As you may have heard in prior board meetings or at Supt’s On, the Town of Huntington has approved a zoning change for the area East of Route 110, West of Pinelawn Road and South of the Long Island Expressway. This area now constitutes the Melville Town Center Overlay District (MTCOD). As part of this zoning change, the Town has approved up to 1,500 residential units, spread over several separate developments, with a pause after each 400 units so that the impact to the environment, including the school district, can be fairly evaluated.
The District is now aware of a similar proposed overlay district in the Town of Babylon, called the East Farmingdale Overlay District. Although the East Farmingdale Overlay District is split between Half Hollow Hills and the Farmingdale School District, there is a potential for several hundred new residential units to be built in our portion.
In total, these new overlay districts represent a potential 15% increase in the overall number of residential units in Half Hollow Hills, from approximately 16,500 currently to nearly 19,000 proposed. For the MTCOD, it is estimated that these developments will be built over the next 7 to 10 years. Even if the proposed developments do not approach the maximum allowable units, this still represents a substantial increase to the number of residential units, and potential students, served in the District.
Given the types of residential units proposed to date, it is assumed by developers that the student yield - the number of students generated from an individual development - is much lower than what might be expected from single family homes or other residential unit types. This may be true, but we do not have concrete data from within Half Hollow Hills to support these claims. As a result, these developments pose a substantial risk to the District. The risk of rapidly increasing student enrollment is compounded by the likelihood of Payments In Lieu of Taxes (PILOT), which reduce the overall tax burden for each development.
To mitigate this risk, we have been working with both the Town of Huntington and private developers to establish an agreement that would hold each development financially accountable to the District for their actual student yield. In short, we have proposed an agreement that includes no additional cost for developers unless the actual student yield surpasses tuition equivalent which corresponds to the actual student yield. Although no agreement has been reached at this point, we do have a meeting scheduled for Thursday, March 12 to continue discussions. On Thursday, March 19, the Town of Huntington will be holding a public hearing on the first proposed development, Melville Crossing, which is being proposed by Steel Equities. Although there will be no vote held at this hearing, I would encourage anyone with an interest in these zoning changes or individual developments to attend.
It is, and has been, the position of the District to remain neutral and not take a position for or against private development that takes place within our boundaries. We do not establish code, nor do we have any role in the approval process. But, it is our hope that our elected officials in the Town recognize the potential risks to the District and establish a fair and equitable arrangement that can be used as a model for all proposed developments in the MTCOD. Without such an agreement, we are relying on our elected officials to vote in opposition to any proposal that might negatively impact the District. We are appreciative of the Councilmembers who have stated and demonstrated their support for the District, and are encouraged by their commitment to only voting in favor of projects that address our concerns.
Sincerely,
Mr. John O'Farrell
Superintendent of Schools