The next public hearing about the two Melville Redevelopment proposals will be held Tuesday, June 7, 2pm, at Huntington Town Hall.

Per the Town Board agenda at https://huntingtonny.gov/meetings residents will have two opportunities to speak (3 minutes each) on the proposed Melville apartment zone changes on Tuesday:

Speakers can sign in to speak at:

Public Hearing #9 for resident input on Resolution 2024-178. This is a proposal to supposedly create a “Melville Town Center Overlay District (MTCOD)” for 22 parcels listed on 235 acres surrounding the Quadrangle properties. It would allow property owners to convert their offices or warehouses to 4-story. 50’ high apartment complexes with ground-floor commercial spaces. Multiple apartment buildings would be permitted on a single lot (198-34-01 C 1), with total building lot coverage permitted to cover 90% of the lot (198-34.01 E 3).  Parking can be provided underground (198-34-01 C 3). There is actually no requirement in the proposed zone change requiring any property owner to build a “walkable downtown”.  Property owners can simply elect to convert commercial space to high-density residential apartments. Apartment minimum size is 600 SF (198-34-1 8)

Public hearing #10 for resident input on Resolution 2024-179. This is a proposal to amend the Melville Industrial zone for all Melville properties south of the LIE outside the “downtown” area (71 parcels,  615 acres). This amendment will allow owners to convert their commercial space to high-density apartment rentals. Apartment buildings can be 4 stories, with ground floor commercial, and three stories of apartments. The maximum lot coverage of the apartment buildings is 40% of the lot (198-34 F 5).

The cap of 3,000 apartments is a promise made by the current Board that will not be binding to future Boards. That is to say, after the next election or appointment, that new Board can decide to approve thousands more apartments. 

Creating a whole new community center with thousands of apartments is a massive undertaking. It requires careful planning by experts, officials, and community members working together, and carefully worked legislation to ensure its success.

A successful planning process used by planning firms and municipalities that prioritize community participation is outlined below. We are currently in a CONCEPTUAL PHASE. However, the Board seems to want to move ahead with approving code amendments as quickly as possible, bypassing the following standard, accepted procedures:

1) Building a VISION statement. For example, do residents want a unique “green downtown,” a strip of big chain shops and restaurants, small local businesses, etc? We are not sure of the Board has its own vision or if they plan to engage in building community consensus around a vision.
2)IMPACT ASSESSMENTS of the natural, social and economic environment, as well as waste management, water consumption, traffic impacts, trends in employment and population growth, impacts on community services (police, fire, medical facilities), impact on schools, etc. for the entire affected area.
3) MASTER PLAN based on vision and assessments
4) This master plan is then incorporated into the town’s COMPREHENSIVE PLAN. This ensures that future Town Boards adhere to a coherent legal guideline and plan for the community at large. Updates are done in cooperation with a citizens’ advisory board.
5) STREETSCAPE DESIGN: will buildings be placed far apart or more closely together? Will there be sidewalks on the Main Street only or also on side streets? Will there be a space for grass and trees or hedges between the sidewalk and the road? Etc. 
6) Ensuring ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION.
7) PUBLIC PARK design. Public parks are the lifeblood of community socializing, spaces for healthy recreation, dog walking, playgrounds for children, and public events. They should be designed so that people can use, enjoy and benefit from them. 
8) Specific site planning: ensuring that individual properties fit in with the overall vision.

So there is a tremendous to think and talk about! It is much more complex than a simple YES or NO.  Community members ought to be interested in these details of the substance and process of a new community. SO PLEASE COME TO THE MAY 7 MEETING!