The Town of Huntington at its March 10 board meeting issued a Certificate of Approval to convert the Old Town Hall and adjacent sites into an 80-room hotel. The Historic Preservation Committee approved the three-story addition on the rear of Old Town Hall after it was revised to include a brick façade that more closely resembles the Old Town Hall.
Originally proposed in 2006, the project has been evolving.
The new addition will physically house the hotel rooms. Old Town Hall will serve as a lobby, offices and common area. The ZBA granted August 2019 a special use permit to the hotel with the understanding that it will not operate a bar, restaurant or meeting room. Also, the hotel must use only valet-parking. The town will lease 20 town hall parking spaces to hotel operators only on weekends for roughly $25,000 annually.
The project will now undergo a site plan review.
C-6 Zoning
During the meeting, town council members also set March 31 at 2 p.m. for a public hearing on proposed revisions to the town’s C-6 zoning laws, which regulate mixed-use development in C-6 zones such as Huntington Village. The revisions, originally proposed in 2019, pertain to height and parking restrictions and now include density limits on upper floors and on-site parking requirements.
Proposed changes would be enacted with site plan review changes, which include revisions for analyzing a project’s architectural and aesthetic qualities and its impact on traffic, sewers, the environment.
Supervisor Chad Lupinacci along with council members Ed Smyth and Eugene Cook are proponents of the C-6 revisions.
“I am looking forward to seeing these critical measures implemented to protect quality of life in Huntington and stop the abuse of loopholes in the Town Code that were created in 2006 and have resulted in every unpopular project you have seen built in downtown Huntington over the past 11 years,” Lupinacci said.
The proposed changes to the Chapter 198 changes to C-6 zoning rules, if approved, will exclude the Huntington Overlay District. The town expects this provision will encourage investment in an underserved area.
March 31 Public Hearing
The March 31 public hearing seeks input on amending other aspects of town code.
A new type of indoor recreational facility will be under review. Discussions are also open on plans for adding a yield sign for westbound traffic at Railroad and Lowndes Avenue. No-parking restrictions on both sides of Capel Drive in Dix Hills between Vanderbilt Parkway and Landview Drive on school days between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. will also be discussed. The town will also be open for comments measures related to issuing code violations and fines for trespassing.
Lupinacci also sponsored a resolution to more effectively address property maintenance and nuisance issues in the town, which will be part of the March 31 public hearing.
Other March 10 Meeting Highlights:
- Approved Farmers Market agreement. Long Island Growers will operate a farmers’ market in the Elm Street Parking Lot each Sunday morning. It will be open from 7 a.m. to 12 p.m. from June 7 to November 22.
- Agreed to co-sponsor the May 17 Huntington Water Festival with Greater Huntington Council of Yacht and Boating Club, Inc.
- Accepted the dedication of land on the West Side of Little Neck Road.
- Reappointed members of the Historic Preservation Commission.
- Established a workplace safety policy committee. The group will authorize and adopt town policies and procedures to comply with employee and workplace safety rules.
- Approved appraisal program. Spatialist, Inc. will supply program for the town assessor’s office.
- Approved funds for new playground and spray park at Manor Field Park.
The Town Board also scheduled a public hearing for the May board meeting. It will be held on Wednesday, May 20 at 7 p.m. The hearing seeks input on authorizing the supervisor to execute a license agreement with the Centerport Fire District. The agreement concerns the use of a municipal parking lot located at the intersection of Washington Drive and Fleets Cove Road.
Rendering provided by the Town of Huntington.