Suffolk County
Legislator Rob Trotta and his honoree Susan Benjes. Photo courtesy of Suffolk County Legislature
In 2019, the Suffolk County Legislature passed a resolution requesting each Legislator to select an “Irish American Person of Distinction” who resides in his or her district to be honored at the Irish American Heritage Celebration in Hauppauge during the month of March.
On March 26, a celebration was held at the Dennison Building in Hauppauge to recognize each legislator’s honoree. Several Irish singers and the Suffolk County Police Emerald Society Pipe Band entertained the honorees and their families, as well as various county officials.
Suffolk County Legislator Rob Trotta (D-Setauket) named Susan Benjes, a resident of Kings Park, as Irish American of Distinction for the County’s 13th Legislative District.
Benjes is a proud Irish American as her grandfather came to the United States for a better life and eventually found one in Kings Park. She grew up in Kings Park and graduated from Kings Park High School. She worked at Kings Park Psychiatric Hospital and earned a nursing degree. She transferred to Pilgram State Hospital where she worked until her retirement. She was honored to be this year’s Grand Marshal.
Legislator Trotta said, “I have known Sue for years and she is so involved in the community – volunteering at the St. Vincent de Paul’s Food Pantry at St. Joseph’s Church in Kings Park, organizing class reunions, collecting donations for people in need and serving on the Kings Park St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee.”
Gina Ireland Interiors ribbon cutting on Dec. 18. Photo courtesy of Leg. Trotta's office
Gina Ireland Interiors ribbon cutting on Dec. 18. Photo courtesy of Leg. Trotta's office
Suffolk County Legislator Rob Trotta, New York State Senator Mario Mattera, Town of Smithtown Councilwoman Lynne Nowick and members of the St. James Chamber of Commerce welcomed At Home With Gina Ireland Interiors to St. James with a ribbon cutting ceremony on Dec. 18.
Gina Ireland is an interior designer with more than 20 years of experience specializing in both residential and commercial projects. She is a member of the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID). Locally she worked on Toast in Long Beach, a wedding venue, and the Waters Edge in Centerport, formerly known as The Thatched Cottage.
She has relocated her studio from Port Jefferson to St. James for more space but also to be closer to her home in Nesconset as one of her daughters has leukemia. In addition to the design studio, her shop sells furniture, artwork, clothes and accessories as well as jewelry, perfume and decorative objects for gift giving.
According to Ms. Ireland, “This store is more than a business to me. It’s a symbol of hope. It’s a place where I can share my passion for design and bring inspiration to others.”
“Gina Ireland Interiors is a wonderful addition to the other stores and art endeavors on Lake Avenue in St. James. I welcome her and wish her much success,” said Suffolk County Legislator Rob Trotta.
Pictured at the Ribbon Cutting for Gina Ireland Interiors are from left Suffolk County Legislator Rob Trotta, Gina Ireland, Highway Superintendent Bob Murphy, Councilwoman Lenne Nowick, Senator Mario Mattera, St. James Chamber board members Debby and Scott Posner and Denise Day.
At Home With Gina Ireland Interiors is located at 438 Lake Avenue in St. James. Operating hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday; closed on weekends.
Cornerstone Kings Park, a 50-unit luxury apartment building proposed for the corner of Meadow Road and Indian Head Road in Kings Park, was discussed at the Smithtown Board of Zoning Appeals public hearing on Aug. 6.
The 44,883-square-foot project would sit outside of the LIRR train station and would be part of the Kings Park downtown revitalization effort.
The proposed project necessitates a special exception as the surrounding area is currently zoned as commercial-business & industrial. A vacant restaurant pad site would need to be demolished if the project is to be built.
In order to progress and be considered by the Smithtown Town Board, the Smithtown Zoning Board of Appeals must approve the special exception.
The zoning board doesn’t anticipate making a recommendation to the Town Board until the Smithtown Comprehensive Master Plan is adopted, which would change the zoning of the area to transit oriented development (TOD). Further, the zoning board expressed dissatisfaction with several setbacks, which they deemed deficient even if the plan is adopted. The zoning change to transit oriented development would alter the minimum requirement for a setback.
Smithtown Board of Zoning Appeals meeting on Aug. 6. Photo courtesy of Smithtownny.gov
Legislator Rob Trotta (R-Fort Salonga) spoke at the public hearing. “I am all for building something on this property,” he said. “Make no mistake about it. But 50 units in the parking lot of a shopping center is ridiculous.”
Trotta went on to suggest making a portion of the units co-ops or condominiums, an idea he has integrated in a resolution he designed to increase home ownership. The resolution was shot down in a Suffolk County Economic Development, Planning & Housing Committee meeting.
The size and magnitude of the project is one of the chief factors of concern for many. One constituent said, “I used to work in Queens and I like to come home to a backyard and a different style of life … it will kind of diminish and ruin what we are trying to have here. This kind of deviates from that kind of thinking.”
Another member of the community was eager for the project to provide more housing opportunities for the aging generation and to economically boost the downtown area.
Indeed, the developers market the project as a step towards fulfilling the goals listed in the Revitalizing Downtown Kings Park Action Plan which was developed by The Kings Park Chamber of Commerce and Kings Park Civic Association in 2016.
“Utilizing the Revitalizing Downtown Kings Park Action Plan, Terwillliger Bartone, with the Cornerstone Kings Park project, fills an important role of meeting the desires of the plan, from parking to transit oriented development to design and more” the Cornerstone Kings Park website reads.
After receiving criticism from citizens, the developers, Tanzi Properties LLC and Terwilliger & Bartone Properties, made several adjustments to the proposal, including decreasing the stories from four to three and supplementing above ground parking with an underground garage.
The developers expect the project to bring in $2 million annually in discretionary spending. Furthermore, their traffic study indicated that “it is the perfect complement to what is already existing in the area,” said the lawyer for the developers, Garrett Gray of Weber Law Group.
Gray said in his presentation that at peak hours, the parking is not expected to exceed 77% capacity.
Cornerstone Kings Park is one of the projects being considered for the $10 million Smithtown-Kings Park has received from the state for its downtown revitalization.
The application is still under review; the Zoning Board will more seriously consider making a recommendation once the Smithtown Comprehensive Master Plan is adopted, which is expected to occur within the coming months.
