just used to be woods blighted with construction, with homes going up.”
Another issue raised by residents was the environmental impact, with many advocating for more investigation into how development would impact local wildlife. There already was an environmental review conducted, in which the town issued a negative declaration, meaning that development would not have a significant impact on the environment. While the report did find development would remove vegetation and the animal community from the site, it would not in the long-term harm any species that are common on Long Island. Once the area was revegetated, the wildlife would return.
There was, however, no mention in the review of osprey, a species of bird that multiple residents reported seeing, along with nests on the property. While ospreys are no longer classified as threatened or endangered, it is illegal to remove their nests under New York State law.
Ritcey and others called for a more comprehensive environmental review before any action is taken. “I disagree completely that if osprey or other animals are displaced from a building site that they’ll just go to other open space. There is no open space. There is very little open area,” Ritcey said.
“It breaks my heart when I drive through the town and see another area that just used to be woods blighted with construction, with homes going up.”
Regina Ritcey, grew up in Huntington
“If the neighbors are indicating to the first live people that they’re talking to from the town that there’s an osprey nest, any vote by this board at this time would be premature,” resident Lawrence Kelly said.
Even if the application were approved by the town board, the planning board would still have an opportunity to address environmental concerns.
The town has 90 days to act on the application.
