Good evening, everyone.

Welcome to the town of Huntington's Planning Board meeting from March 11, 2026.

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

Thank you, everyone.

Um we have an appointment today uh with um for uh uh 75 Maxis.

Um I believe we have a representative from the applicant.

Good evening.

Good evening, Mr.

Chairman, members of the board.

My name is William Benesso.

I'm zoning counsel for steel equities in connection with the Melville Crossings 75 Maxis project.

Mr.

Benetzo, before you start, we were all wondering if there was any way, uh I should mention it earlier.

It's a little awkward having all these signs in front of us.

If there's any way they could just be held up one at a time.

Sure.

We can I guess we can uh do you want us to pull them back?

Or do you want us how would you like us to do it?

We we just wanted to give you an idea of you know, yeah, no, it's and it's it really appreciated because it's very it's very nice.

Um you could take them up one at a time as necessary, maybe.

But if it's if it's too difficult, then we can live with it.

We we can make it work.

Yeah.

Thanks, guys.

While they're doing that, I'll I'll just indicate that in addition to myself being here, we have Russ Moore uh from Steel Equities.

Um he will be in a moment uh providing the board with a detailed overview of the project.

We have our consultants from VHB, Patrick Lenahan, our transportation engineer and our traffic expert, Andrew Nee, our site plan engineer, and Dave Wortman, who's VHP's director of environmental services, who put together our expanded environmental assessment for the town's review.

And then finally, we also have representatives and principals of Steel Equities also present this evening, and we're all here to address any questions that you have and and try to uh give you the best information possible.

Um as the board is well aware, the town of Huntington has been studying the Melville area and its needs for well over a decade.

Um while it was once the major north-south office complex corridor for Suffolk County, many of the once full office buildings and developments in Melville are now vacant and many more underperforming.

Uh the studies performed, including the Horizons comprehensive plan update, identified the need to revitalize, diversify, and modernize the Melville area via the introduction of new uses and services.

Uh its stated intent was to foster, quote, the creation of a Melville Town Center that will provide a robust mix of retail office, commercial service, residential uses, and community public space that will support the economic and social well-being of the locality.

Unquote.

To accomplish this said intent, the town board tailored the MTCOD geographic area to properties having quote frontages oriented towards the major roadways within the subject district, namely Maxis Road, Bayless Road, Melville Park Road, or Corporate Center Drive.

Now my client's property is situated at 75 Maxis Road.

It is on the northeast corner of Maxis Road and Corporate Center Drive.

It's a just over a 16-acre parcel.

The underlying zoning is I-1 in light industrial, but as you know, the Melville Town Center uh is an overlay, and we are seeking a special permit from the town board to develop it with a mixed-use development of the type and and nature that the MTCOD seeks.

And I I would assert that our location is not only the heart in the heart of the MTCOD district, but also that our project is really could be considered the poster child for the goals and intentions of the MTCOD because it has been specifically designed and developed to accommodate the goals and intent of the town board in adopting the legislation.

The MTCOD was uh adopted in December of 2024.

Um we've actually been working on this project longer than that.

It was mid-summer when we first talked to the town about a project, and we've had meetings not only with the town representatives but also with community stakeholders, and Russ will elaborate on all of the outreach that has occurred.

The project through that process uh was developed into what it is now and what is now being presented to the town board.

We actually formally filed it in the summer of last year.

Uh we followed that up in late November with the submission of an extensive um expanded environmental assessment so that the town could uh review our analyses and again based upon the planning department's identified areas of interest.

Um again, Dave Wortman, our environmental services uh person will discuss that to some extent.

But ultimately, as the planning board, you guys provide the town board, you know, with valuable information and insight with regard to projects that come before it.

So we welcome this opportunity to appear before you to provide the board with an overview, answer your questions, so that you can provide that insight to the town board as it considers the project before it.

So, with that, I'll ask Russ Moore to come up and provide that overview.

Excellent, thank you.

Thank you.

Good evening, Mr.

Chairman and members of the board.

My name is Russell Moore, Vice President of Development for Steel Equities, and we appreciate the opportunity to speak in front of you this evening.

Um, as Bill said, we have worked with both the town and the local civic associations over the last several years to try to formulate the plan that you see in front of you today.

Uh, we have multiple multiple iterations of the plan, um, whether it be an illustrative uh plan or the uh proposed site plan that was prepared as part of the site plan application.

What this project delivers for the the town of Huntington and and Melville directly are jobs, is housing, is retail and dining experiences, and economic growth.

This is all in concert with what was outlined in the vision of the Melville Town Center Overlay District.

We worked very diligently with multiple uh meetings with um the civic associations to come up with the plan that you see before you today.

Um, and this develops what you can see, it redevelops the the long vacant property that sits in front of you on 16 acres that has been vacant for the last four years.