Huntington Seeks Consultant for Melville Plan
RFP issued for experts to produce integrated plan for land use, circulation and infrastructure
Melville, NY – Huntington Supervisor Frank P. Petrone and Councilman Mark Cuthbertson announce that the Town today issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for a consultant to prepare an integrated land use, circulation and infrastructure plan for the Melville Employment Center.
The RFP noted that the Town is looking for responses from experienced and knowledgeable firms to produce a plan that should include an action plan for land use planning initiatives, including recommended revisions to the Town’s Horizons 2020 Comprehensive Plan; zoning and regulatory changes; new design standards and other specific actions to accomplish consensus land-use goals. The RFP notes that the plan should facilitate the identification of trends, opportunities, pressures, and concerns regarding land use issues and offer proactive strategies.
The RFP envisions community involvement as key to the plan, noting that the process should engage the various stakeholders in future development of the Melville Employment Center, including local developers, commercial and residential owners, government officials, and community service providers. The RFP notes that the consultant will be required to hold up to five public meetings with the stakeholders as part of the process.
The stakeholders will be identified by the Huntington Town Board, in conjunction with the Melville Plan Advisory Committee, which will supervise the consultant’s work. The funding will come from the Town.
“This is an important next step in continuing the development of the Route 110 Corridor, which is Long Island’s downtown,” Supervisor Petrone said. “It is very important that the Town develop a roadmap to take into account business trends, lifestyle and transportation choices and future needs to keep Melville as a pre-eminent destination for companies and their employees.”
“The combination of retaining experts to produce the plan and engaging stakeholders throughout the process should help produce a strategy that will address both what the area needs and what it wants to manage growth in a way that enhances Melville’s status as a business and employment hub while considering community impacts and improving development character,” Councilman Cuthbertson said.
Preparation of a Melville Employment Center Plan was a key recommendation of the Horizons 2020, the Town’s comprehensive plan. Last year, the Town Board approved creation of the Melville Plan Advisory Committee to oversee the plan’s preparation and implementation.
Some specific topics to be covered by the Plan include:
Land use, including office/employment uses, industrial uses, residential uses, mixed used and open space;
Circulation, including traffic congestion, pedestrian and bicycle connectivity and enhanced transit service;
Community Facilities and Services, including sewage capacity for new developments and area-wide storm management, as well as assessing the effect on property tax revenues from office/industrial development versus the potential impacts on schools from new residential development
Design, including standards for new development.
The responses to the RFP are due August 15.