Melville Town Center: LIBOR Submits Testimony in Support of Pro-Housing Rezoning

Over the past year, the Town of Huntington has been working with the Melville community to create a walkable downtown with mixed-use development entirely south of the Long Island Expressway. After five general listening sessions and over 20 breakout meetings, the Town of Huntington is presenting an ambitious plan - the “Melville Town Center” concept to the public through a series of public hearings on two code change resolutions – 2024-178 and 2024-179.

"REALTORS® support Board Resolutions 2024-178 and 2024-179 as part of the Town of Huntington’s economically prudent plan to reimagine Melville’s outdated maze of office parks and concrete. Melville Town Center can be a beacon of responsible growth for Long Island that uplifts our regional economy," wrote LIBOR Government Affairs. "Long Island’s housing crisis demands increased collaboration between our many levels of government and our private sector, including our continued expectation that local officials will prioritize the responsible greenlighting of new homes without harming the quality of life that makes homeownership so valuable... REALTORS® are very encouraged by the Town’s plans for a new, walkable downtown based on mixed-used redevelopment that avoids trampling our precious open spaces and manages transportation assets appropriately – without unrealistic zoning that only produces more unused asphalt. What better way to repurpose underutilized parcels than to create a vibrant community both for our families and employers?" Read the full submitted testimony here.

LIBOR is one of many regional associations supporting this bold plan to repurpose the office parks and industrial spaces off Route 110: "The proposed new zoning would allow buildings with retail and commercial use on the ground level with residential units above, including rooftop dining. It would cover the area bordered on the north by the Long Island Expressway south to Ruland Road and from Walt Whitman Road to Pinelawn Road, according to Smyth. The Commercial Industrial Brokers Society of Long Island is supporting the town center plan and has urged its members to attend Thursday’s public session and the subsequent public hearings," reported Long Island Business News. "Kyle Strober, executive director of the Association for a Better Long Island (ABLI), praised Huntington Town’s approach: 'The Town of Huntington’s proposal to rezone the Route 110 corridor recognizes the stark but simple challenge that if we can’t attract a young and vibrant workforce seeking a live-work-play environment then essential companies will lose the means to attract these Next-Gen employees. That creates the potential of an economic death spiral of our own making. In addition, this plan will generate new tax revenue that will reduce that tax burden for residents within the town.'"