Town measure will allow ground floor parking for new developments in Huntington Station
Rendering of a building proposed for Huntington Station, where developers can build ground level parking after a town code change. Credit: Nelson Pope
The Town of Huntington approved a measure that will allow developers to build parking on the ground level of new mixed-use developments in parts of Huntington Station.
The town board on Oct. 8 voted 4-1 to amend the hamlet's overlay district to pass the code change.
Huntington Town Supervisor Ed Smyth previously told Newsday developers faced challenges to provide enough parking in the hamlet because the landscape includes hilly areas. Allowing ground level parking will address the parking shortage, he said.
The town created the district in 2004 to encourage shopping and create jobs in a walkable community, according to town code.
Since 2012, town officials have been working with Plainview-based Renaissance Downtowns to help revitalize the area.
The code change in the overlay district targets a section between Academy Place heading south to about West 11th Street and includes parts of Depot Road, Smyth previously said. There are about 10 properties that could potentially take advantage of the code update.
Aesthetically and architecturally, the parking area must look like the rest of the building, town documents show. A portion of the ground floor must include a commercial use, subject to approvals from the town's zoning board of appeals, according to the resolution.
The first project proposed under the amendment is a mixed-use building at 1044 New York Ave., town spokeswoman Christine Geed said.
Ryan Porter, managing partner of Huntington Station-based development company MPact Collective LLC, said the company is proposing to build 15 units of rental housing over 1,600 square feet of commercial and retail space. The proposal calls for 18 parking spaces.
Porter said the amendment offers a solution for sites that sit on a steep slope or have restrictions that do not allow for enough parking behind the building.
The building at the site will be demolished, Porter said, who also is a partner with Renaissance Downtowns.
Porter said MPact will go before the zoning board of appeals in the next few weeks for side yard and steep slope variances.
Frank Cosentino, president of the Huntington Station Business Improvement District, said residents are concerned mixed-use buildings, generally three-story buildings with retail or commercial space on the ground floor with residential units above, will take away from the suburban feel of the community.
“But if it helps to reestablish Huntington Station as a vibrant downtown and place to live, I’m all for it,” Cosentino said.
The Town of Huntington approved a measure that will allow developers to build parking on the ground level of new mixed-use developments in parts of Huntington Station.
The town board on Oct. 8 voted 4-1 to amend the hamlet's overlay district to pass the code change.
Huntington Town Supervisor Ed Smyth previously told Newsday developers faced challenges to provide enough parking in the hamlet because the landscape includes hilly areas. Allowing ground level parking will address the parking shortage, he said.
The town created the district in 2004 to encourage shopping and create jobs in a walkable community, according to town code.
Since 2012, town officials have been working with Plainview-based Renaissance Downtowns to help revitalize the area.
The code change in the overlay district targets a section between Academy Place heading south to about West 11th Street and includes parts of Depot Road, Smyth previously said. There are about 10 properties that could potentially take advantage of the code update.
Aesthetically and architecturally, the parking area must look like the rest of the building, town documents show. A portion of the ground floor must include a commercial use, subject to approvals from the town's zoning board of appeals, according to the resolution.
The first project proposed under the amendment is a mixed-use building at 1044 New York Ave., town spokeswoman Christine Geed said.
Ryan Porter, managing partner of Huntington Station-based development company MPact Collective LLC, said the company is proposing to build 15 units of rental housing over 1,600 square feet of commercial and retail space. The proposal calls for 18 parking spaces.
Porter said the amendment offers a solution for sites that sit on a steep slope or have restrictions that do not allow for enough parking behind the building.
The building at the site will be demolished, Porter said, who also is a partner with Renaissance Downtowns.
Porter said MPact will go before the zoning board of appeals in the next few weeks for side yard and steep slope variances.
Frank Cosentino, president of the Huntington Station Business Improvement District, said residents are concerned mixed-use buildings, generally three-story buildings with retail or commercial space on the ground floor with residential units above, will take away from the suburban feel of the community.
“But if it helps to reestablish Huntington Station as a vibrant downtown and place to live, I’m all for it,” Cosentino said.
Navigating politics over Thanksgiving and where to get holiday pies. Here's a look at some of the exclusive stories you may have missed this week on NewsdayTV.
Navigating politics over Thanksgiving and where to get holiday pies. Here's a look at some of the exclusive stories you may have missed this week on NewsdayTV.
