The Charles A. Bateson House at RozeWood Farm and Estate in...

The Charles A. Bateson House at RozeWood Farm and Estate in May 2023. The Town of Huntington is considering a local historic designation for the RozeWood farm property, which could help preserve it but allow for a hotel and spa. Credit: Tom Lambui

A historic Cold Spring Harbor estate could be transformed to include a 23-room hotel and spa in an effort to preserve the property, but some neighbors are opposed to a zoning designation that would make the project possible. 

The Huntington Town Board is considering a request by Huntington-based Hunebed Holdings LLC to have RozeWood Farm and Estate included in the town’s Historic Building Overlay District. Doing so would keep the underlying zoning in place on the property while allowing other uses to preserve historic buildings on it. 

The 24-acre parcel is zoned residential, according to town documents. Under the historic overlay district designation, a hotel can be approved for the site. 

Jan and Jude Rozenveld, the principals of Hunebed, said they have worked for hotels all over the world and purchased the property, on the west side of Woodbury Road and south of Woodlee Road, in 2022.

If the zoning designation is approved, the couple plans to create a luxury spa and wellness hotel that will offer yoga and farm-to-table dining. The vision also includes farming lavender, herbs and vegetables, and growing flowers such as dahlias and zinnias.

According to a memo from the town’s planning and environment department, a house and the establishment of a farm on the property date to the early 1800s.

“We want this to be a place to bring the community together and maintain and enhance what is already here,” Jude Rozenveld said. “We are not doing a development, we’re doing a reuse; using what’s here in order to preserve the property and buildings.”

The Rozenvelds are retaining 4 acres of the property for the potential future subdivision of two lots, town documents said.

Town officials also will also consider giving historic designation to two buildings on the property: the Georgian Revival-style Charles A. Bateson House, built in the early 1930s, and the John Bumpstead House, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is the oldest building on the property. 

Jude Rozenveld said the only thing to be added to the property is a building to house an indoor pool.

However, the possible use of the overlay district designation is not sitting well with some neighbors.

Laurel Moynihan, who has lived near the property for 21 years, and a group of other neighbors have started a petition that has garnered more than 150 signatures opposing the designation for the property.

She said the group supports preserving historical homes, but they do not want a commercial venture in their neighborhood. Their concerns include changing the character of their neighborhood, traffic congestion, safety considerations, noise and fear over what might happen with the property if the hotel doesn’t work out.

“What happens when the sleepy, zen-like boutique spa they are proposing is not profitable?” she said, adding they fear the facility would be turned into a catering hall or a national-chain hotel.

Moynihan said if the plan moves forward, they want town officials to include, in writing, protections for the residents such as restricting the number of events per year or month,  limiting the size of events,  privacy plantings and promises of no clear-cutting of some forested areas.

Several neighbors publicly supported the plan with comments to the town board at its January meeting, calling the plan an innovative way to preserve a historic property.

Melinda McCormack, 63, who has lived in the community her entire life, said in an interview with Newsday the Rozenvelds have always been transparent about their plans. She said some of the fears can be addressed without stopping the proposal.

“In order to preserve the property the way that it is, there has to be some type of revenue stream," she said. "I don’t know anyone who is in the business these days or has the kind of resources to be a gentleman farmer."

The next course of action is a public hearing to consider the Historic Building Overlay District designation. Town officials said one scheduled for next month has been adjourned because the public notice for the hearing was incorrect.

The Historic Building Overlay District was added to Huntington’s zoning categories in 1996. Oheka Castle in West Hills was the first building to use the classification. The only other property in town that has that designation is the Hampton Inn and Suites at Old Town Hall on Main Street.

A historic Cold Spring Harbor estate could be transformed to include a 23-room hotel and spa in an effort to preserve the property, but some neighbors are opposed to a zoning designation that would make the project possible. 

The Huntington Town Board is considering a request by Huntington-based Hunebed Holdings LLC to have RozeWood Farm and Estate included in the town’s Historic Building Overlay District. Doing so would keep the underlying zoning in place on the property while allowing other uses to preserve historic buildings on it. 

The 24-acre parcel is zoned residential, according to town documents. Under the historic overlay district designation, a hotel can be approved for the site. 

Jan and Jude Rozenveld, the principals of Hunebed, said they have worked for hotels all over the world and purchased the property, on the west side of Woodbury Road and south of Woodlee Road, in 2022.

If the zoning designation is approved, the couple plans to create a luxury spa and wellness hotel that will offer yoga and farm-to-table dining. The vision also includes farming lavender, herbs and vegetables, and growing flowers such as dahlias and zinnias.

According to a memo from the town’s planning and environment department, a house and the establishment of a farm on the property date to the early 1800s.

“We want this to be a place to bring the community together and maintain and enhance what is already here,” Jude Rozenveld said. “We are not doing a development, we’re doing a reuse; using what’s here in order to preserve the property and buildings.”

The Rozenvelds are retaining 4 acres of the property for the potential future subdivision of two lots, town documents said.

Town officials also will also consider giving historic designation to two buildings on the property: the Georgian Revival-style Charles A. Bateson House, built in the early 1930s, and the John Bumpstead House, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is the oldest building on the property. 

Jude Rozenveld said the only thing to be added to the property is a building to house an indoor pool.

Voices of opposition

However, the possible use of the overlay district designation is not sitting well with some neighbors.

Laurel Moynihan, who has lived near the property for 21 years, and a group of other neighbors have started a petition that has garnered more than 150 signatures opposing the designation for the property.

She said the group supports preserving historical homes, but they do not want a commercial venture in their neighborhood. Their concerns include changing the character of their neighborhood, traffic congestion, safety considerations, noise and fear over what might happen with the property if the hotel doesn’t work out.

“What happens when the sleepy, zen-like boutique spa they are proposing is not profitable?” she said, adding they fear the facility would be turned into a catering hall or a national-chain hotel.

Moynihan said if the plan moves forward, they want town officials to include, in writing, protections for the residents such as restricting the number of events per year or month,  limiting the size of events,  privacy plantings and promises of no clear-cutting of some forested areas.

Support as a key to preservation

Several neighbors publicly supported the plan with comments to the town board at its January meeting, calling the plan an innovative way to preserve a historic property.

Melinda McCormack, 63, who has lived in the community her entire life, said in an interview with Newsday the Rozenvelds have always been transparent about their plans. She said some of the fears can be addressed without stopping the proposal.

“In order to preserve the property the way that it is, there has to be some type of revenue stream," she said. "I don’t know anyone who is in the business these days or has the kind of resources to be a gentleman farmer."

The next course of action is a public hearing to consider the Historic Building Overlay District designation. Town officials said one scheduled for next month has been adjourned because the public notice for the hearing was incorrect.

The Historic Building Overlay District was added to Huntington’s zoning categories in 1996. Oheka Castle in West Hills was the first building to use the classification. The only other property in town that has that designation is the Hampton Inn and Suites at Old Town Hall on Main Street.

Historic Building Overlay District

The classification was added to Huntington’s zoning categories in 1996.

The designation would keep the underlying zoning in place on a property while allowing other uses to preserve historic buildings on it. 

The only properties in town that have the designation are Oheka Castle in West Hills and the Hampton Inn and Suites  at Old Town Hall on Main Street.

Get the latest news and more great videos at NewsdayTV Credit: Newsday

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