Opponents to Carmans River plan to speak

Opponents of a proposal designed to preserve the Carmans River by allowing developers to build with greater density in other parts of town will voice their opposition to the plan at a Brookhaven Town Board meeting tonight.

The Carmans River Watershed Protection and Management Plan is designed to steer new building away from the river's sensitive watershed. In return, developers will be able to build away from the river denser multifamily developments than current zoning allows.

Peter Oleschuk, vice president of the Rocky Point Civic Association, is one of several civic group leaders who have questioned the plan. Oleschuk said he is concerned the proposal would lead to overdevelopment and a "glut of inventory" in communities such as his.

"We do want to save the Carmans River," Oleschuk said. "The damage is being transferred into our community."

Brookhaven Supervisor Mark Lesko, a supporter of the plan, said the proposal designates 35 areas around town as "receiving areas" for new growth. He said the proposal is an alternative to the outmoded suburban sprawl that has clogged traffic in Suffolk County for years.

Lesko said the town board is expected to accept -- but not fully adopt -- the Carmans River plan Tuesday and set a March 29 public hearing on the document. The town has until the end of June to adopt the plan under state law, Lesko said, adding the plan is critical to the environmental health of the 10-mile river, which flows from Middle Island to Bellport Bay.

"If this doesn't happen, we've lost the last, best chance to save this river," Lesko said.

The meeting is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. at Brookhaven Town Hall, 1 Independence Hill, Farmingville.