Proposal to amend local law ignites vocal opposition ahead of July 13 public hearing

At a recent Town of Huntington board meeting, Councilman Mark Cuthbertson proposed an amendment to a local zoning law that, if passed, would allow the town’s planning board to grant a limited number of special use permits for residential apartment buildings to properties within 1,500 feet of the outer boundary of Town of Huntington (TOH) hamlet centers. These centers include areas in East Northport, Greenlawn, Huntington Village, Huntington Station and Cold Spring Harbor.

The proposed town code gives the planning board the ability to authorize these permits under certain circumstances: the building must be within the C-6 General Business District, no further than 1,500 feet from a hamlet’s outer boundary center, and it must abut residentially zoned property or contain a residential zoning classification. The proposed number of units for the building must also have enough off-street parking already available, without the need for parking variances.

If the code is amended, buildings will be limited to three stories in split-zoned lots with commercially zoned portions, and two stories in buildings that are located in residential zones.

Before a local law can be changed by the town board, the public must be given an opportunity to voice its concerns, and the opposition to this particular amendment has been very vocal leading up to the July 13 public hearing.

Although the amendment, as read in the proposal put forth by Councilman Mark Cutherberton, states that only a limited number of special use permits would be granted, under narrow circumstances, a flier distributed to TOH residents by “SaveHuntingtonVillage” read otherwise. “Say no to thousands of new apartments in our town,” the flier says, warning residents that East Northport and the outskirts of other TOH hamlets are being “targeted” for three-story apartments, which may include ground floor units.

Andrew Kaplan, a Huntington resident known for his ongoing fight against the proposed Villadom Mall development, wrote in a letter to the TOH council, “I believe that the Town should take a thoughtful look at solving issues such as housing, brain drain, and support for our local business[es]; however, these decisions require careful consideration. The proposed change before you for consideration will clearly have unintended consequences, as it does not act with any precision nor require any analysis.”

Andrew explained that over the past decade, there have been many spot changes to zones and changes to zoning rules that have led to major congestion throughout the town. He wrote, “As a result, we have been impacted with challenges performing simple commutes in and about the Town, an inability to find convenient parking within the Village Centers, a degradation of the Town's bucolic aesthetic, and pejorative changes in the quality of our water.”

And in a news release published yesterday, Councilman Ed Smyth stated, “Local Law 42-2021 (if passed) would dramatically expand apartment building development, which our roads, sewers, parking and infrastructure cannot handle.” He encouraged residents to speak out at the July 13 meeting and added, “It is important for my colleagues who are pushing for this monumental change to the zoning code to hear the public’s opinion about the state of development in our town.”

The public hearing on this particular law amendment may not unfold as usual, as Councilman Cuthbertson, who first proposed the change, stated in a letter to residents that he’d be introducing a formal resolution to cancel it. But Lauren Lembo, the TOH Public Information Officer, told the Journal, “A legally scheduled and noticed public hearing cannot be cancelled without a town board vote. This is not a zone change application on a specific property, where a letter from the applicant withdrawing the application would in effect unschedule the hearing; this is a proposed zoning code amendment – there is no application to withdraw.” She noted that Supervisor Chad Lupinacci voted with all five of his town board colleagues to schedule the hearing and he looks forward to hearing what the community thinks of Councilman Cuthbertson and Councilman Eugene Cook’s (who seconded the motion) proposal.

The local law proposal, as presented to the public, is below:

Adopting Local Law Introductory No. 42-2021 amending the Code of the Town of Huntington, Chapter 198 (Zoning), Article XI (Conditional Uses; Supplementary Regulations), so as to add §198-68.2 (Uses Permitted by Planning Board); to allow the Planning Board to grant a limited number of special use permits for a residential apartment building under narrow circumstances to properties in a narrow geographic area, outside of but within 1,500 feet of the outer boundary of the five hamlet centers as long as the property is: within the C-6 General Business or C-6 Huntington Station Overlay District; is further within the limited area running from the outside boundary of one of the five hamlet centers defined in the Town Code and Comprehensive Plan, to 1,500 feet of that boundary; abuts a residential property; would not exceed the C-6 height limitation; and would not require a parking variance.

The public hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, July 13, in Huntington Town Hall at 2pm. Members of the public wishing to speak may sign up at the table in the lobby upon arrival, up to one hour before the meeting begins. The meeting can be viewed live and for replay on the Town website, at huntingtonny.gov/meetings, or on Optimum Channel 18 or FIOS Channel 38.