Melville Crossing public hearing packs Huntington Town Hall

To Sean Camas, a developer's proposal to replace a parking lot and an empty office building in the Melville Town Center Overlay District with condos, rental units and retail shops represents hope he will be able to stay on Long Island after college.

"I’ve watched my generation disappear from Long Island," said Camas, 22, a political science major at Stony Brook University. "Friends who I grew up with, lifelong friends, have moved to places such as Florida, Texas, even West Virginia. ... When I think about where I want to live and where I want to raise a family, I want to be here in Huntington, here on Long Island."

Camas was among nearly 50 residents — about half for and half against — who addressed the Huntington Town Board Thursday evening at a public hearing on the Melville Crossing proposal, which includes plans for 400 housing units, a pool, clubhouse, parking and ground-floor retail space.

It would be built at the northeast corner of Maxess Road and Corporate Center Drive.

Bethpage-based developer Steel Equities has sought the board's approval for a special-use permit necessary to begin construction.

First pitch for Overlay District

Melville Crossing marks the first project up for consideration within the Melville Town Center Overlay District, which was approved by the town board in 2024, allowing mixed-use development in certain areas historically used for light-industrial operations and office space, Newsday previously reported.

About half those in the near-capacity audience at Town Hall applauded at the mention of the developers building 400 housing units, 20% of which would be marked as affordable, in accordance with federal guidelines and based on Suffolk County median income levels. The other half took umbrage at the potential negative effects of the project — or any such development in the Melville area — on the environment and first responder services, as well as the Half Hollow Hills school district and traffic.

Plans call for narrowing Maxess Road to a single lane in each direction to accommodate on-street parking along the storefronts. That represents a potential traffic “disaster,” said Dorothea Fitzsimmons, 65, of Melville

"You have tractor trailer trucks that come through there ... and you’re going to have children getting out of a car?" said Fitzsimmons in an interview with Newsday during the hearing. "Why are we eliminating a whole lane to make it profitable for development?"

Steel Equities’ proposal calls for four condominium buildings containing a total of 33 one-bedroom and 77 two-bedroom units for purchase, and seven buildings containing a total of 290 studio, one- and two-bedroom apartments for rent, according to site plans filed with the town. 

"They have been engaged, responsive and willing to consider various solutions," Half Hollow Hills schools Superintendent John O'Farrell told the town board in reference to his dealings with Steel Equities representatives.

"Although we do not have an agreement at this time," O'Farrell added, "we have found enough common ground to continue this work."

'Great support'

When addressing the board, William Bonesso, the attorney representing the developer, confirmed the discussions with the district and similarly expressed hope of reaching an agreement.

"Overall, [the hearing] evidenced that there is great support for this project," Bonesso told Newsday afterward.

The town board has 90 days to approve, or extend the application period for Steel Equities’ special-use permit for Melville Crossing, Town Supervisor Ed Smyth told Newsday late Thursday.

When asked how he might vote on the permit, Smyth answered by describing Melville Crossing as "a great proposal" and "precisely what we envisioned" when passing the overlay district.

The proposal will have a "minimal" environmental impact, he added, as construction will occur on a previously developed site, as opposed to "undisturbed land."

"They currently have acres of asphalt, roads, utilities, sidewalks," Smyth said. "This area of Melville is fully developed with buildings, warehouses — they’re just not being used."