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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Zoning Board of Appeals Meeting - June 11, 2026

Meeting Portal — Thursday, June 11, 2026

BodyHuntington, New York

SessionMeeting Portal

DateThursday, June 11, 2026

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 1:48:04

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

0:01

Good evening, everyone, and welcome to the zoning board of appeals for the Huntington for the meeting of June 11th, 2026.

0:08

Please rise for the Pledge of Allegiance to our flag.

0:13

I believe it's quick to say.

0:29

Okay, we have a few minutes to take care of going back to May 14th.

0:35

We have minutes for May 14th, May 28th, and June 4th, but one at a time we'll take them.

0:42

We'll take May 14th first.

0:45

And uh I've been through them, made a correction.

0:48

If if uh no one has any correction, additions or deletions, I'll entertain a motion to accept the minutes for 514.

0:56

I'll make that motion, Mr.

0:57

Chairman.

0:58

Mr.

0:58

McGrath on the motion.

1:00

Mr.

1:00

Basso on the second.

1:01

All in favor?

1:02

Any opposed?

1:03

Minutes are accepted for 514.

1:06

Minutes for 528-26.

1:09

Again, I've been through them, made one minor correction.

1:13

If no one has any additions, deletions, or corrections, I'll entertain a motion to accept the minutes for 528.

1:20

I'll make that motion.

1:21

Mr.

1:21

Castagna on the motion.

1:23

Second.

1:23

Mr.

1:23

Capadano on the second.

1:25

All in favor?

1:26

Any opposed?

1:29

Mission minutes are accepted.

1:31

And finally, the minutes for June 4th, 2028, 2026, last week.

1:39

Again, I've uh made a couple of corrections and minor.

1:46

And uh again, I I've if no one has any deletions, additions, or corrections to make, I would accept a uh a motion to accept the minutes.

1:58

I make that motion.

1:59

Mr.

2:00

McGrath on the motion, Mr.

2:02

Castagna on the second.

2:03

All in favor?

2:04

Any opposed, the minutes for five uh six four are accepted.

2:12

Okay, dawn um last week we had several postings and appropriate uh affidavits for jurisdiction, and we uh adjourned uh some cases that are on today, but that means that they would be the jurisdiction would be appropriate for today's uh hearings, are all the other appropriate postings and publications done to give us jurisdiction for the 611 hearings?

2:37

Yes.

2:38

Okay, the order for hearings tonight will be as follows 2369, 7 Heather Heather drive Heather Drive, uh in uh Northport, 23708, one Caseon Drive in Comac 23714, 20 Bell Train Drive in Dix Hills, uh 23699 and 23701 together.

3:08

That's on LaRue Drive in Huntington, 23683, 34 Snowball Drive and Cold Spring area or Huntington, 23702, 40 West Street in Northport, 23690.

3:23

We have a big calendar tonight.

3:25

Uh 20 High Pasture Circle in Dix Hills, 23698, 11 Bowman Lane and Comat, 23617, 139 11th Avenue in Huntington Station, 23709, uh 630 the South Service Road in Dix Hills, 23694, 27 Oregon Drive in Huntington Station, and finally 23703, which is vacant property located on Jericho Turnpike and Comet.

3:56

So will the applicant or the representative of the applicant for 23697 please address the board.

4:08

Good evening.

4:09

Uh Mr.

4:09

Chairman, board members.

4:11

Thank you very much for the opportunity to speak to you this evening.

4:13

My name is Chris Dodie.

4:15

I am a professional engineer, and I am here representing uh for this case.

4:19

This is uh for uh Mr.

4:21

and uh Levy and Ms.

4:22

Babcock and your application is for a variance, right?

4:30

For variance for an area, equipment for 2.6 feet or correct 2.6 feet where five feet is required.

4:37

That's the only thing you're asking for.

4:38

This is the only thing that's on the uh that's the only thing that's on this.

4:41

All right, and I got a letter from uh an individual named Jose Aguilar, indicating that he built the pool equipment a little too close to the property line, and I guess he's the guy who put the pool in.

4:55

He's the contractor.

4:56

He's the contractor.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Zoning And Land Use█████████████████████████████████████████████45%

Community Engagement██████████████14%

Engineering And Infrastructure█████████████13%

Public Engagement████████8%

Environmental Protection███████7%

Procedural█████5%

Transportation Safety███3%

Public Safety██2%

Pending Litigation█1%

Summary of Proceedings

Zoning Board of Appeals Meeting - June 11, 2026

The Huntington Zoning Board of Appeals convened on June 11, 2026, at 11:00 AM (UTC) to consider 13 public hearings, including variances for residential additions, accessory structures, lot line changes, and a special use permit for a car wash. The board also approved minutes from three previous meetings and granted a one-year extension for a prior approval.

Consent Calendar

Minutes Approval: The board unanimously approved minutes from May 14, May 28, and June 4, 2026, with minor corrections.
23697 (7 Heather Drive, Northport): Granted a 2.6-foot variance for pool equipment (required 5 feet). Unopposed, de minimis.
23708 (1 Cason Drive, Commack): Granted a 2-foot variance for pool equipment (required 5 feet). Unopposed, de minimis.
23714 (20 Beltane Drive, Dix Hills): Granted a front yard variance (44.66 ft vs 50 ft) for a one-story addition to accommodate an aging parent. Unopposed.
23683 (34 Snowball Drive, Cold Spring Harbor): Granted renewal of a previously approved variance for a garage addition, with same conditions. Unopposed.
23702 (40 West Street, Northport): Granted a 20-foot side yard variance (proposed 5 ft vs required 25 ft) for a three-car attached garage. Unopposed; neighbor letter in favor.
23690 (20 High Pasture Circle, Dix Hills): Granted a variance for 307 sq ft of additional accessory structures (total 1,507 sq ft vs 1,200 sq ft allowed) including cabana, gazebo, and shed. Unopposed.
23698 (11 Bowman Lane, Commack): Granted front yard variances of 5.7 ft and 5 ft for a one-story addition on a corner lot, plus legalization of a pergola. Unopposed.
23617 (139 11th Avenue, Huntington Station): Granted amended application for a detached garage, reduced from 5 to 4 parking spaces, with no height variance. Revised plans met board counsel recommendations; numerous neighbor letters in support.
23709 (630 S. Service Road, Dix Hills): Granted rear yard variance (25.1 ft vs 50 ft) and front yard variance (43 ft vs 50 ft) for a two-story rear addition and front portico. Unopposed.
23694 (27 Oregon Drive, Huntington Station): Granted variance for in-ground pool in secondary front yard on a corner lot. Unopposed; prior similar approvals cited.

Public Comments & Testimony

23699 & 23701 (35 & vacant La Rue Drive, Huntington): Multiple residents spoke in opposition:
- Brian Moss (77 La Rue Dr.) argued the proposed 12-foot long street side yard setback (vs 30 ft required) was major, not minor, and part of a plan to squeeze an extra home onto the lot. He noted deed restrictions limiting one home per lot.
- Brendan DeRidgey (36 La Rue Dr.) stated he has legal standing to enforce 1929 restrictive covenants and that reducing frontage to 78 ft would set a precedent for overdevelopment.
- Ellen DeRidgey (36 La Rue Dr.) highlighted dangerous S-curve road conditions, existing parking issues, and 27 opposition letters from neighbors.
- Jeffrey Murphy (25 La Rue Dr.) opposed, noting community opposition and a prior 2004 planning board reversal on access road.
- David Harvey (73 La Rue Dr.) opposed, citing that variances lead to overdevelopment and change neighborhood character.
- Peter Klein (278 West Neck Road) emphasized safety concerns on the S-curve and aesthetic squeeze.
- Daniel Carpenter (3 Harbor Hill Drive) argued SEQRA violation (illegal segmentation from 1992 approval) and provided legal precedent (Onondaga Landfills v. Flacke).
23703 (Jericho Turnpike, Commack): Two residents opposed the car wash:
- Robert Chiefo (7 Hedgerow Court) cited concerns about noise pollution (80-90 dB), chemical exposure, vibrations, property value impacts, and disruption to his wheelchair-bound wife.
- Charlie Scott (9 Hedgerow Court) opposed due to noise from existing commercial uses and questioned the need for a third Splash car wash within 3 miles.

Discussion Items

23699 & 23701 (La Rue Drive lot line change): Applicant Michael McCarthy (for John Kean) sought to straighten lot lines between two pre-approved subdivision lots, requiring long street side yard relief (12 ft vs 30 ft) and minor lot width changes. He argued the change was minor, would not create new lots, and the side yard adjoins an undeveloped paper road. The board closed the hearing and reserved decision.
23703 (Splash Car Wash): Applicant Rachel Shelfo (Farrell Fritz) requested a special use permit for a car wash and a 100-foot business depth extension into an R-10 zone. Experts testified: real estate appraiser Michael Lynch stated no property value impact; traffic engineer Zara Khan confirmed acceptable level of service and adequate queuing; applicant Glenn Sheeley assured modern low-noise electric equipment and biodegradable chemicals. Planning recommended an 8-foot sound-attenuating fence and enhanced native buffer. The board closed the hearing and reserved decision.

Key Outcomes

Votes: All other hearing items (10 total) were granted unanimously without opposition.
Reserved Decisions: The board reserved decision on La Rue Drive lot line change (23699/23701) and the Splash Car Wash (23703).
Extension Granted: ZBA 23314 (104 Soundview Terrace) received a one-year extension for a previously approved detached garage variance due to family delays.
Next Meeting: The board will meet next on June 25, 2026.

Meeting Transcript

Good evening, everyone, and welcome to the zoning board of appeals for the Huntington for the meeting of June 11th, 2026. Please rise for the Pledge of Allegiance to our flag. I believe it's quick to say. Okay, we have a few minutes to take care of going back to May 14th. We have minutes for May 14th, May 28th, and June 4th, but one at a time we'll take them. We'll take May 14th first. And uh I've been through them, made a correction. If if uh no one has any correction, additions or deletions, I'll entertain a motion to accept the minutes for 514. I'll make that motion, Mr. Chairman. Mr. McGrath on the motion. Mr. Basso on the second. All in favor? Any opposed? Minutes are accepted for 514. Minutes for 528-26. Again, I've been through them, made one minor correction. If no one has any additions, deletions, or corrections, I'll entertain a motion to accept the minutes for 528. I'll make that motion. Mr. Castagna on the motion. Second. Mr. Capadano on the second. All in favor? Any opposed? Mission minutes are accepted. And finally, the minutes for June 4th, 2028, 2026, last week. Again, I've uh made a couple of corrections and minor. And uh again, I I've if no one has any deletions, additions, or corrections to make, I would accept a uh a motion to accept the minutes. I make that motion. Mr. McGrath on the motion, Mr. Castagna on the second. All in favor? Any opposed, the minutes for five uh six four are accepted. Okay, dawn um last week we had several postings and appropriate uh affidavits for jurisdiction, and we uh adjourned uh some cases that are on today, but that means that they would be the jurisdiction would be appropriate for today's uh hearings, are all the other appropriate postings and publications done to give us jurisdiction for the 611 hearings? Yes. Okay, the order for hearings tonight will be as follows 2369, 7 Heather Heather drive Heather Drive, uh in uh Northport, 23708, one Caseon Drive in Comac 23714, 20 Bell Train Drive in Dix Hills, uh 23699 and 23701 together. That's on LaRue Drive in Huntington, 23683, 34 Snowball Drive and Cold Spring area or Huntington, 23702, 40 West Street in Northport, 23690. We have a big calendar tonight. Uh 20 High Pasture Circle in Dix Hills, 23698, 11 Bowman Lane and Comat, 23617, 139 11th Avenue in Huntington Station, 23709, uh 630 the South Service Road in Dix Hills, 23694, 27 Oregon Drive in Huntington Station, and finally 23703, which is vacant property located on Jericho Turnpike and Comet. So will the applicant or the representative of the applicant for 23697 please address the board. Good evening. Uh Mr. Chairman, board members. Thank you very much for the opportunity to speak to you this evening. My name is Chris Dodie.

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