Planned Elwood Shopping Center Back On Agenda

A rendering depicts the proposed 486,380 square-foot commercial center on Jericho Turnpike in Elwood that requires an amendment and zone change from the Huntington town board. Rendering courtesy of Villadom

By Connor Beach
cbeach@longislandergroup.com

 The Huntington Town Board scheduled Tuesday a public hearing to simultaneously consider an amendment to the Horizons 2020 Comprehensive Plan and a zone change application that would allow for the construction of a 486,380 square-foot commercial center on Jericho Turnpike in Elwood.

Great Neck-based developer Villadom’s proposed Elwood Orchard shopping center would include retail space, offices, medical space and parking for 1,929 vehicles, according to town documents. The development of the property is slated to disturb 49.28 acres on the northwest corner of Jericho Turnpike and Manor Road.

The Huntington Planning Board on Feb. 28 recommended to the town board that the extension of the Commercial, Major Commercial Corridor land use classifications to include the Elwood Orchard property would be “the appropriate amendment to the Comprehensive Plan to develop the property for commercial use,” according to the resolution.

The planning board held a public hearing on June 22, 2016 to consider the amendment to the Comprehensive Plan that drew a crowd of hundreds.

At its Feb. 28 meeting, the planning board discussed its recommendation to the town board regarding the Comprehensive Plan amendment.

“The Planning Board finds that the most significant potential environmental impact from recommending the property for commercial development would be an increase in traffic, and therefore recommends that any land use development plan for the property include a variety of mixed-uses,” according to the planning board’s recommendation.

The planning board also included a provision in the recommendation that the proposal should provide a significant community benefit, such as public parkland, community space or some other municipal or civic use.

The planning board did not make a recommendation to the town board regarding the zone change application for the property that would change the zoning from a combination of R-40 and C-6 to C-5 Planned Shopping Center District, according to town spokeswoman Lauren Lembo.

“The town board instructed the applicant to prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement to address potentially significant environmental impacts from the project,” Lembo said.

The resolution states that the DEIS was completed by VHB Engineering, Surveying and Landscape Architecture, P.C. on behalf of the developer in November 2015.

Among other findings, the DEIS states that potential storm water runoff from the proposed shopping center and the resulting estimated concentrations of inorganic chemicals “do not have the potential to adversely affect groundwater quality.”

The simultaneous public hearings for the Comprehensive Plan amendment and the zone change are scheduled for the May 15 meeting at 7 p.m.

A call for comment to Villadom was not returned before deadline Wednesday.