Politics & Government

Huntington Notebook: Town Takes Ownership of Meyers Farm

News and notes from the Town of Huntington.

The Town of Huntington has taken title to Meyers Farm in Melville, the latest step in the creation of Sweet Hollow Park.

Huntington Supervisor Frank P. Petrone, flanked by Council Members Mark Cuthbertson and Susan A. Berland, signed the necessary legal papers on March 28, completing the $1.325 million purchase from Bochasanwasi Shree Akshar Purushottam-Northeast (BAPS), a Hindu organization that had originally proposed putting a temple on the site.

The temple instead will be built on a different site that will also include 261 units of affordable senior housing. Cuthbertson and Berland worked with Petrone for several years on the proposal.

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“The community has sought a park in this part of town for many years, and I am pleased that we can now go ahead and develop this parcel for community use,” Petrone said. “I appreciate the hard work, cooperation and out-of-the-box thinking from all sides that helped make this day a reality.”

As recommended by the Town’s EOSPA Committee, the town envisions developing three acres for active recreational use and holding five acres as passive parkland. 

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Under the agreement the Town Board approved June 19, the development rights for the five acres to be used as passive parkland are transferred to five acres of the 18-acre site on Deshon Drive that had been used by Newsday as a preprint distribution warehouse and for its business operations.

The Town Board changed the zoning on the 18-acre parcel from I1 Industrial to 3M Garden Apartment, a classification that would allow construction of 261 units of housing. The agreement allows clustering that housing on 13 of the acres. The remaining five acres was sold to BAPS, which, using the development rights transferred from the Meyers Farm property it is selling to the Town, will be able to build its temple there. The BAPS temple recently received site plan approval from the Town Planning Board.

Deshon Partners LLC, the developer of the former Newsday site, has committed that the 261-unit project will be entirely for affordable senior housing, including a covenant that all of the units will remain income restricted (affordable) in perpetuity. 

ERASE Racism Presidemt Honored

Recently, Councilman Mark Cuthbertson recognized V. Elaine Gross, president of Syosset-based group ERASE Racism (Education, Research, Advocacy, Support to Eliminate Racism), on behalf of her commitment to human right and civil right causes.

ERASE Racism was formed to fight against prejudice and discrimination directed against race based beliefs and is committed in helping children to become our future role models.

“V. Elaine Gross has spent more than a decade righting race-based wrongs on Long Island and her dedicated work continues to inspire today’s youth to see and understand that their actions, words and how they interact with people really matters,” Cuthbertson. “I am honored to present this prestigious recognition to Ms. Gross on behalf of her relentless pursuit of human rights for all people.”

Coming Up

The Town Planning Board will meet at 7 p.m. in Town Hall on April 3. PDF agenda attached.


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