BROOKHAVEN: Tallgrass project approved

In a divided vote, Brookhaven Town OKs development of retail, residential space in Shoreham

BY ERIK GERMAN

October 17, 2007 - Newsday

The Brookhaven Town Board approved the Tallgrass development in Shoreham last night over the objections of the councilman whose district encompasses the project and with significant changes to the final site plan.

Town planning officials called the move the biggest land use decision the town has made in 20 years.

The final plan will convert 321 grassy acres into a mixed-use development including 125,000 square feet of commercial space, 352 residential units, a 1 1/2-acre village green and almost 18 acres of ballfields.

The DiLalio sod farm and Tallgrass Country Club currently occupy the site.

The board approved the change of zone from A-1 residential to planned development district by a margin of 5-2. Councilman Kevin McCarrick, whose district includes Shoreham, objected to increased traffic and environmental impacts he said will result from the development.

"I know how my community feels about this project," said McCarrick in an emotional speech in which he begged fellow board members for support. "A vote against this tonight is a vote for all of us in the room because some day you may be in my position."

Tallgrass backers said it would affect the Shoreham-Wading River School District less than if the developer built 283 homes as is his right under the current zoning."Good people who are well-intentioned and well-informed have simply arrived at a different set of conclusions," said Supervisor Brian Foley, responding to McCarrick.

The latest version of the project - recommended by Brookhaven town planners - differs from the final proposal of Garden City developers Alec Ornstein and Bruce Barnet in several important ways:

Town planning officials placed a 45,000-square-foot limit on the size of retail outlets, a move they said would effectively eliminate so-called "big box" stores from locating in the development.

Also, 26 houses have been cut from the plan, along with 50,000 square feet of retail space. The new homes in the development will generate 10 fewer schoolchildren than projected in the original proposal.

The reductions - along with an increase in the development's affordable housing component from 10 percent to 20 percent - will diminish Tallgrass' projected yearly school tax surplus by more than $278,000.

After deducting the cost of educating extra students, developers had promised that the school district would net $444,707 in school taxes from Tallgrass; now that number is $166,239.

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