Renaissance Downtowns apologizes for Gateway Plaza mix up

The master developer behind Huntington Station’s revitalization plans wishes it was more transparent with residents outraged by proposed changes it was seeking to Gateway Plaza.

Renaissance Downtowns and developer G2G Development submitted a request April 24 seeking to change the composition of apartments that will make up the Gateway Plaza building to be constructed on the corner of Olive Street and New York Avenue. It sought to construct 11 two-bedroom apartments — not included in the original plans, which called for a mix of one-bedroom and studio units — by decreasing the number of studios.

Huntington Station resident Matt Harris raised his objections at the May 1 Huntington Town board meeting, highlighting the requested changes to town officials.

“The people of Huntington Station have been lied to for 48 years,” Harris said. “Developer after developer after developer has lied to us and now Renaissance is doing it.”

Councilman Gene Cook (R) immediately backed Harris’ opinion, saying he approved the project to construct one-bedroom and studio apartments. He called for the town attorney’s office to launch an investigation into the developer’s request.

“We have been keenly aware of the concerns raised by community members over the last couple of weeks about the Gateway Project,” said Ryan Porter, CEO and president of Renaissance Downtowns in a May 12 statement on a website for the project, Source the Station. “While we don’t necessarily agree with the assumptions being made regarding two-bedroom units of this size and nature we clearly hear the community concerns. We are regretful that our transparency with the community over the last [six] years did not come through in this instance.”

The proposed changes were received by the town’s Department of Planning and Environment after the board approved transferring of the town-owned parcel at 1000 New York Avenue to the developer with a 4-1 vote at its April 10 meeting, according to town spokeswoman Lauren Lembo. Councilman Ed Smyth (R) had been the sole objector to the land transfer calling it a “betrayal of public trust.”

The 1000 New York Avenue property was one of the four parcels needed to move forward with the construction of Gateway Plaza. The approved site plan for 1000 to 1026 New York Avenue calls for the construction of a mixed-used building consisting of 16,000-square-feet of retail space and a total of 66 apartments. The existing Brother’s Barber Shop will remain in place.

Renaissance Downtowns celebrated the grand opening of its Northridge apartments with a May 7 ribbon cutting and ceremony. The building, located at the intersection of Northridge Street and New York Avenue, is one of the first concrete steps in the town’s Huntington Station revitalization project. Construction of the mixed-use building began in January 2017 by Huntington-based Blue & Gold Holdings contractors. It consists of 6,500-square-feet of retail space on the ground level, with a total of 16 one-bedroom apartments on the second and third floors.

Read Porter’s entire May 12 statement regarding the changes to Gateway Plaza here.