By Michael R. Ebert
michael.ebert@newsday.com
The Town of Huntington recently extended its contract with Cashin Associates, the Hauppauge-based engineering firm in charge of preparing the town’s local waterfront revitalization plan (LWRP).
As part of the deal, Cashin will receive $8,000 to conduct an environmental review, which the town had originally planned to conduct itself, according to town officials.
“Initially, the town had planned to complete the environmental review in-house,” said town spokesperson Fran Evans, who noted the environmental review would study the potential ecological impacts of the LWRP. “But the Town Board decided it makes more sense for Cashin to handle it, since they are already handling so much of the project.”
The LWRP is the result of 1981 state legislation that encouraged local municipalities to manage development and protect natural resources. The policy of the plan is to cultivate a pattern of development in coastal areas that enhances community character and preserves open space. Huntington’s LWRP excludes the four incorporated villages of Asharoken, Huntington Bay, Lloyd Harbor, and Northport, which are preparing their own plans.
Five months ago, the town butted heads with residents who were confused over a plan to rezone town-owned underwater land from residential to a “Maritime Zoning” classification, which is needed to get final approval from the state to implement the town’s LWRP plan. Local residents were afraid the rezoning would encroach on their deeded land.
According to Evans, the town’s initial contract with Cashin was approved in 2005 for the amount of $60,000. To date, approximately $57,300 of that allotment has been spent. She was unsure of the timeframe of the environmental review.
No comments:
Post a Comment