In April 2006, the Town of Huntington adopted a local law (Local Law 14-2006) that added § 198-27(A)(22) to its Zoning Code. That local law allows apartments on the top floors of some mixed-used buildings in its C6 General Business District, where the ground floor is occupied by a permitted commercial use. While the code provides certain restrictions on these upstairs apartments, such as no upper floor can exceed the footprint of the ground floor and the mixed used building must meet all height, area and bulk requirements, these limitations are not enough for some residents. They contend that the zoning allows too many apartments to be piled on top of a commercial establishment, resulting in over-development, traffic, pollution, loss of open space and other adverse impacts.

At the May 1, 2018 Huntington Town Board meeting, a petition signed by almost 1000 residents was presented to the board, demanding that the board hold a public hearing to revoke or significantly limit the number of apartments. Some of the proponents of this change noted at the meeting that Huntington “was becoming Queens” as a result of the 2006 local law. Several of the speakers pointedly reminded the Supervisor of statements he made during his campaign, to preserve the suburban nature of the Town. This grass-roots effort to change the zoning code may be having an impact on the Town Board.

The Supervisor reportedly asked the town’s planning department to review the C6 zoning provision in an effort to strike a balance between encouraging business development while at the same time preserving the quaint nature of the town. Once the planning department completes its review and issues its recommendation, the Town Board will then decide whether to hold a public hearing to change the zoning code. Stay tuned.

[View source.]