Community weighs in on Huntington Town plan for Melville development

The Town of Huntington held the second of three public hearings Tuesday on a plan to transform parts of a Melville office park into a walkable community with housing and small businesses.

Residents came to town hall to weigh in on two resolutions: One to create a Melville Town Center Overlay District and another for a code change that would allow special use permits to build mixed-use four-story buildings on streets surrounding the planned development.

Comments ranged from full support — provided there are tweaks — to outright disapproval of the plan, which could bring up to 3,000 housing units to Melville over the next seven to 10 years if approved. 

The potential effect on drinking water, sewer capacity and more people moving into the community were among concerns voiced by the more than 100 people who signed up to speak.

Dennis Morea, a member of the Sweet Hollow Civic Association and treasurer of the Villas at West Hills Homeowners Association, both in Melville, spoke during the hearing and later said conceptually the town center is a brilliant idea.

“But in my heart of hearts I can’t believe it’s possible,” he said in an interview. “Too many different developers, the town has no leverage with them and there are issues surrounding groundwater and sewers.”

Both resolutions are for areas south of the Long Island Expressway. The town center would run north and south along Maxess Road, with Ruland Road as the southern boundary. The town board has put a cap of 3,000 housing units and said it would pause the acceptance of applications for housing when it reaches 400. There are 18 parcels of land included in the overlay district. 

Mark Hissey, a developer in the Hamptons who lives in Elwood, said before the resolutions are approved he would expect the town board to analyze the environmental and quality of life concerns.

“If the analysis finds this is not a proper thing to do, then it won’t be approved,” he said. “But what they are proposing is better than a concrete wasteland.”

In addition to a walkable downtown-style development, town officials tout as benefits increasing green space, minimizing lunchtime rush hour and charging a fee for the fire and emergency service district.

Approval of the overlay district would allow construction of four-story buildings with commercial operations on the ground floor and residential units on the other floors. Buildings would be set back at least 30 feet, Town Supervisor Ed Smyth said. The current industrial zoning would remain in place.

Some residents criticized town officials for not having plans or renderings for them to consider.

Smyth said what’s being proposed are options that allow developers to come to the town board with ideas of what they would like to do with their properties.

“The town will then weigh the merits of those proposals, hold public hearings on each proposal and then vote on each proposal,” Smyth said. “The developers have to submit plans within the framework that we are proposing. We’re not going to tell them what to build or what color it has to be any more than we are going to tell a resident to paint their house.”

The third public hearing will be at town hall at 7 p.m. on June 11.