Port Jefferson votes down condo plan that neighbors oppose

Port Jefferson officials have blocked a proposal to build up to 200 condominium units following "emphatic" opposition from neighborhood residents.

The village board's 5-0 vote Monday night to reject a zoning code amendment that would have allowed housing on the site — once a group home for special-needs adults — leaves the property's future in doubt.

The project lost its strongest booster when former Mayor Margot J. Garant declined to seek reelection after seven terms.

Garant had backed the proposal in May because it would have saved a century-old building on the 10-acre site on Myrtle Avenue. She left office last week following her recent withdrawal from the Brookhaven Town supervisor's race after suffering a stroke.

Jericho-based developer Beechwood Homes proposed preserving the building as the centerpiece of a condo development with a pool, a gym and residential units priced at $700,000 and up. The number of units would have been "in the high 100s," depending on the terms of the zoning change, company officials had said.

Newly elected Mayor Lauren Sheprow said at Monday's board meeting that the village would seek other uses for the property.

“The feedback we got from the community about this issue was robust and emphatic," she said before the vote. "The interest in preserving the building remains, but not to the extent that it would sacrifice the quality of life based on the density of [what] was being proposed for that project.”

Beechwood chief executive Michael Dubb said in a statement Wednesday that the company still has a contract to buy the property from owner Catholic Health. The company plans to "evaluate alternative development scenarios," according to Dubb, who said that could include demolition of the century-old building.

He added that village officials haven't contacted Beechwood to discuss alternative uses of the property.

"We believe there is a project of value here to the Village of Port Jefferson, both economically and socially,” Dubb said of the condo development.

The project faced opposition from residents of an adjacent housing development, who said the Beechwood plan would have been too dense for the neighborhood.

Janice Rohlf, a nearby resident who opposed the plan, said the village board's vote leaves her with "a lot of uncertainty" about what will happen to the property.

“Obviously, it’s not going to stay the same,” she said Wednesday. “… No matter what happens to the building, it’s going to be disruptive, but something has to happen.”

Trustee Rebecca Kassay said at the meeting that some Port Jefferson residents are interested in saving the aging building.

“There’s many community groups who are interested in exploring the feasibility of using this property for any number of community purposes,” she added.

By Carl MacGowan

carl.macgowan@newsday.comCarlMacGowan

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.