Developer's Yaphank plan OKd by town board

A Yonkers developer can build a 322-acre project that promises to bring thousands of jobs and a sense of urban community to Yaphank, Brookhaven officials have decided.

The development, Meadows At Yaphank, is slated to rise at the northwest corner of William Floyd Parkway and the Long Island Expressway. The walkable village is to include 850 housing units, a 220-room hotel and 327,000 square feet of retail space.

A critical change of zone decision by the Brookhaven Town Board on Tuesday cleared the way for the project.

"This is what we've been fighting for," said town Councilwoman Connie Kepert, who represents the area. "Live, work and play, where people don't have to drive their car for every errand that they need to do," she said. "It's going to be right there."

The Meadows, at the former Parr Meadows horse track, had been criticized by environmentalists who fear it could damage the Carmans River watershed and harm water quality.

But Kepert said the project's mix of uses will benefit the environment by taking cars off the road. She added that the project will include a $4.2-million improvement to a nearby sewage treatment plant.

The zone change was the last vote AVR Realty needed from the town, Kepert said. The next step for AVR is to submit site plans for the project, she said.

The project will take about 10 years to build, said Brian Ferruggiari, spokesman for AVR. "We could have a shovel in the ground sometime next summer," he said.

Richard Belsky of Shoreham, one of the residents who spoke against the project on Tuesday, asked the board to suspend its vote and ensure "that there will be no environmental impact from this project."

But the Brookhaven board issued the zone change by a vote of 6-0, with Councilman Steve Fiore-Rosenfeld abstaining. He said he did not have enough information to make a decision.

The Meadows at Yaphank will include 5,000 square feet of restaurant space and 550,000 square feet of office, industrial and commercial space, in addition to the housing units and retail space.

The housing includes 332 town houses, 294 condominiums and 224 rental apartments, with 85 units set aside for people who make no more than 80 percent of the median income for Nassau and Suffolk counties, which is $106,100 for a family.

The project is expected to create 811 construction jobs and 2,681 permanent jobs, Brookhaven and AVR officials said.

Brookhaven Supervisor Mark Lesko called the project "a much-needed economic shot in the arm" for the town and surrounding area. He had already said the project would benefit from proximity to Brookhaven National Laboratory in Upton.