Developer gets final OK to put up medical building in Huntington

Plans to build a medical office building at a busy Huntington intersection have been approved after years of delays and opposition.

The Huntington Town Board voted 4-1 on Jan. 12 to issue a certificate of approval to build in a historic district a one-story 10,000 square-foot office building at Route 25A and Park Avenue, where George Washington once stopped at a local establishment, Platts Tavern, to thank patriots for their service and support during the Revolutionary War.

The project's Deer Park-based developer Dominick Mavellia said the road to receiving approval for the building was an "arduous process."

"But anything worthwhile is not going to come easy," Mavellia said. "I’m grateful the [Town Supervisor Chad] Lupinacci administration had the foresight and wisdom to put forth a beautiful project that is going to be something to be proud of at the gateway to our town."

The parcel, at 400 Park Ave., is in the Old Huntington Green Historic District. The development of the site was first proposed in 2015, but residents and historians opposed what was planned saying it did not fit the character of the neighborhood and they wanted input on what was built there. Mavellia worked with the community over the years to come up with alternative plans.

Town board member Joan Cergol voted against the certificate of approval. She said the property’s historical significance and the location required special consideration.

"The Park Avenue/East Main Street intersection is among the busiest in the town," Cergol said. "I am concerned with potential motorist, cyclist and pedestrian vision obstruction due to the size of the currently planned building."

She said she doesn't believe Mavellia complied with the town's preservation code or addressed the reasonable recommendations of the town’s Historic Preservation Commission, preservation community and the town planning board. In a memo to the town board, the commission said, among other things, the building would have an adverse impact on the historic, residential character of the historic district because of its size and design.

Lupinacci said the privately owned lot stood for many years as a vacant eyesore after years of commercial use, including a gas station and deli and was "a visual representation of long-term neglect and a failure to think creatively to promote the revitalization of Huntington." The site was cleared in preparation for construction last summer.

He said the proposal "meets the condition that it appear residential in nature while complementing the special character and scale of the surrounding neighborhood."

Town board member Gene Cook, who sponsored the resolution, said he’s glad the project is finally moving forward.

"It’s going to be a nice project," Cook said. "The developer has put a lot of time and money into it."

Mavellia said he hopes to have shovels in the ground by the spring.