Huntington Town Board Holds Public Hearing on Melville Crossing Special Use Permit, March 19, 2026
Huntington Town Board Public Hearing: Melville Crossing Special Use Permit, March 19, 2026
On March 19, 2026, the Huntington Town Board convened a public hearing on special use permit application MTCO-25-1, submitted by Steel 75 Maxis LLC, for Melville Crossing, a mixed-use redevelopment of the 16.6-acre site at the northeast corner of Maxis Road and Corporate Center Drive in Melville. The applicant's team presented the project, followed by extensive public testimony. The board did not vote on the permit; it closed the public hearing and adjourned.
Applicant Presentation
- Attorney William Benesso said the property currently holds a vacant 185,000-square-foot office building and that the project is designed as a 'poster child' for the Melville Town Center Overlay District (MTCOD). He noted the property previously received conditional approval in 2021 for an Amazon last-mile warehouse, but Amazon did not proceed. He stated the applicant will seek IDA benefits, has received a water availability letter from the South Huntington Water District, and has a sewer capacity letter from Suffolk County DPW.
- Russell Moore, Steel Equities VP, outlined 400 residential units: 290 rentals (29 studios, 246 one-bedrooms, 15 two-bedrooms) and 110 condominiums (33 one-bedrooms, 77 two-bedrooms). Twenty percent of the homes would be affordable, and a first responder housing program is planned. The plan includes 37,300 square feet of retail/restaurant/commercial space, a 6,300-square-foot community center, pool, public greens, and 70% open space. Parking would provide 779 spaces versus 713 required, including 72 on-street spaces.
- David Wortman of VHB summarized the expanded environmental assessment, stating there would be no significant adverse impacts to water, land use, community services, or traffic. Patrick Lenahan of VHB presented a traffic impact study of 13 intersections for weekday AM/PM and Saturday midday, concluding no significant impacts; the southerly Maxis Road access would be signalized and Maxis Road narrowed to one lane in each direction.
- Courtney Riley of VHB clarified that planning staff reviewed the plans on February 6; the water district's consultant H2M issued a conditional water availability letter on March 11, and the applicant is coordinating with Suffolk County DPW on an existing sewer connection.
- Dan Deegan, for the developer, said the project would generate at least $10 million in additional tax revenue even with a PILOT, and without a PILOT the project would not be financeable.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Half Hollow Hills Superintendent John O'Farrell said the district will not support, endorse, or promote any MTCOD development, but if an agreement is approved by the Board of Education, the district will not oppose Melville Crossing. He asked the town to amend the MTCOD to require a standard agreement with the district, to define the 'pause' after the first 400 units, and to keep district interests in mind.
- Many speakers supported the project, citing the housing shortage, workforce retention, young people leaving Long Island, and the developer's track record. Supporters included Steve Vitoff and Roger Weaving (Huntington Township Housing Coalition), Gail Lamberta and Alyssa Kyle (Vision Long Island), Sean Camus (Left on Long Island), Ralph Benzekin (Commercial Industrial Brokers Society of LI), Mike Florio (Long Island Builders Institute), Lenny Minovini (MAC Security), neighboring property owner Greg Reckler, and individual residents such as Chad Lerner, David Bloom, Rita Bender, Lee Pascevia, Tom Peer, Aidan Cuthbertson, Mike Albinski, David Leviton, Julian Gispert, Alan Kennemer, John Tudesco, Clem Cote, and Devin Kolka. Several cited examples such as Belmont at Eastview and redeveloped downtowns.
- Opponents and concerned speakers raised environmental, fiscal, density, traffic, and school-impact issues. Environmental concerns focused on sewer outfalls and aquifer recharge: Sixto Portilla, Michael Schroeder, Dom Feeney, Eric Copel (Long Island Oyster Growers Association, which has an active lawsuit), Anna Mallet, Dr. John Tanacredi, and Daniel Carpin argued that sending wastewater to the Southwest Sewer District harms groundwater and coastal estuaries; Carpin also called the water availability letter illegal and attacked IDA tax breaks.
- Fiscal/density opposition came from Deborah Giami (Bagatel Civic Association), Gail Jospa, Lisa Bloomstein, John Cannon, Mark Labianka, Gavin Neal, Robert Lamont, Cynthia Clark, Dorothy Lewick, and Alan Fritz. They opposed tax abatements/PILOTs, questioned school district compensation, cited traffic congestion, and objected to building height/density. Giami quoted a board member's earlier statement against tax abatements and noted the project includes seven four-story buildings. John Cannon said 400 units is too dense and called for no more than 100 units.
- Other comments: Leslie Tollop questioned how a developer-school agreement would be enforced; Janet Allen asked for transit planning beyond cars; Daniel Bryant read a statement from Hunter Gross (HTHC president) in support; Eric Alexander (Vision Long Island) supported the project but would have preferred a full generic environmental impact statement and asked that the school district be made whole.
Key Outcomes
- No vote was taken on the special use permit.
- The board closed the public hearing on motion by Councilwoman Maury, seconded by Councilman Bernardo, with all in favor.
- The board adjourned without announcing a timeline for a decision. Written comments could be sent to the town clerk, as stated in the hearing procedures.
Meeting Transcript
Please join me for the Pledge of Allegiance. I think this is the first time. Well, thank you, everyone, for coming out tonight. Theresa Maury just said she would be running a bit late. She's getting out of court this evening. So she's on her way. She said to start the public hearing without her. And at this time, we'll go right into it. And Mr. Town Clerk, please read the notice. Thank you, Mr. Supervisor. Good evening, all. And uh, if I if I may uh wish the town clerk emeritus, uh Joanne Rea, a very happy birthday. But I'm here with you. So all good. Um Town of Huntington, Melville Crossing Hearing, March 19, 2026. My name whoops, I'm reading the wrong thing. Never mind. Sorry. Uh public hearing number one. The town board schedule this public hearing to consider special use permit application MTCO-25-1, submitted by Steel 75 Maxis LLC, which proposes mixed use development for the property located on the northeast corner of Maxis Road and Corporate Center Drive in Melville. This is by order of the town board, Andrew Raya Town Clerk. I have the affidavits of publication and posting in the Long Islander. I also have the affidavit of mailing sent to all property owners located within 500 feet of the subject parcels, as well as the affidavit of the posting of the signs on each frontage of the property. Thank you. Thank you. And before we start it, before we start, I just want to read a little bit of uh housekeeping and some protocol. So first, please address any comments to the board, not to the members of the audience. This is the residents' opportunity to share their thoughts on the topic. It's not a time for public debate with the town board or members of other members of the audience. The audience should be respectful of speakers and not interrupt them. Signs are welcome, provided they do not block the view of the audience members behind you. And if you wish to display an oversized sign, please do so in the walkway behind the seating area. Speakers will have three minutes to speak. You're not obligated to use the entire three minutes. If a prior speaker has already made the point that you intended on making, you're welcome to say so. If you do not want to speak publicly but want to make a point on the record, you can send an email or a letter to the town clerk, and it will be entered into the official record. Your correspondence is always distributed to the town board members, and we do read it. As I said, this is not a time for public debate. If you'd like to have a more detailed conversation with any board member, please contact our offices and request a meeting or a phone call. We'll be happy to do so. And most importantly, please speak directly into the microphone. Otherwise, only the people in the room will hear you speaking, but viewers at home cannot hear you. The audio will not pick up background noise. And at this time, we'll hear from the applicant and hear a presentation from them. And at the first uh speaker this evening is William Benesso. Good evening, Mr. Supervisor, members of the board, William Benesso for Chelle Deegan Tirana, 333 Earl Overington Boulevard, Union Dale, New York. Here on behalf of the applicant.
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