Town of Huntington, NY - News Details
11/29/2016 - Town Seeks Final Comments on Draft Melville Plan
The Town of Huntington is nearing completion of the draft Melville Employment Center Plan and is seeking last comments from the public before the draft is finalized and a public hearing is scheduled.
The Town, its Melville Plan Advisory Committee and the Town’s consultant team of BFJ Planning, Urbanomics and Parsons Brinckerhoff have been working since the Spring of 2015 on the draft. The broad mandate for the plan is to examine the many complex issues facing the Melville area and to define an action agenda for future development and redevelopment.
More than seven months of public input have yielded specific land use, circulation and infrastructure recommendations that will guide the plan. Each recommendation is detailed in the Draft Plan, which may be reviewed on the Town’s website here. The draft includes potential strategies, including design guidelines and the creation of an overlay district, to be included in the plan’s implementation moving forward.
Located along the Route 110 corridor near the Long Island Expressway and the Northern State Parkway, the Melville Employment Center is one of the most important corporate concentrations on Long Island and the Town’s largest source of employment and tax revenue. The area contains a range of land uses, including offices, industry, open space, key institutions and residential uses of varying densities. However, these uses are arranged in a traditional suburban, automobile-focused development pattern that is characterized by a clear separation of uses, a lack of pedestrian amenities and limited ground-level activity, all of which contribute to traffic congestion and other issues affecting quality-of-life for those who live and work in the area.
Huntington’s 2009 Comprehensive Plan recommended that the Town explore ways to retrofit the center with pedestrian-oriented, mixed-use “town centers” to attract residents and workers of all ages. These centers could contain retail and restaurants, as well as recreation, business services and entertainment opportunities, along with potential housing.
In 2014, the Town issued a request for Proposals for professional consulting firms to prepare the plan and formed the advisory committee, with representatives from businesses, property owners, residents, community institutions and county, regional and State planning and economic development organizations. The process also included four public workshops at which interested residents, property owners, workers along the Route 110 Corridor and other stakeholders have shared their vision, goals and objectives.
This is the final request for comment on the draft before it set for public hearing. Comments must be received by Friday, December 16, 2016 to be considered for incorporation. They may be emailed to MelvillePlan@huntingtonny.gov or sent to Anthony Aloisio, Director, Town of Huntington Department of Planning & Environment, 100 Main Street, Room 212, Huntington, NY 11743.
More information on the plan may be found here.