Kings Park apartment complex wins approval from Smithtown zoning board

The Smithtown zoning board approved plans for a $22 million, 46-unit apartment complex in downtown Kings Park near a Long Island Rail Road station.

The town's zoning board of appeals voted 3-0 to approve the Cornerstone Kings Park project, to be built on the grounds of a 2.26-acre lot on the corner of Meadow and Indian Head Roads.

Kings Park-based Tanzi Properties LLC and Farmingdale-based Terwilliger & Bartone Properties are developing the three-story, 46-unit apartment complex with underground parking. Backers of the project say it's crucial to diversify the mix of housing in Kings Park, where there are mostly single-family homes with three bedrooms or more. As Smithtown officials weigh the future of Kings Park, residents have expressed concern over the pace and scope of efforts to boost housing in the hamlet.

Tony Tanzi, who owns the property, serves as a member of the zoning board and abstained from the vote. Tanzi said in an email that developers will send their application to the town’s Board of Site Plan Review, which includes Smithtown's five town board members.

“I am optimistic that the project will get approved. More importantly, I am optimistic that it will be the beginning of a revitalized, vibrant downtown Kings Park,” Tanzi said in an email.  

But Suffolk Legis. Rob Trotta (R-Fort Salonga) told Newsday in a text message the town is moving too quickly to ease the path for new development.

“It sets an unsustainable precedent,” Trotta wrote. “We need responsible, common sense downtown revitalization and development for people, not the abandoning of long-standing zoning requirements to accommodate overblown projects to benefit developers and politicians."

Trotta added, "The entire Town of Smithtown will end up looking like Queens if it’s not stopped.”

Supporters say apartment complexes are key to attracting young professionals and keeping senior citizens on Long Island. Opponents say the town should be cautious about overdevelopment in Kings Park. Changes could result in too many housing complexes that contribute to congestion in the community, some residents have said.

Anthony Bartone, managing partner at Terwilliger & Bartone Properties, said the project is consistent with Smithtown's comprehensive master plan and goals to boost transit-oriented development near downtown. Last year, Gov. Kathy Hochul awarded Kings Park and Smithtown $10 million from the state's Downtown Revitalization Initiative to fund improvements. In Smithtown's application for the funding, officials cited the Tanzi property as having “long term potential” for transit-oriented development.

“Downtown Kings Park could be doing so much better," Bartone said in an interview. "Putting people in the downtown area, adding that vibrancy, that foot traffic … putting people right in the downtown, the successes that come in tow with that are proven over and over again.”

Bartone said he and Tanzi have scaled the project back in response to community concerns. Earlier plans called for the development of a four-story, 50-unit apartment complex.

Michael Rosato, president of the The Kings Park Community Association, said he opposes the project. In a statement, Rosato said his civic group wants the town to “impose a cap on the number of residential units permitted per acre" and limit the building to 2.5 stories.

That approach, Rosato said, “would align with most residents’ desire for Kings Park to remain a quaint bedroom community that also includes a vibrant downtown without high density housing.”

The plans will also be distributed to other town departments and agencies for review, according to Nicole Garguilo, a town spokeswoman.

If those entities approve of the plans, land experts in each town department will file their findings and recommendations with the town board, Garguilo said. That process could span three to five months, she added.