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Indian Hills Country Club

The Huntington Planning Board approved development on the property of the Indian Hills Country Club. File photo by Sara-Megan Walsh

On the evening of Wednesday, April 12, the Huntington Town Planning Board approved The Northwind Group’s development proposal at Indian Hills Country Club in Fort Salonga.

Throughout the meeting, a recording of which can be viewed at huntingtonny.gov/meetings, residents can be seen in the background holding up “Vote No” signs in a show of disapproval of the proposal. Signs also read, “Let Us Speak on Indian Hills,” since members of the public were not permitted to speak openly at this meeting.

At the outset, Anthony Aloisio, the town’s director of Planning & Environment, said,      “What I would want to do is just point out some of the improvements that we’ve made in the plan since the last plan that you approved was the preliminary plan.” 

“In the revised plan we’ve asked for some depressions to be built on the property,” he added. “This was to capture stormwater runoff from the proposed development areas as well as from the golf course.”

Board chairman Paul Ehrlich defended      the plan. “We’ve taken a long hard look at every aspect of this plan,” he said. “We’ve allowed the maximum amount of public input by having multiple public hearings, and even extending the comment period for months, well beyond those public hearings.” At this point  rumblings could be heard from the crowd.

Ehrlich said in the beginning of the process, the Planning Board passed a resolution directing The Northwind Group      and the planning staff to perform “a  broad and comprehensive environmental review. ”     

According to Ehrlich, at Northwind’s expense the town also brought in outside consultants to review their engineering study.

 “As a result of all of this, important aspects of the environmental conditions that currently exist are being significantly improved,” he said. “This application could have easily moved forward without any of these actions.” He also said that the “proposed resolution will ensure that the land of the golf course remains open space in perpetuity.”

Planning Board member Joseph Tantillo said that he has done extensive research on this project. “I would like the record
to note that I feel confident that I can make an objective decision on this plan,”
Tantillo said.

Judge Robert Lifson also said  he had done research into this project. “I feel no reason not to participate and vote, and I would vote to approve the project,” he said.

Judge Mara Manin Amendola addressed some of the residents present at the meeting.      “I see your signs,” Amendola said. “I understand how the neighbors feel.” She went on to say that “you have to agree it is an improvement” from the original proposal, adding, “Yes, we see you’re not happy, and we’re sorry for that.”

The proposal passed 4-0. The building then erupted in a chorus of boos. Chants of “shame on you” echoed throughout the room for several minutes. This then led to Ehrlich banging the gavel several times with requests for everyone to “clear the room” since the board still had more business to attend to.     

As the disturbances continued, Amendola said to a uniformed individual, “Can you make them leave? This is unacceptable.” While the yelling gradually quieted as the room was cleared, Amendola said to other members of the Planning Board: “I do feel bad for them, I do,” and then said, “This is bugging me,” in response to one individual shouting, “Corruption!”

Don McKay, who is running for a Town Board seat, attended the meeting and was not pleased with the way the approval was handled. In a phone interview, he said, “My primary objection is I think the entire application should have been a change of zone application.”

“Why this application did not go to the Town Board for full review and instead went to the Zoning Board of Appeals and the Planning Board, I believe was inappropriate. It should have gone to the Town Board as a change of zone application.”

“The way that this community was treated by the town was reprehensible,” McKay said. “They should have been given a lot more respect, courtesy, and they weren’t. That needs to change.”     

“I understand the fact that the developer does have a right to build some residential units on the property if he wants to,” McKay said. “But what he has proposed is too intense, too high of a density for this property.”

John Hayes, president of the Fort Salonga Property Owners Association, which was founded specifically for the project, was      also not pleased with how the Planning Board handled the situation.

“It was a so-called public hearing at which the public could not be heard,” Hayes said of the meeting in a phone interview.

“This hearing originally took place in February of 2022, and it was adjourned,” Hayes explained.      

“In the meantime, three new plans had been filed by the developer, considerably different in grading, drainage, tree preservation. And we were not allowed to speak on any of this. No public input allowed on it.”

Hayes also said that they are not completely opposed to development at this location, only that the proposed plans go “way too far” and that there have not been any concessions made that he would consider reasonable. “We’ve never ever said no development,” Hayes said. “But we are very passionate about the fact that it should be minimal, and the houses should be placed away from existing residents.”

Hayes went on to explain that some residents that own homes by the golf course would now have several more houses adjacent to their properties. Some of these residents obtained professional appraisals to investigate what the potential effects of these new houses would be, and they were told their property values could decrease by as much as 10%. 

In a phone interview, Jim Tsunis, CEO of The Northwind Group, disagreed with this claim. “The homes in the area will actually go up [in value] as a result of this community being built,” he said.

Tsunis, who has been in the real estate business for over 30 years, explained that “being in real estate for as long as I have and building communities in other areas, the homes in the area will benefit from this community being built.”

Tsunis said The Northwind Group has “met every single condition imposed by the Town of Huntington” and has “spent years studying and analyzing the site.” He also said that he has met multiple times with a different group, the Fort Salonga Association, a Fort Salonga-based civic association. “They helped me shape the community and they were able to endorse the community when the plans were completed,” he said.     

“The Fort Salonga Association has approved every iteration of the plan since it came into being,” Hayes countered. “We can understand why the Fort Salonga Association was not opposed to the principle of developing on the golf course. What we do not understand is how they could endorse the fact that these houses were right next door to existing properties rather than in the interior of the course.”

Additionally, when asked about the Fort Salonga Property Owners Association, Tsunis said that members have not been in contact for over four years to discuss the proposal to come to some sort of compromise. He indicated he would be more than willing to meet with the organization to discuss the situation.

Hayes said the association had negotiated with Tsunis years ago, adding, “We mutually agreed that we were too far apart. Since then, we haven’t had any contact, but he hasn’t had any contact with us either.” Hayes said that when they talked “there was really no attempt to reduce the number [of houses] that had already agreed on with the town.”

The Fort Salonga Property Owners Association is undergoing the process of filing lawsuits against both the town’s Zoning Board of Appeals and the Planning Board. “This is not a frivolous filing by any means,” Hayes said. “We would not be doing that if we didn’t think we had a very good chance of winning.”

Indian Hills Country Club. File photo by Sara-Megan Walsh

By Neil Mehta

The Hauppauge-based Northwind Group is hoping to break ground by March on developing a 55-and-over townhouse community in Fort Salonga named The Preserve at Indian Hills.

After a 4-3 vote by the Huntington Zoning Board of Appeals that allowed for the issue of a special-use permit modification, the Fort Salonga Property Owners Association announced plans to challenge the outcome in court according to FSPOA president John Hayes.

The ZBA Dec. 15 vote permitted the construction of 74 housing units and reconstruction of the clubhouse at Indian Hills Country Club. At the ZBA meeting, members of the FSPOA packed the boardroom with signs reading “Vote No.” Despite members’ objections, the vote ruled in favor of the development.A Dec. 19 letter from FSPOA attorney Karl Huth to the ZBA, posted on the organization’s Facebook page, argued that because the tiebreaking vote was cast by an alternate member of the board, the vote was invalid and requires an additional public hearing.

In a phone interview, Hayes described the decision as an “illegal vote,” adding that the FSPOA “will be filing a lawsuit.” Hayes said that if the ZBA vote is invalid, further approval for the development by the Huntington Planning Board based on the current ZBA vote will also be invalid.

ZBA attorney John Bennett disputed Hayes’ stance in a phone interview. Bennett cited a town code stating that alternate members of the ZBA “shall possess all of the powers and responsibilities” of an unavailable member.

The validity of the vote apart, residents are concerned that the new development will have detrimental environmental and property value consequences.

Hayes said that the northwest portion of the planned development sits on a recognized landslide zone losing several feet of land per year due to erosion. Additionally, the development may worsen water quality in the area.

“The community is vehemently opposed to the current plan,” Hayes said.

Northwind managing member Jim Tsunis highlighted several benefits of the new development in a phone interview. When asked about residents’ worries regarding the development’s environmental impact, Tsunis said his group performed “an environmental impact study that covers all of the concerns” residents have.

The housing development, Tsunis explained, has three major benefits: the preservation of the golf course, the introduction of natural gas to the entire neighborhood and additional tax revenue to the school district.

According to Tsunis, the group has already started sales for the new development, with 19 achieved to date. The suggested starting price for a three-bedroom townhouse in the new community is $1.4 million, according to the Northwind website.

“We’ve sold 50% available for sale already in a very short period of time,” he said.

Tsunis emphasized that all of the existing buyers are from within 10 miles of the new development. “What we’ve done is created a product that’s being bought by residents of the area,” he said. “I believe that’s significant.”

Indian Hills Country Club. File photo by Sara-Megan Walsh

More than 60 residents voiced their opinions on the proposed Preserve at Indian Hills development in Fort Salonga at a Town of Huntington Planning Board public hearing Sept. 18 to discuss the draft environmental impact statement on the project. Critics pointed to environmental concerns and negative effects on property values, while supporters viewed the project as beneficial to the community.   

Tony Izzo of Fort Salonga, said the development would have lasting negative impacts on the community. 

“Mr. [Jim] Tsunis [of The Northwind Group] wants to increase the size of the clubhouse by 30 percent and staff by 40 percent to accommodate a large catering restaurant,” he said. “The condos would be incompatible with the character of the neighborhood, it would double the size of the neighborhood.”

Izzo said he bought his house with his wife in 1987 with the assurance that the zoning would be R-40, which allows for the building of 1-acre single family homes. 

“We expected to be living in suburbia, instead we are told to accept a certain lifestyle — I’m not going to accept that,” he said. “These condos will negatively affect property values. Protect the citizens of Fort Salonga, not the builder. This must be rejected.”

“We expected to be living in suburbia.”

—Tony Izzo

The Preserve at Indian Hills would be a 55-and-over clustered housing development. In addition to the 98 town houses, the project also would include a new fitness center with an expanded clubhouse alongside the existing golf course.  

William Berg of the Crab Meadow Watershed Advisory Committee brought up concerns about the impact the development could have on the watershed quality and surrounding wetlands. 

“This study [the Crab Meadow Watershed plan] has not been completed or adopted by the Town Board,” he said. “Under land use the report states that the watershed is built out of its own density. I urge the Planning Board to call for the completion of the Crab Meadow Watershed study and thorough analysis of the information before making any conclusions on the project.”

Similarly, the Fort Salonga Property Owners Association asked town officials to place a moratorium on new developments in the Crab Meadow Watershed area, which includes the Indian Hills property. While most of the speakers opposed the development, a few residents were in favor of the project. William Muller, who is a member of the Indian Hills Country Club, said he was supportive of the Northwind project and pointed to the need for more senior living.  

“I have the belief that this plan will have less of an impact to the local community than the single-family alternative,” he said. “There is always a need for the 55-and-older community and this would provide a wonderful setting for that population.”

Other supporters mentioned the tax revenue school districts would be poised to receive from potential development and said the golf course and condos should be considered assets for the community.   

Barbara Duffy of Northport, had similar sentiments, stating she was supportive of the building of town houses. 

“Having lived near the 17th fairway for 40 years, I find it very exciting to see the possibility of protecting the golf course and making good use of the available open space,” she said. “As you all know condominiums are a dire need for the 55-and-over community.”

John Hayes, president of the Fort Salonga Property Owners Association, said in an interview that he thought the hearing went well and hopes the Planning Board will listen to their concerns. 

“This development has been overwhelmingly opposed by residents,” Hayes said. “We continue to challenge them on the density issues … being too close to residents homes. There are still problematic environmental issues that were not really tackled by the developers [in the study].”

The town will be accepting public comments through Oct. 18 either online or letters can be mailed to Huntington Town Hall, Department of Planning & Environment (Room 212), 100 Main St., Huntington, NY 11743.

Following public comments, the next steps for the development would be a final environmental impact statement and a possible preliminary subdivision hearing that has yet to be scheduled. 

The proposed plan for the Indian Hills Country Club. Photo from Northwind

The Fort Salonga Association has been divided over rezoning the Indian Hills Country Club, and at the annual general meeting in January members gathered to voice opinions on the board’s decision to send a letter to Huntington Town Supervisor Frank Petrone (D) supporting the rezoning. The members also voted to keep current President Frank Capaccio in power, instead of replacing him with challenger Joan Bubaris.

Earlier this year, Jim Tsunis, of the real estate developer The Northwind Group, applied to Huntington Town to change the zoning for the property from 1-acre single family to open space cluster district, in the hopes of building homes on the property.

In November, the FSA board voted to support the proposal in order to preserve the golf course for the residents of Fort Salonga.

Capaccio wrote a letter to members explaining why the board reached the decision.

“Our organization, for 70 years, has always been an advocate for what is best for the community at large,” Capaccio said in the letter. “While some feel the golf course should remain untouched and others feel 100-plus single family homes are a better alternative than townhouses, we disagree. The main purpose of establishing our organization was to preserve the quality of life and open space in our hamlet. Preserving the golf course does this.”

At the Jan. 31 meeting, more than 150 members gathered to weigh in, with residents both criticizing Capaccio for what they saw as a rash decision and others supporting the board’s action.

“We felt the preservation of open space was the best thing for the community,” Capaccio repeated at the meeting, before being interrupted by a resident who asked why there wasn’t a forum for residents to voice their opinions on this issue.

“The issue was the process, not just the decision, but the way this was slipped through,” one member said.

Capaccio said there were a number of meetings held to discuss this issue, including meetings with Petrone, the Fort Salonga Property Owners Association and other communities that developed properties like this — but members argued they weren’t public.

Members questioned why the board made a decision before the environmental study was completed.

“The environmental study is going to be either a positive declaration or a negative declaration,” Capaccio said. “No one can determine or change the outcome of that. If it fails the environmental study nothing can be done.”

Members continued to press.

“So then why not wait until it’s completed?” one attendee asked. “You’re supposed to represent us. We need a new president.”

Capaccio answered that claim.

“Let’s see how many people feel that way,” he said. “We’ll know tomorrow.”

In the end the majority of the FSA did not want new leadership, as Capaccio was voted in for a second term with 95 votes to Bubaris’ 83. The organization hired an independent accountant to tally the votes to ensure there was no wrongdoing.

Bubaris said a new voice was needed to lead the association in the right direction.

“[Capaccio] has not been  much of a leader, he’s been more of a dictator,” she said in a phone interview. “This election had to do with the lack of transparency and the behind the scenes decisions that have been made.”

Bubaris said she felt she needed to step up and run for president because there wasn’t a working board anymore, and she feared the organization wouldn’t make it another year.

Since the election results were posted,  Vice President Will Safer has resigned from his post, as has board member William Berg, according to Bubaris. She also said she would resign as of Tuesday night’s meeting.

“It’s really disappointing that this behavior is being accepted — but I don’t accept it,” Bubaris said. “He [Capaccio] seems to have his own agenda and to my surprise, board members back him.”

Bubaris said she anticipates the open seats will be filled with like-minded people which is detrimental to the FSA as well.

“It’s just not a working board,” she said. “It needs to be  brought into the 21st century with open discussions.”

The proposal includes plans to build 108 townhomes and two cottages in several areas on the golf course. Northwind refers to the townhomes as houses for a 55-and-over community, and said their plan will preserve 120 of the 143 acres at Indian Hills, won’t impact the views of the club from Breeze Hill Road and Fresh Pond Road, and will preserve the character of the neighborhood.

The proposed plan for the Indian Hills Country Club. Photo from Northwind
The proposed plan for the Indian Hills Country Club. Photo from Northwind

By Victoria Espinoza

Fort Salonga residents are waging battles on two fronts. One fight is to prevent the rezoning of the Indian Hills Country Club, and the other to ensure their civic association is fairly and accurately representing them.

Earlier this year, Jim Tsunis, of the real estate agency Northwind Group, applied to Huntington Town to change the zoning for the property from one-acre single family to open space cluster district. The proposal includes plans to build 108 townhomes and two cottages in several areas on the golf course. Northwind refers to the townhomes as houses for a 55 and over community, and said their plan will preserve 120 of the 143 acres at Indian Hills, won’t impact the views of the club from Breeze Hill Road and Fresh Pond Road, and will preserve the character of the neighborhood.

But residents are far from convinced. They fear the impact the development could have on the environment, traffic and safety during construction, and property value of the homes in the area.

Division within the Fort Salonga Association

Members of The Fort Salonga Association and Fort Salonga Property Owners Association expressed these concerns, however, FSA sent Huntington Town Supervisor Frank Petrone a letter approving the plan at the end of November.

Frank Capaccio, president of FSA, said in the letter that reaching the decision was difficult, but he explained that preserving the golf course is most important for residents.

“Our organization, for 70 years, has always been an advocate for what is best for the community at large,” Capaccio said in the letter. “While some feel the golf course should remain untouched and others feel 100-plus single family homes are a better alternative than townhouses, we disagree. The main purpose of establishing our organization was to preserve the quality of life and open space in our hamlet. Preserving the golf course does this.”

“We’re in a place we don’t want to be. We’re sort of fighting the FSA and we need to be fighting the developer. As we see it at the moment, there really is no difference.”
—John Hayes

The president acknowledged in the letter that the decision wasn’t unanimous among board members, and unknown decisions could still affect the plan.

“This was not an easy decision, and the ultimate configuration of development, including size, type, and quantity of homes, is yet to be determined,” Capaccio said.

Many residents are wondering why the association was compelled to make a decision so soon, before analysis was complete and a plan was finalized.

FSA director, William Berg said the board had initially planned to create a special committee to conduct an in-depth review of the plan’s environmental impact before any decision was reached.

“I volunteered … and [Capaccio] said he was going to contact other people, and then we never heard about a meeting or anything,” Berg said in an interview. “And then [25 days later], he emailed, saying it was time to have a vote.”

Berg said a fellow board member made a motion to delay the vote until the special committee was formed and able to share their findings, but it was declined, and the vote was carried out via email.

“One of the largest not only developments, but changes in zoning to occur in Fort Salonga’s history, there was no debate, there was no discussion,” Berg said.

According to Berg, 10 board members voted for it, two voted against, and one abstained. He said he doesn’t have the names of any of the members who voted for it. “It’s a secret,” Berg said.

At the last town board meeting, Petrone said the proposal was still in the early stages and the Huntington Zoning Board had not yet fully reviewed the plan to even schedule a public hearing.

“One of the largest not only developments, but changes in zoning to occur in Fort Salonga’s history, there was no debate, there was no discussion.”
—William Berg

John Hayes, president of the FSPOA and member of the FSA, said he doesn’t understand why a decision had to be made so quickly.

“It’s almost unprecedented for a civic association to go basically against the residents who clearly oppose it, at this stage of the game,” he said. “It is beyond any comprehension; we’re just scratching our heads. What’s the motivation here?”

Berg agreed the email vote was unusual.

“They can have email votes on minor issues, but when you have something like this, you normally would have a meeting and vote on it,” he said. “And it wouldn’t be done over a holiday weekend, in a rush.”

The FSPOA held a meeting a week earlier to explain the downzoning issue to their members, and Capaccio was present. Andrew Rapiejko, an FSA and FSPOA member who worked on the presentation, said it was announced at the end of the meeting that the FSA had posted a letter supporting the downzoning.

“There were gasps in the room,” Rapiejko said. He added it was also announced Capaccio was in the room, if he wanted to make a statement. Hayes said he declined, which they understood, since he was at the meeting as a private individual, but the president assured residents their questions would be answered at the Dec. 6 meeting.

Three days after the letter to Petrone from the FSA was posted on their website, the civic association announced they were cancelling the annual general meeting slated for Dec. 6.

In the letter, Capaccio explained the FSA voted to support the zoning change, but not the specific plan put forward by the club owner. He acknowledged the FSPOA’s disapproval of the plan, and the reason behind cancelling the meeting was an issue with three FSPOA members seeking positions on the board of the FSA.

“We determined that their initial independent nominations did not meet our requirements, which means their names would not have appeared on the ballot,” the president said. “In at least the last 40 years, this is the only time the FSA has had to prepare for a possibly contested election. While our by-laws allow for independent nominations and provide a process for a contested election, this is essentially a new process for us. As a result, the FSA board has decided we must postpone our annual meeting and election for 45 to 60 days so we can process an open and fair election.”

Rapiejko said this came as a shock to FSA members.

“These nomination petitions were sent in end of October, so they had them for a month,” he said. “All three candidates were sent certified letters saying that they were disqualified from the election. And the reasons given were confusing.”

“The rezoning does not compromise our one-acre zoning. The purpose of the cluster zoning law is to preserve open space.”
— Frank Capaccio

Rapiejko said members who hadn’t paid their annual dues made the nominations, thus the disqualification. Rapiejko was one of those members, according to the FSA, and when he reached out to correct them, that he had in fact paid his dues, they acknowledged the error, but the disqualifications stood.

“I got a response that said ‘Well, at that time of year we get a lot of checks and there was an error inputting your data that has been corrected’ and that was it,” he said. “No apology, no saying that we’re going to undisqualify the candidate. That was it.”

No new meeting has been posted to the FSA’s website as of publication, and the organization did not return request for comment.

“The rezoning does not compromise our one-acre zoning,” Capaccio said in the letter. “Any homes, cluster or single family, will not exceed the one-acre yield of the property. The purpose of the cluster zoning law is to preserve open space.”

He also stressed the FSA intends to continually represent the interests of the community at large.

“We have never been a single issue organization, representing only the few,” Capaccio said.

Rapiejko said the FSA and FSPOA have worked hand in hand on issues before, and he had hoped this time would be the same.

“It really worked very well,” he said of the partnership, recalling another zoning issue from 2003. “After that issue was over, the [FSPOA] was dissolved and we re-established spring of this year. We fully expected this to work the same way, to have that relationship. It wasn’t a competition.” He said the FSA does great work, and almost all of the FSPOA members are also members of the FSA.

Hayes said the current situation is far from ideal.

“We’re in a place we don’t want to be,” Hayes said. “We’re sort of fighting the FSA and we need to be fighting the developer. As we see it at the moment, there really is no difference. The only party that has benefited from their decision is the developer. It’s hard to split them at the moment. To say it’s unusual is an understatement, I think.”

Northwind didn’t respond to requests for comment.

Opposition to the rezoning of the golf course

Beyond the issues within the FSA, residents have major concerns with the impact rezoning could have on the Fort Salonga community.

“Once you concede to the change in zone, now you’re talking about negotiating where you’re putting the deck chairs on the Titanic.”
—John Hayes

Hayes said some support the rezoning but not necessarily the site plan.

“Once you concede to the change in zone, now you’re talking about negotiating where you’re putting the deck chairs on the Titanic,” Hayes said.

Rapiejko agreed the decision was a bit premature.

“For the FSA to pull out one piece of what this project is, and the downzoning is just one piece of the whole plan, and say ‘Well, this we believe is going to be good and is not going to have an impact,’ it’s just irrational,” he said. “It’s not logical, and that’s why you never want to do it. You always want to look at the whole plan to make a decision on the whole plan and the impacts of the whole plan.”

The proposed plan from Northwind calls for two areas of 46 town homes on the golf course, one area with 16 town homes, and two cottages. According to Hayes, the plan would also call for the use of a narrow private road in Fort Salonga as access for residents of Northwind. According to the company’s website, the plan will preserve 120 of the 143 acres of land at Indian Hills.

Rapiejko has worked in the Suffolk County Health Department for close to 30 years, where he has gained experience in dealing with environmental issues, and he said the title of the new project is insulting to people’s intelligence.

“He’s changed the name to The Preserve at Indian Hills, and he’s billing this as a preservation effort,” Rapiejko. “When I look at this golf course, I don’t see a preserve. What I see is a developed piece of property. When I look at this proposal, I’m seeing it as a tremendous increase in development.”

Rapiejko is worried about nitrogen pollution in drinking water.

“He’s changed the name to The Preserve at Indian Hills, and he’s billing this as a preservation effort. When I look at this golf course, I don’t see a preserve. What I see is a developed piece of property.”
—Andrew Rapiejko

“Nitrogen in our area is a huge, huge issue,” Rapiejko said. “And I see a very intense nitrogen use here.” He said the golf course is basically a peninsula surrounded by the Crab Meadow Watershed, the Long Island Sound and the Fresh Pond — and each would be sensitive to nitrogen and pesticides.

Rapiejko said the Suffolk County Health Department has been conducting a study on golf courses. A monitoring well for the Indian Hills Country Club found the current nitrate levels are more than five parts per million.

“That is prior to 32,000 gallons per day of sewage that he is going to be discharging as a result of his development, and discharging on site,” Rapiejko said. He added the plan calls for septic systems for each of the clusters, which will be recharged on site close to the water bodies. That could add more nitrogen to the waterways, as well as other things discharged from septic systems, like pharmaceuticals and personal hygiene products.

In the environmental proposal, nitrogen and phosphorus levels were tested at Fresh Pond in May and August — where most of the water from the area is discharged. Total nitrogen levels were 6.03 milligrams per liter, and 1.75 milligrams per liter for phosphorus. Rapiejko compared the numbers with Environmental Protection Agency water quality criteria recommendations, which recommend surface water nitrogen levels at 0.32 milligrams per liter and phosphorus levels at 0.008 milligrams per liter.

‘It’s kind of curious, because you do an environmental impact statement to asses the impact of what you’re proposing to do and to see if it’s significant,” Rapiejko said. “In this case, it’s obvious that there is already a significant impact with what is already here that needs to be addressed, no less worrying about impacts of a proposed development.”

Rapiejko said storm water runoff could also significantly impact the water quality at Fresh Pond.

Residents are also worried about the septic systems.

In this case, it’s obvious that there is already a significant impact with what is already here that needs to be addressed, no less worrying about impacts of a proposed development.”
—Andrew Rapiejko

According to the proposal, “each of these subzones will utilize a tertiary treatment system that is recognized by SCDHS, or one that may be approved as a pilot installation through SCDHS Board of Review approval.”

Rapiejko said this means the builder plans on using one of the new, innovative septic systems the county has been researching, which have not yet been approved and would require a variance from the town to use. The builder proposed The Preserve be used as a test site for one of the new systems.

“We don’t even know if these systems work or not,” he said.

Rapiejko compared this project to a similar development in Southampton — The Hills — which used the same engineer group as The Preserve. That project, if approved, would entail a golf course with more than 100 townhouses on the property, and Rapiejko said when he looked at the environmental proposal for that project, it came with seven alternatives.

The Preserve currently has two alternatives, one is no action, and the other is single-family, one-acre homes across the entire golf course, which would require eliminating the ponds and building on steep hills and slopes.

“Here he gave us one non-reasonable alternative,” Rapiejko said.

The plan calls for work from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, with 32.75 acres needing to be cleared. Residents cite increased traffic and possible safety problems for bikers and walkers as other concerns.

According to the proposal, the average selling price per unit is about $800,000, which would total more than $85 million if all units were sold. The property was sold for $13.5 million.

A petition condemning the rezoning, with more than 400 signatures of Fort Salonga residents, is circulating.

The Huntington Zoning Board hasn’t reached a decision, which is the next step in the process.