The Transit Oriented Development (TOD) proposal is gone. The new Avalon Huntington Station will comply with the Town's existing zoning ordinance, R-3M. This means the density of the development, the number of units, and the workforce housing set-aside – all are within current zoning guidelines. And being within zoning guidelines means no extraordinary impact on the Town, the School District, or the neighborhood.
Avalon Huntington Station is a proposed development of 379 units of mixed residential housing, both rental (80%) and for-sale (20%) apartment home. Fifty four (54) units will be set aside as workforce housing. The apartment homes will be offered as one (94), two (181) and three (104) bedroom units. This development, as proposed, is 111 units less than the previous TOD proposal, but it retains the same percentage mix of rental and for-sale units. We intend to maximize public and private green space by providing clustering of units and a mix of two and three story structures. Our new development will actually have a higher percentage of green and open space than Avalon Court.
Although considerably smaller than the TOD plan, the new Avalon Huntington Station will still provide a solution for the area’s pressing housing needs: for working families, young professionals, and empty nesters. AvalonBay has a successful track record of operating on Long Island residential communities that answer these housing needs. Just look at Avalon Commons in Smithtown and Avalon Court & Court North in Melville. We invite everyone in Town to visit any of our communities to see first-hand the quality of our buildings and the positive impact our developments have had upon their neighborhoods.
A neighborhood without economic diversity, without commercial life, and without a robust retail presence is a neighborhood on the edge of failure. One of the most important benefits of revitalizing neighborhoods like Huntington Station is the subsequent reduction in crime.
Research from the American Academy for Professional Law Enforcement (AAPLE) the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) indicates that crime rates decline when a community is created that attracts people who have a stake in its success. Revitalization that results in an economically diverse community with attractive housing that appeals to skilled workers results in lower crime rates.
In our own communities, we have seen evidence of reduced crime:
Of course, a new residential development brings in tax revenue, but how many new children and what about the cost of educating them?
In our new, down-sized development of 379 units, the school district should expect from 65 to 78 new students. At 65 students, the net cost (tax revenues minus cost of education) to the school district is expected to result in a modest annual surplus of $307,000. If 78 students enrolled in the school district, the impact would essentially be break-even (actually, a small $2,067 surplus).
Fair and objective analysis demonstrates that Avalon’s down-sized proposal will have a neutral to positive effect upon the school district.
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The new, less dense Avalon Huntington Station will definitely improve the neighborhood quality of life. Apart from sparking much needed residential revitalization, the community will help to spur retail and commercial development by bringing new residents into the neighborhood. The new proposal’s impact on traffic will be within the R-3M code guidelines, and Avalon’s measures designed to reduce traffic congestion, which were included in the original TOD, are part of the new proposal. Of course, the proximity of the development to mass transit (within a quarter mile of the train station) and the planned open space and green areas within the complex itself will aid in conservation and add to the beauty of the neighborhood.
The new development will bring high quality multi-family residences to the Huntington Station neighborhood. It will include a swimming pool, clubhouse, fitness center, landscaped courtyard and BBQ areas.
