Proposed Huntington Station Hotel Gets Needed Rezoning

The Huntington Town Board approved the rezoning of a Huntington Station property Tuesday that could eventually pave the way for a new boutique hotel to be built. 

The Town Board added the property, currently a municipal parking lot located at the corner of New York Avenue and Railroad Street, to the Huntington Station overlay district and added the option of a special use permit for hotels in the overlay district, with the provision that the Town Board would have to approve the permit.

Renaissance Downtowns, the Town’s master developer for Huntington Station, has said that one of the more popular community suggestions about potential projects was a boutique hotel for the site. 

The Town Board Tuesday also approved the allocation of $2 million from the Town’s Affordable Housing Trust Fund as part of the construction cost of the Columbia Terrace housing project. A one-acre lot, on the corner of Lowndes Avenue and Columbia Street, will hold 14 condos designated for sale to veterans at affordable prices.

The remainder of the Columbia Terrace construction funding is expected to come from a $1.5 million state grant. Proceeds from the sale of the units will be used to replenish the Trust Fund.

The Town Board also approved an amendment to the agreement between the Town and Renaissance Downtowns requiring finalization of a Community Benefits Agreement before the site plan will be approved for any Renaissance project. Previously, the completion of a Community Benefits Agreement before construction was considered a goal and not a requirement.

“Individually, any one of these measures would be significant,"  Town Supervisor Frank Petrone said in a statement. "Taken together, they add even more excitement to Huntington Station’s revitalization, which has seen several major advances in the past year." 

How do you feel about a boutique hotel being build in Huntington Station? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.