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Politics & Government

Board OKs Gerard Street Plan Change

Retaining walls and curb cuts on the agenda.

The town of Huntington’s Planning Board discussed proposed construction and changes on numerous properties Wednesday night, including demolition of a property on Gerard Street and construction on a vacant lot on Oakwood Road.

The Planning Board’s agenda was packed with proposed items.

The first site plan up for discussion, 40 Gerard St., would require demolishing the one-story building on the site and replacing it with a three-story complex. The first floor would be for retail, with the second and third floor housing apartments. Although the application has been before the board for several years, Planning Board member Avrum Rosen still had reservations about the building due to parking constraints. The board ultimately approved the site changes.  

Another item up for discussion was Blackstone Steakhouse in Melville. The restaurant owners want to construct an outdoor dining area. The board approved these site changes as well.

Robert Flynn Jr. from Flynn & Flynn, a law firm located in Huntington, spoke on behalf of Graphic Image Inc. on Spagnoli Road in Melville. The Planning Board had initially directed Graphic Image to make numerous site beautifications to the property. While Flynn argued that many of the initial recommendations were unnecessary, board members disagreed.

“There is an opportunity for enhancement, that enhancement being additional vegetation,” Planning Board chairman Paul Mandelik said.

“Can you swing some trees there? That’s all I’m asking for,” board member Jane Devine added.

Flynn and the board ultimately compromised to add more trees on the street and make minor parking lot changes to improve the property.

The next item up for consideration was the proposed construction on Oakwood Road. A one-story office building is intended for the vacant lot near Stimson Middle School and the owner of the property also owns the adjacent building and wanted to place a curb cut between the two properties so that visitors could have access to both. The board approved the curb cut. 

One final item the board deliberated on was a property on Bittersweet Court. The owner was originally required to plant around the retaining wall they had built in order to make the property more aesthetically pleasing to the neighbors. Although natural vegetation already exists around the retaining wall, the board decided that further inspection of the view from the neighbor’s property was in order before deciding whether the owner of the property needed to add more plantings.

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