3 on Huntington board want more details on housing plan

Huntingtown Town board members Susan Berland, Mark Cuthbertson and Mark Mayoka think the developers of a controversial Huntington Station housing proposal still owe residents answers.

In recent weeks, residents opposed to the Avalon Bay development have become more vocal in their opposition because of traffic concerns and worries the project will overburden the sewers and the school district.

Hours before Tuesday night's town board meeting, a resolution was pulled from the agenda that would have simultaneously created a Huntington Station Transit Oriented District, developed by Avalon Bay, and changed the zoning of the parcel to allow higher-density housing.

The district calls for 490 housing units in three-story buildings on a 26-acre wooded parcel located about a half-mile from the Huntington Long Island Rail Road station.

The sponsor of the resolution, Democratic Town Supervisor Frank Petrone, said Wednesday there were not enough votes to pass it Tuesday night.

Berland, a Democrat, says she supports the concept of the project - which would offer housing near mass transit to people of varying incomes and ages to decrease their dependence on cars - but not at its current density and height.

"I'm not weak-kneed," Berland said Wednesday. "If anyone says I'm the one trying to put the kibosh on this project they're wrong. I think the numbers need to come down."

Cuthbertson, a Democrat, said he is listening and has not made up his mind on the proposal.

Mayoka, a Republican, said residents need more information about the development.

A supermajority of four votes is required to approve the project and the zoning because the town is not meeting a Suffolk County condition for this type of project. The county said the district should have a minimum size of less than 10 acres, but the proposal sets the minimum at exactly 10 acres. The county can set such a condition because the project is within 500 feet of a county road, in this case Park Avenue.

"We're all going to be in a position to make a decision that is not 100 percent to our liking," Petrone said. "We're elected to make the tough decisions. Sometimes our constituents will agree and like it, and other times they will be very upset."

Avalon Bay vice president Matt Whalen told the board Tuesday he planned to host two or three public information sessions. "We want to do as much community outreach as possible because we want people to work off the right set of facts to make an informed decision," he said.

Berland's resolution to extend to Sept. 21 the time the board can consider the proposal passed, 3-2, with Petrone and fellow Democrat Glenda Jackson voting against the extension. Cuthbertson, Berland and Mayoka approved it.