Port Jefferson officials reject developer's annexation proposal

Baylis Avenue, looking south, near the border of Port Jefferson and Port Jefferson Station. Credit: Barry Sloan
A proposed 48-unit Port Jefferson Station apartment complex appears to be all but dead after Port Jefferson officials rejected a plan to annex the street where it was to have been built and add it to the village.
The village board's 4-0 vote last week appears to block developer Jim Tsunis' last remaining option for building his proposed Brook Meadows multifamily development, which has faced opposition in both the village and Brookhaven Town.
Tsunis, founder and owner of Hauppauge-based Northwind Group, had proposed shifting Baylis Avenue in Port Jefferson Station from the jurisdiction of the town to the village as he pursued approval of Brook Meadows at 16 Baylis Ave.
The northern tip of Baylis Avenue is in the village; the annexation would have added the rest of the avenue, which is south of Long Island Rail Road tracks, to the village.
WHAT NEWSDAY FOUND
- Port Jefferson officials have rejected a plan to annex a street where an apartment complex was proposed, all but killing the project.
- Developer Jim Tsunis had proposed shifting Baylis Avenue from the jurisdiction of Brookhaven Town to Port Jefferson Village as he pursued approval of Brook Meadows.
- The project had faced opposition in Brookhaven Town, and earlier last month, town officials also voted against the annexation plan.
Opponents of Brook Meadows had said the residential complex didn't belong in an area surrounded by industrial businesses. Some opponents said Tsunis was using the annexation process to go "municipality shopping" for approval of the project.
He has denied that, saying he sought annexation to support revitalization efforts in Port Jefferson.
Tsunis declined to comment after the May 28 village board vote.

A rendering of the proposed Brook Meadows project. Credit: Northwind Group
The Brookhaven Town Board on May 22 also rejected the annexation plan. Brookhaven officials have said Tsunis has no legal options to overturn the town and village votes.
Brookhaven Supervisor Dan Panico said in an interview the town likely would not approve Brook Meadows but Tsunis could seek town approval of a different project at 16 Baylis Ave., which is zoned for light industrial uses.
“It would depend on what the request was,” Panico said, adding a self-storage facility “would be a perfect use” of the property.
Port Jefferson trustees Robert Juliano, Xena Ugrinsky, Kyle Hill and Stan Loucks voted to reject annexation. Mayor Lauren Sheprow did not vote, citing a village law that requires the mayor to cast votes only to break ties. She declined to comment after the meeting.
Tsunis, in remarks to the village board before the vote, said Port Jefferson officials should not be swayed by the town board vote against annexation.
“I gotta say that I have never, ever witnessed such a political hack as I have on this annexation process,” he said. “The annexation today is not just a procedural matter. It’s a defining moment that will determine whether we can continue to protect the residents of the village of Port Jefferson or relinquish control to outside forces.”
In an interview Monday, Juliano said he opposed annexing Baylis Avenue because its location — south of Long Island Rail Road tracks — would have presented problems for village fire trucks and ambulances responding to emergencies.
“The only way to get there is over train tracks. … Not exactly ideal for emergency vehicles [in] a residential area," he said. He added he was concerned about the legal ramifications if the village had supported annexation after Brookhaven voted against it.
“God only knows how long the court case would have been,” Juliano said. “The fact that the town turned it down was something that factored into it.”
Brook Meadows had faced opposition from civic groups in Port Jefferson Station, the village and Setauket. The Suffolk County Planning Commission in 2023 said Brook Meadows would be "incongruous" with industrial businesses.
Before the village board vote, several residents expressed opposition to Brook Meadows and Tsunis' pursuit of annexation.
“It’s hard not to see this petition as anything other than a stubborn attempt by the Tsunis group to bypass the county’s decision, the town zoning laws and the express wishes of [civic] groups," said Molly Mason, adding annexation "encourages more developers to go municipality shopping when faced with a verdict that they don’t like.”
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