Renaissance Groundbreaking Delayed
/By Jano Tantongco
jtantongco@longislandergroup.com
Groundbreaking on Renaissance Downtowns’ planned 20,758-square-foot, three-story Northridge Street development, rendered above, has been delayed by “a couple of weeks,” officials said.
The Huntington Town Board pulled from its meeting agenda last week two resolutions that, if approved, would have conveyed town-owned property to Huntington Station master developer Renaissance Downtowns as part of its revitalization plan.
Renaissance Downtowns will now delay breaking ground with its planned Northridge Street development by “a couple of weeks,” according to Ryan Porter, vice president of planning and development for the developer. Work on the development was originally expected to begin in mid-November, he said.
“The only reason that [the resolutions] were pulled was because we were working through some language,” Porter said. The second resolution pertained to the Gateway Plaza development, another of the five structures that Renaissance Downtowns plans to move forward with as part of its plan.
“We just didn’t get there yet,” Porter added.
Porter said he hopes the developer and town board can workthrough the issue, and that he hopes the town board will schedule a special meeting to approve the Northridge resolution prior to its next scheduled meeting, which is Nov. 10.
“I’m not concerned about it,” Porter said on Wednesday. “I’m hoping we can get settled within the next week or two, at the most, maybe less. The impact should be minimal if we can get through this in the coming days.”
Town spokesman A.J. Carter said that the board needed “more details” to vote upon the resolutions. The Gateway Plaza resolution was pulled prior to last Wednesday’s meeting during the board’s workshop, while the Northridge resolution was pulled during the meeting itself.
When asked what additional information the board needed and whether there would be a special meeting called, Carter said “I’m not going to comment on that.”
Carter did say that special meetings have been called by the board in the past to make determinations on resolutions.
He also said that, when public lands are transferred to private entities, the conveyance is subject to a permissive referendum, which allows for a petition opposing the move to be filed with the town within 30 day of the approval of the resolution, as per state law.
The planned 20,758-square-foot, three-story Northridge Street development, which is eyed for the northeast corner of New York Avenue and Northridge Street, would include both retail and residential space for 16 total apartments.
Porter previously said the Northridge development was OK’d by the Huntington Zoning Board of Appeals, and received site plan approval. He said a building permit is pending.
As for the planned Gateway development, which would be a three-story commercial structure with apartments, it has also been OK’d by the ZBA, but a site plan is currently under review.
