Huntington – The Huntington Planning
Board will not be accepting the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for
The Preserve at Indian Hills at their June 19 meeting.
The Town’s Planning Department has
not received the revised DEIS from the applicant in time to be reviewed by the
department for the June 19 meeting. The DEIS was expected to be on the agenda
for the June 19 Planning Board meeting after it was pulled from the June 5
meeting agenda but in the absence of the receipt of a revised DEIS,
consideration of the DEIS cannot occur at the June 19 Planning Board meeting.
Town Planning Department staff had
requested additional information that had been identified in the Project
Scoping but was not adequately covered in the proposed DEIS. The additional
information sought is primarily in the areas of natural environmental
resources, water and air resources, ecological resources and community-related
character and services.
The DEIS was prepared by Nelson,
Pope & Voorhis, LLC and submitted to the Town of Huntington Department of
Planning and Environment on April 17, 2019.
The Planning Board was scheduled to
determine, at their June 5 meeting, whether to accept the DEIS as adequate for
public review in terms of scope and content, or return the DEIS to Nelson, Pope
& Voorhis, LLC with a written identification of the deficiencies.
On August 16, 2018, the Town of
Huntington released The Preserve at Indian Hills Draft Scope submitted
by the applicant for a public review and comment period, which ended Monday,
September 17, 2018. During the public comment period on the Draft Scope, residents
were encouraged to suggest any additional information pertinent to the The
Preserve at Indian Hills project.
The Planning Board passed a
resolution regarding The Preserve at Indian Hills at its August 8, 2018
meeting, declaring itself the lead agency for SEQRA review; issuing a Positive
Declaration, citing a significant environmental impact with the proposed plan
for 98 residences and a clubhouse for the Fort Salonga golf course development,
requiring the applicant to provide a detailed environmental impact statement
(DEIS); and requiring the applicant to submit a draft scope of topics for
analysis, including impact on water quality, traffic and other issues.
The resolution adopted by the
Planning Board on August 8 was sent to all involved agencies on August 14. A
Draft Scope was received from the applicant on August 14 and the Town provided
the document to the involved agencies and concerned members of the Fort Salonga
Property Owners Association on August 15. The Town has 60 days from the receipt
of the Draft Scope to provide a copy of it to all involved agencies until it is
adopted.
The Preserve at
Indian Hills Draft Scope document can be viewed on the Town’s
website under the Planning & Environment Department page, under Site Specific
Plans, Reports & Studies (select Senior Living Projects or
Residential Projects). The Draft Scope assists the Town of Huntington Planning
Board in evaluating the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS).
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