By Sabrina Artusa
The property owned by Northwind Group will remain under Brookhaven jurisdiction. The Village of Port Jefferson Board of Trustees and the Brookhaven Town Board voted against the annexation proposed by the developer.
Developer Jim Tsunis and his son Demetrius petitioned for Brookhaven to annex the property to the Village of Port Jefferson, which would enable him to develop a 48-unit apartment complex. After Brookhaven rejected the zoning change that would authorize the project, Tsunis initiated the annexation request.
In March, Tsunis, his son and his attorney addressed both the Town of Brookhaven and the Village of Port Jefferson in a joint hearing, where he and his attorney Michael Towey argued that the annexation would prevent the village from being impacted by any future development decisions the town would make. His 5.6-acre property off Baylis Avenue and Sheep Pasture Road is only accessible through the village.
The elder Tsunis addressed the board one final time on May 28 at a trustee meeting, prior to their vote. He urged the board to vote in support of the annexation.
Brookhaven voted against the petition on May 22. The resolution findings state that the property and village lack “requisite unity of purpose and facilities to constitute a community.” This conclusion rests on the feedback from civic groups, concerns from the Terryville Fire Department and the disunity annexation would create for children who would live in the Village of Port Jefferson but attend Comsewogue School District.
Further, the analysis states that “constructing additional residential dwelling units immediately adjacent to an active rail yard, where trains idle even when they are not moving, is not in the overall public interest.” The Baylis property sits next to the Lawrence Aviation site, where a new rail yard is set to be built, pending the MTA’s completion of purchase.
“A vote against this annexation will burden the residents of the Sheep Pasture Road with the future of industrial buildings, trucks and traffic,” Tsunis said. “Don’t yield to the political pressure of the town of Brookhaven.”
Other residents reiterated opposing arguments, warning the board that a yes vote would set a “dangerous precedent” of “municipality-shopping” when a proposal is rejected. Kathleen McClane, a member of the Port Jefferson Civic Association, said Tsunis is “presenting a false choice” in implying the land will be used for industrial purposes if the annexation does not take place.
Tsunis has said that his motivation for the annexation is unrelated to Brookhaven’s rejection and solely for the best interest of the village where he resides.
At the public hearing in March, Tsunis received over 50 letters of support. Supporters had mentioned that additional housing will help revitalize the community.