Hearing on Proposed 'Seasons at Elwood' Housing Draws Hundreds

Hundreds gathered at Huntington Town Hall Tuesday night to voice their opinions  – pro and con – about a rezoning application for a proposed senior housing development at the former Oak Tree Dairy site in East Northport.

The proposed development, known as The Seasons at Elwood, was originally slated to be a 444-unit age-restricted community. The developer, Engel Burman, has since scaled back the community to 360 units.

More than 100 people had signed up to speak at Tuesday’s public hearing.

Michael McCarthy, the developer’s attorney said the proposed development would serve the needs of Huntington’s aging demographic and allow for redevelopment of an “industrial-type” property. As senior housing, the development would not impact the school district’s population but still “provide a needed source of tax revenue.”

Yet concerns remain for some residents about the density of the proposed project and the impact it would have on traffic in the area. Still others expressed concerns about leftover contaminants in the soil that would be disturbed in the redevelopment, especially given the proximity to the high school and middle school nearby.  

There was no vote on the proposed development on Tuesday.