D-Day has come for a series of long abandoned buildings on New York Avenue in Huntington
Station — demolition is about to get underway.
Huntington-based developer G2G Development will begin overseeing of the demolition of existing structures located from 1000 to 1026 New York Avenue in order to make way for the construction of Gateway Plaza, a mixed-use building that will consist of 66 apartments and approximately 16,000-square-feet of retail space. The existing Brother’s Barber Shop is the only shop that will remain as is.
“We’re excited to see another revitalization project begin,” said Huntington Supervisor Chad Lupinacci (R). “This is one more step toward returning Huntington Station to the vibrant downtown area it once was.”
Demolition officially began Oct. 8 with contractors beginning to cut down trees on the property, and will get in full swing later this week, according to Andrea Bonilla, the Huntington Station liaison for the master developer Renaissance Downtowns. Overall, it is anticipated to take a few weeks but the timeline is fluid based on what the weather permits.
Bonilla said that G2G Development recently received their final set of building permits for construction on the site. If all goes according to plans, the grounds should be cleared to begin construction of Gateway by mid-November.
“One of the things we have to really hope for is that there’s no major freeze or snow beforehand,” Bonilla said. “If that happens, then setting the foundation would be more difficult.”
“This is one more step toward returning Huntington Station to the vibrant downtown area it once was.”
— Chad Lupinacci
G2G Development has not yet selected contractors and subcontractors who will work with them to vertically build out Gateway Plaza, according to Bonilla, but many of those contracts are currently accepting bids.
Renaissance Downtowns was originally hoping to break ground on Gateway Plaza in 2016 but hit several snags and delays. In September 2015, the plans passed environmental review by Huntington Town Board. However, all four sites involved had to be acquired from different owners, requiring extensive negotiations.
A crucial piece of the puzzle fell into place when Huntington town council voted 4-1 to transfer town-owned property of 1000 New York Ave. to the developer in April 2018. Councilman Ed Smyth (R) was the sole vote against, stating that giving the land away for free was “unconscionable.”
Shortly after the land transfer, the developer submitted a request to the town seeking to change the composition of the apartments to include 11 two-bedroom units not written into the original plans. Due to public backlash voiced by the Huntington Station community and Huntington town board, the request was eventually withdrawn.