Queries Continue at Final Avalon Information Session

The scene was quiet at Avalon Court in Melville as AvalonBay affiliates and curious community members gathered for one final informational meeting prior to the Town Board's Sept. 21 vote pertaining to Avalon Huntington Station. AvalonBay staff stood ready to clarify details about the proposed luxury apartment project for the few Huntington and Huntington Station residents present on Monday night.

"People do have a lot of questions," said Tom Dixon of Nelson & Pope Engineers.  "But most have spoken their minds at the previous meeting and at the public hearing last week."

Even though many are strictly opposed to Avalon Huntington Station, others who support the plan still find some fault with it.

"I'm a hybrid," said Huntington Station resident Robert Desmond. "I would agree with a scaled down version."

Desmond, like many others, is a fan of the potential economic benefits of the project, but said he loses confidence when faced with certain aspects of the proposition, such as interference of special interest groups and the supposed "benefit" of a Transit Oriented Development (TOD).

"Whenever I see special interest groups involved, I know it's bad for the resident," Desmond affirmed. "I'm a free market guy, but you have people out there recruiting those groups that aren't even Huntington Station residents. Does Huntington need the income? Absolutely. Those who are against it are wrong. But when you have these special interest groups, people who don't live here, in the ear of Town Hall, you've lost the trust of the public."

Most present at last week's Town Hall meeting spoke out against Avalon Huntington Station, but many aligned with Desmond's opposition to a TOD, insisting that it could take away from Huntington's suburban feel.

"The TOD is the biggest sore spot," Desmond said. "It's a poison pill."

Another prominent concern among Huntington residents is the project's potential effect on Huntington's already congested schools.

"Unless they defy the laws of physics, you can't fit another kid in there," said Desmond, who has a son in the sixth-grade at Woodhull. "This new housing community would guarantee additional students."

While Desmond and similarly opinioned residents support AvalonBay but are not completely satisfied with the current proposal, others, like property owner Frank Bonavita, see Avalon Huntington Station as a solely positive addition to the community. 

"There's a lot of misinformation out there," Bonavita insisted, subsequently admitting that letting AvalonBay build in Huntington Station is a better plan than letting a property owner like himself do so.

"Weirdly, I support someone else's plan on my property," Bonavita added. "Speaking as a property owner, their community is a better option than what I got approved 10 years ago. "

Bonavita, who currently has permission to build 109 single-family homes in the same location, pointed out the benefits of granting AvalonBay permission to build instead – one of which is the $2 million that will be given to the community with $1.5 million going to the Huntington Union Free School District.

"If AvalonBay builds, there will be more tax revenue, less kids, and more money going to the school district," Bonavita said. "If I build mine, the Huntington school district will get zero. If the town doesn't give it the vote, I will be going and breaking ground. I've got the keys to the bulldozer in my pocket right now."

Furthermore, Bonavita said he believes that the project will elevate the community because of its accessibility to young professionals.

"The housing needs on Long Island have changed over the years," Bonavita said. "There's a brain drain in Huntington. We need the young people, but they can't afford it. AvalonBay gives them that opportunity."