OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Huntington Planning Board Meeting - December 3, 2025

Meeting Portal — Wednesday, December 3, 2025
BodyHuntington, New York
SessionMeeting Portal
DateWednesday, December 3, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:02:52

Transcript — Verbatim
0:02

Good evening, everyone.

0:04

Welcome to the Town of Huntington's planning board meeting for December 3rd, 2025.

0:08

I would like to ask you all to please rise and join me for the Pledge of Allegiance.

0:26

Thank you, everyone.

0:28

We're going to start the uh meeting off.

0:29

We have two public hearings, though we don't have any speakers signed up for these two public hearings.

0:35

So I'm simply going to ask for a motion to accept the public notice.

0:41

Second, Mr.

0:42

Tantillo, all in favor?

0:43

Aye.

0:44

Any opposed?

0:44

Motion carries.

0:46

The first hearing is eight Ruth Platt.

0:50

And I'd like to ask if there's a representative from the applicant that would like to come up and address the planning board.

0:55

Chairman Ehrlich, members of the board.

0:57

For the applicant Tamabati, ABBATE.

1:00

I'm an attorney with offices at 88 Sunnyside Boulevard in Plainview.

1:04

And this is a proposed four-lot subdivision on Ruth Street in Huntington.

1:09

This is a neighborhood south of Jericho and west of Deer Park Road.

1:13

It's brought the name TJ TG landholdings.

1:16

That's my client Tom Goldsmith, who's here with me this evening.

1:19

I've been before you on Tom's behalf before Simes, in fact.

1:23

He's a very reputable and fine builder who resides right here in Greenlawn.

1:28

The subject premises is located in the R 10 zone, and in fact, on its west side abuts the R5 zone.

1:36

And it contains nearly 1.8 acres of lot area.

1:41

So it's dramatically oversized for the R 10 zone, which, as we know, allows single family dwellings on not less than 10,000 square feet of lot area.

1:51

It presently contains an existing single family dwelling.

1:55

And part of Tom's plan is to retain that and then create three lots from the balance of the property.

2:02

We will access those three lots, which will be in the rear of the house via a new cul de sac.

2:08

And that will be on the west side of the lot.

2:10

That's at a point where it will abut the long driveway for a flag lot that exists on our on that side of our property.

2:19

And that cul-de-sac meets all Town of Huntington Highway Department specifications.

2:24

So should this be approved, that roadway will be dedicated to the Town of Huntington.

2:30

We do not need that cul-de-sac to access the existing house.

2:34

The house that's on 8 Ruth has its own driveway, and that's going to remain.

2:38

So the streetscape of Ruth will look identical to what it is now, but for the addition of the short cul-de-sac on the west side.

2:48

On January 25th of last year, Tom and I went to the Zoning Board of Appeals because we needed relief in order to create the three lots.

2:56

And the sole form of relief was lot width at setback.

3:01

If you look at our plan, you can see that the three lots that we're proposing are triangulated.

3:06

At the setback line, you have to have a hundred feet across.

3:10

And we were ranging anywhere from 48 to nearly 60 across.

3:14

That was the sole form of relief, and the zoning board granted those appeals in all respect.

3:19

However, what's to be noted is that where the footprint of the houses are, we meet or exceed the 100-foot lot width otherwise required by the R 10 zone.

3:31

Moreover, when I said it was the only form of relief, these lots meet the front yard setbacks, the rear yard setbacks, side yard setback, aggregate side yard setbacks, and most notably, they exceed the minimum lot area required by the R 10 zone.

3:48

They're going to run from 11,300 square feet to 27,400 square feet in lot area.

4:07

And Tom could have at any time developed this property for five lots, and he could have done that as of right without any variances.

4:17

Tom elected not to do that for two reasons.

4:19

One, he wanted to keep the existing family dwelling.

4:22

And then two, if you look at the yield map, which is on the screen now, he found it deficient.

4:27

He thought the houses would be too close to one another.

4:30

And as a homeowner, when the homes are ultimately sold to private residents, he didn't feel that they had workable backyards.

4:38

He chose function over profit here by going with the four lots with relief rather than the five lots as of right.

4:47

That's about all I could say about this application.

4:50

Yeah, I like the map and I like the idea of keeping the executive house.

4:53

I think it helps with the streetscape.

4:55

Again, we've seen the yield study, and we know that you could have done five houses.

5:00

They're all oversized by quite a margin.

5:02

Um as far as the ZBA relief, we saw that here, and we felt it was the minimus and recommended that the zoning board approve that relief.

5:12

So we're aware of that as well.

5:13

We have seen this application in detail leading up to that CPA hearing.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Zoning And Land Use█████████████████████████████████████████████70%
Procedural███████11%
Environmental Protection███████11%
Affordable Housing███4%
Transportation Safety██3%
Parks and Recreation█1%
Summary of Proceedings

Huntington Planning Board Meeting - December 3, 2025

The Town of Huntington Planning Board held its regular meeting on December 3, 2025, at 11:15 AM (evening session). The meeting covered two public hearings, a pre-application presentation, routine approvals, site plan discussions, zone change recommendations, and a waiver request. No speakers were signed up for the public hearings, but one member of the public spoke during the first hearing.

Public Hearings

  • 8 Ruth Plat: The applicant, represented by attorney Abbate, proposed a four-lot subdivision (retaining existing house plus three new lots) on a 1.8-acre R10-zoned property. The subdivision requires a cul-de-sac, and the applicant sought waivers for street lights and sidewalks on the cul-de-sac. The board asked about TDFR (transfer of development rights) and septic systems (innovative/alternative required). One resident, Robert Lamont, asked about home sizes (approx. 1,300 sq ft footprint, two-story) and waste disposal (on-site I&A systems). A neighbor’s letter raising vegetation concerns was noted. The hearing was closed without a vote.
  • Map of Huntington Manor, Section A, Lots 40-43: Applicant Michael Rant (North Coast Civil) proposed a three-lot as-of-right subdivision on a 0.91-acre R5 parcel at Columbia Avenue and Terrace Place. Plans include widening Terrace Place to 30 feet, conservation easement for steep slopes, and I&A septic systems. No public speakers. The hearing was closed.

Pre-Application Presentation: Estates at Elwood

  • Attorney Michael McCarthy presented a preliminary plan for a 55-acre property at Manor Road and Jericho Turnpike, proposing a 44-lot cluster subdivision (R40 zoning) with 21 acres preserved as open space. No variances or zone changes are sought. The board discussed yield determination, traffic (all internal, access via Jericho Turnpike), individual septic systems, and a potential future C6 zone change on a 2.6-acre parcel. Board members asked about buffers, traffic lights (not warranted), and landscape plans for the disturbed C6 area. The applicant agreed to include a planting plan. No decision was made; formal application is pending.

Consent Calendar

  • Minutes: Approved minutes of November 5, 2025 (Planning Board) and October 22, 2025 (Public Hearing). November 19, 2025 minutes were deferred.
  • Extensions: Approved extension of review time for 126 Cuba Hill Road Plat (to 2/9/2026), extension of filing time for Kreling Plat (to 3/16/2026), lot line change extension for 55 & 65 West Hills Road (to 3/3/2026), and performance bond extension for Kuhn Plat (to 1/4/2027). All carried unanimously.

Site Plans

  • Extenet January 2024 II Item 1 (Amended Determination): Approved to relocate a previously approved pole across Huntington Bay Road due to underground obstacles. Motion carried.
  • 165 Depot Road Outdoor Storage: The board reached a consensus to allow a modified driveway size (reduced) for a proposed automotive repair use, enabling the applicant to proceed to the Zoning Board of Appeals for a special use permit and variances. Final site plan approval will follow ZBA action.

Zone Change Recommendations to Town Board

  • B2K Starbucks – Retail at Melville 2025: The board passed a resolution recommending that the Town Board schedule a public hearing, stating the proposal is consistent with the comprehensive plan but recommending conditions (improved architecture, setbacks, landscape buffers). The drive-through requires a separate special use permit from the ZBA. Motion carried.
  • Nova Park: The board recommended approval of a zone change from R5 to R3M (Garden Apartment Special District) for a 36-unit age-restricted (senior) development on West 23rd Street. The proposal includes 24 townhouses and 12 apartment flats, an on-site sewage treatment plant, and approximately 4 affordable units. The board noted the dead-end street and potential traffic, and recommended a negative declaration and maximum of 36 units. Motion carried.

Subdivision: Vineyard Bay Estates

  • The board reached a consensus to waive the final public hearing, noting that two prior hearings had already been held. No objections were raised.

Key Outcomes

  • Public hearings closed on 8 Ruth Plat and Map of Huntington Manor; no decisions rendered.
  • Minutes approved (Nov 5 and Oct 22); extensions and bond extension approved.
  • Site Plan amended determination approved; consensus granted for 165 Depot Road driveway modification.
  • Zone change recommendations passed (Starbucks: public hearing recommended; Nova Park: approval recommended).
  • Waiver of final hearing for Vineyard Bay Estates granted.
  • Estates at Elwood pre-application discussed; formal application anticipated.

Meeting Transcript

Good evening, everyone. Welcome to the Town of Huntington's planning board meeting for December 3rd, 2025. I would like to ask you all to please rise and join me for the Pledge of Allegiance. Thank you, everyone. We're going to start the uh meeting off. We have two public hearings, though we don't have any speakers signed up for these two public hearings. So I'm simply going to ask for a motion to accept the public notice. Second, Mr. Tantillo, all in favor? Aye. Any opposed? Motion carries. The first hearing is eight Ruth Platt. And I'd like to ask if there's a representative from the applicant that would like to come up and address the planning board. Chairman Ehrlich, members of the board. For the applicant Tamabati, ABBATE. I'm an attorney with offices at 88 Sunnyside Boulevard in Plainview. And this is a proposed four-lot subdivision on Ruth Street in Huntington. This is a neighborhood south of Jericho and west of Deer Park Road. It's brought the name TJ TG landholdings. That's my client Tom Goldsmith, who's here with me this evening. I've been before you on Tom's behalf before Simes, in fact. He's a very reputable and fine builder who resides right here in Greenlawn. The subject premises is located in the R 10 zone, and in fact, on its west side abuts the R5 zone. And it contains nearly 1.8 acres of lot area. So it's dramatically oversized for the R 10 zone, which, as we know, allows single family dwellings on not less than 10,000 square feet of lot area. It presently contains an existing single family dwelling. And part of Tom's plan is to retain that and then create three lots from the balance of the property. We will access those three lots, which will be in the rear of the house via a new cul de sac. And that will be on the west side of the lot. That's at a point where it will abut the long driveway for a flag lot that exists on our on that side of our property. And that cul-de-sac meets all Town of Huntington Highway Department specifications. So should this be approved, that roadway will be dedicated to the Town of Huntington. We do not need that cul-de-sac to access the existing house. The house that's on 8 Ruth has its own driveway, and that's going to remain. So the streetscape of Ruth will look identical to what it is now, but for the addition of the short cul-de-sac on the west side. On January 25th of last year, Tom and I went to the Zoning Board of Appeals because we needed relief in order to create the three lots. And the sole form of relief was lot width at setback. If you look at our plan, you can see that the three lots that we're proposing are triangulated. At the setback line, you have to have a hundred feet across. And we were ranging anywhere from 48 to nearly 60 across. That was the sole form of relief, and the zoning board granted those appeals in all respect. However, what's to be noted is that where the footprint of the houses are, we meet or exceed the 100-foot lot width otherwise required by the R 10 zone. Moreover, when I said it was the only form of relief, these lots meet the front yard setbacks, the rear yard setbacks, side yard setback, aggregate side yard setbacks, and most notably, they exceed the minimum lot area required by the R 10 zone. They're going to run from 11,300 square feet to 27,400 square feet in lot area. And Tom could have at any time developed this property for five lots, and he could have done that as of right without any variances. Tom elected not to do that for two reasons. One, he wanted to keep the existing family dwelling. And then two, if you look at the yield map, which is on the screen now, he found it deficient. He thought the houses would be too close to one another.

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