Developer: Let Port Jefferson annex Brookhaven Town parcel, street
The Northwind Group made the request after its proposed Brook Meadows project, in the rendering above, faced opposition from some Brookhaven officials and civic leaders. Credit: Northwind Group
A Hauppauge developer is asking Brookhaven Town and Port Jefferson Village to redraw their boundary as it seeks approval to build an apartment complex.
The developer, which has proposed the complex in Port Jefferson Station at the end of a small street that straddles the border with the village, wants Brookhaven to transfer jurisdiction for the property, and the town end of the road, to the village.
The Northwind Group made the request after its proposed Brook Meadows project faced opposition from some Brookhaven officials and civic leaders. The developer had sought a town zoning change that would allow 48 apartments on a 5.6-acre parcel at 16 Baylis Ave.
Northwind dropped the zoning change request last year and asked Brookhaven and Port Jefferson to invoke a rarely used state law that allows a municipality to transfer, or "annex," property to another municipality, such as a village.
If the town and village agree to the annexation, Brook Meadows would be reviewed by Port Jefferson's land-use boards rather than Brookhaven's.
Brookhaven and Port Jefferson have scheduled a joint public hearing at 6 p.m. on March 6 at Brookhaven Town Hall in Farmingville to discuss the annexation proposal.
Northwind managing member Jim Tsunis denied seeking annexation in hopes of receiving a more favorable reception from the village. He said the request was motivated by a desire to support redevelopment of the village's Upper Port neighborhood near the Brook Meadows site.
“I have an affection for the village of Port Jefferson," Tsunis said Tuesday in an interview, adding he lives in nearby Belle Terre and has business and family ties to the village. "I like getting involved. I got involved in this annexation because of that care and wanting to redevelop the village."
He added he would operate Baylis Avenue as a private road so that no village funds would be used to pave it or remove snow.
Road accessible only from the village
Baylis Avenue is a dead-end street that runs north and south of Long Island Rail Road tracks. The only access to the avenue is from Sheep Pasture Road, which is north of the LIRR tracks within the Port Jefferson Village boundary, town records show.
Only six tax lots exist on Baylis Avenue: the Northwind property and five other lots, town records show.
Two other pairs of Baylis Avenue property owners, Margaret and Saverio Governale and Don and Sharmini Jayamaha, also requested the annexation, town records show. Attempts to reach them were unsuccessful.
Brookhaven Supervisor Dan Panico, who called the developer's annexation request "novel and somewhat historic," and Port Jefferson Mayor Lauren Sheprow declined to say whether they would support it.
“I’m fully familiar with the history of this property and the iterations and proposals that have since been withdrawn by the applicant and look forward to the hearing,” Panico said.
Opponents speak out
Brook Meadows opponents have said the residential development was incompatible with industrial sites that surround Baylis Avenue.
Ira Costell, president of the Port Jefferson Station-Terryville Civic Association, said the annexation proposal appeared to be an attempt to bypass town zoning law. The Northwind site is zoned for industrial use.
“It certainly has the feel of a backdoor move to circumvent both the town and the residents of Port Jefferson Station,” Costell said. “It’s just unfortunate that our voices are essentially being ignored.”
Brookhaven Councilman Jonathan Kornreich, who represents Port Jefferson Station and opposed Brook Meadows, said the annexation proposal did not change his opinion. “Even if it's in the village, I would still be opposed to it,” he said.
Tsunis denied requesting the annexation to avoid town zoning laws.
“This has to do with redeveloping the uptown portion of the village of Port Jefferson,” he said.
He said he offered the village a community benefits package including a $500,000 "impact fee" to fund Upper Port improvements. He added he would help Port Jefferson redevelop the 18th-century William Tooker house, which sits on property near the Brook Meadows site, and develop a community garden nearby.
Brookhaven Highway Superintendent Dan Losquadro said it might make more sense for Baylis Avenue to be in the village. Town paving and snow removal crews must cross into the village, travel on Sheep Pasture Road and cross the LIRR tracks to get to Baylis Avenue, he said.
“It’s one small dead-end that we have to go outside the town boundary to get into,” he said.
Annexation appeal
- Hauppauge developer Northwind Group is asking Brookhaven Town and Port Jefferson Village to redraw their boundary as it seeks approval to build an apartment complex.
- Northwind has proposed building a 48-unit apartment complex on Baylis Avenue. The project has faced opposition from town officials and civic groups.
- Brookhaven and Port Jefferson Village will hold a March 6 public hearing on the annexation proposal.
Carl MacGowan is a Long Island native who covers Brookhaven Town after having previously covered Smithtown, Suffolk County courts and numerous spot news and feature stories over his 20-plus year career at Newsday.
