LATEST NEWS FROM NHNP

10/23/24: Planning Board Issues Negative SEQRA Declaration; NHNP Refiles Article 78
9/25/24: NHNP Rebuttal Postpones SEQRA Vote
9/24/24: NHNP Fires Back on Latest VBE Document
9/12/24: New VBE Vendor Submits New EEAF Form
8/24/24: NHNP Outlines Flaws in Latest VBE Submission
8/13/24: NHNP Asks State Experts for Help
8/8/24: Developers Issue Expanded EEAF
8/5/24: Another NHNP
Plea for Positive SEQRA Declaration
8/5/24: Unkechaug Chief Warns Board Against Potential Desecration
6/26/24: Town Planning Board Tables Vineyard Bay Estates Resolution...at Developers' Request
5/30/24: Town Reverses Previous Vineyard Bay Estates Resolution
4/15/24: NHNP Brings Fight to New York State Supreme Court

NHNP IN THE PRESS

Times Huntington & Northport 7-18-24: TOH Planning Board revokes approval of Halesite development

Newsday 7-8-24: Board's Retracing Its Steps. Town of Huntington reverses approval of development after lawsuit cites errors.

Northport Observer 6-6-24: Subdivision rescinded after town failed to follow the law

Long Islander 6-6-24: Letter to the Editor from
George C. Pezold

Newsday 4-26-24: To Develop or Not Develop

The Times of Huntington-Northport 3-21-24: Residents plead with Huntington Town Board to take action

News 12 Long Island 3-12-24: Halesite residents say 'no' to subdivision

The Times of Huntington-Northport 3-9-24: Town of Huntington preliminarily approves Vineyard Bay Estates

10/23/24: Huntington Planning Board Issues Negative SEQRA Declaration

On its fourth attempt, the Planning Board of the Town of Huntington decided that, despite all evidence to the contrary accompanied by vehement neighborhood opposition, no need existed to issue a positive SEQRA declaration to investigate all impacts from the proposed Vineyard Bay Estates subdivision.

Neighbors organized into the Nathan Hale Nature Preserve Committee subsequently refiled an Article 78 lawsuit in New York State Supreme Court to ask the justice system to intervene.

9/25/24: NHNP Rebuttal Postpones SEQRA Vote

In response to a September 20th, Friday evening Huntington Town website upload of a draft negative resolution under SEQRA (pre-dated September 25th, – the third draft since February 2024), NHNP hurriedly made a written submission to the Planning Board and Huntington Town officials one business day later, rebutting the most recent obfuscations from the developers and their vendors.

At the Planning Board Meeting September 25th, the following day, the Town environmental staff publicly stated that they had not had a chance to review our submission and, therefore, could not make a recommendation on the Planning Board’s proposed negative declaration resolution.

A surprisingly contentious exchange followed with the Planning Board Chairman publicly challenging the Chairman of the Town’s Planning and Environment Department decision, threatening to eject the Nathan Hale Nature Preserve Inc. President from the meeting room (when he tried to explain why the committee’s attorney could not be present on short notice), and angrily instructing another attorney representing other civic groups to “sit down” when he tried to intercede as an attorney on behalf of the Nathan Hale group. (The video is available on Town website at https://www.huntingtonny.gov/meetings, select Planning Board meeting September 25 video link and fast forward to 14:30.)

But a pushback by Planning Board members who supported a postponement of the scheduled vote resulted in a postponement of the Resolution vote.

The meeting minutes posted afterward state, “By consensus, the Planning Board postponed the resolution until a future meeting to allow time for the staff to examine the comments submitted by the Nathan Hale Nature Preserve, one day before the meeting.”

What the minutes failed to record is that the pre-dated resolution appeared on the Town website late day on Friday, September 20, and Nathan Hale Nature Preserve Inc committee responded only one business day later.

9/24/24: Nathan Hale Nature Preserve Fires Back

In a formal letter to Town of Huntington officials today, the Nathan Hale Nature Preserve (NHNP) civic association rebutted the latest claims by Vineyard Bay Estates developers and their vendors that all issues with the proposed subdivision had been settled. NHNP detailed definitive factual comments in blue following developer/vendor claims in black for easy comparisons.

NHNP response and supporting documents are available here.