NHNP Petitions Town Board to Halt Vineyard Bay Estates Subdivision

MARCH 12, 2024: Members of the Nathan Hale Nature Preserve Committee and other interested neighbors attended the March meeting of the Huntington Town Board to entreat elected officials to listen to their voices. Though – as per what has become the norm for citizens seeking input into decisions affecting their lives and property values – the Town Board limited each party to three minutes at the podium, the NHNP Committee was able to officially petition the Board to consider and record a motion to:

1. Order that the Planning Board vacate its findings that: (a) the requirements of the New York State Environmental Quality Review Act (“SEQRA")have been met for the proposed subdivision and that there will be no significant environmental impacts; and (b) a Negative Declaration is appropriate based upon the Planning Board’s review of the environmental assessment data submitted and the regulations, both of which were set forth in the Resolution filed with the Town Clerk’s office on February 26, 2024

2. Order the Planning Board to undertake a comprehensive, objective and independent expert assessment of all environmental, safety, land, water, wildlife, flora and fauna and air issues associated of the proposed subdivision as mandated by SEQRA;

3. Order that the Planning Board of the Town of Huntington vacate its preliminary approval of the Preliminary Map of Vineyard Bay Estates dated January 11, 2022, revised November 17, 2003 and received December 5, 2023 as was set forth in its Resolution filed with the Town Clerk’s office on February 26, 2024; and

4. Require that the Planning Board instruct the owners/developers to immediately undertake the development of architectural renderings of the project with detailed depictions of the proposed houses, as situated on their proposed sites, along with showing the true heights and lengths of any proposed retaining walls that must be constructed to insure the safety and integrity of the property’s steep slopes. Details as to the cubic yards estimates of excavated earth and fill needed are required as is the source and type of fill.

The Town Board took no action.

March 7 Open Zoom Meeting Scheduled. Neighbors Signing On to Voice Opposition to Vineyard Bay Estates!

In its first scheduled open meeting, the Nathan Hale Nature Preserve Committee is gathering neighbors and concerned Huntington citizens in an online meeting March 7, 5 PM.

Interested neighbors may complete the contact form on the Home page of this website to receive a dedicated Zoom link.

The meeting agenda is:

1.      Introduction/ Reason for This Meeting

2.     Website Key Points

3.     Other Support

4.     Status of Organization

5.     Costs to Date

6.     Fundraising

7.     Closing

8.     Questions from chat

Public Shows Up. Planning Board Silences Them. Again

2/21/24: In a Planning Board meeting abruptly scheduled one week prior, with critical documents to support developers' intentions uploaded to Town website only 24 hours beforehand, the Vineyard Bay Estates developers received conditional approval for development site plans despite strong community opposition.

Attorneys for the Nathan Hale Nature Preserve Committee, a steering committee of concerned residents, filed letters with the Town of Huntington Planning Board and the Town Board, asking them to pause their deliberations until New York State SEQRA determinations were investigated.

They were unsuccessful and the Planning Board voted to allow developers to proceed.

At the previous Planning Board meeting concerning the development, on October 11 , 2023, the public was not allowed to speak and the Board spoke for them, though they were in attendance and objecting.

At the first Planning Board hearing on Vineyard Bay Estates, August 2, 2023, public input was limited to 3-minute speeches, though the developers and their representatives were not constrained in their presentations.