Update! 1-26-24
We wanted to provide you with an update on the events that happened during the January 18th hearing on Jellyfish, at the Town of Huntington Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA).
Despite following all prescribed procedures necessary to even have the meeting, the meeting took an unexpected turn when Chairman Asher announced that the Jellyfish application was deemed a "pre-application" This sudden and inexplicable change caused confusion and disappointment. The ZBA Chair then refused to let residents speak. Only our legal representatives were permitted to address the meeting.
As this has been a challenging experience, we are navigating through various options and remedies, including the previously scheduled Article 78 proceeding in New York State Supreme Court. We will keep you informed as developments unfold. If you haven already, you can watch the January 18th meeting on the Town website; follow these steps: https;//huntingtonny.gov/meetings. In the section "Meetings Video on Demand" - select the video for the Jan. 18th ZBA meeting. Please note that Jellyfish item was placed last on the agenda, so you can fast forward to approximately 1 hour and 8 minutes to catch the beginning of the Jellyfish discussion. Here is a button to a partial video:
CHCA Executive Board
ALERT!!!
There is currently a proposal to remove the derelict Jellyfish restaurant
on 25A and to replace it with a mixed-use building of ground floor
commercial space and two stories of 9 apartments above that. The
Centerport Harbor Civic Association (“CHCA”) has major concerns about
safety on an already hazardous stretch of 25A, water quality, our
natural environment, and the bald eagles.
A Zoning Board meeting has been scheduled:
January 18, 6 PM at Town Hall
100 Main Street, Huntington
It is critically important that the community attend this meeting, to
show support for the notion that proposed development should have
to comply with Town Codes. Please be there! And bring your friends
and neighbors.
Finally, for the record, the CHCA is not opposed to development.
However, it is opposed to development that is not in compliance with
Town, County and State codes and regulations. Additionally, CHCA is
particularly concerned with the safety of our local population, and our
natural environment.
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WE NEED YOUR HELP!
There is a dangerous situation in Centerport. The traffic along 25A between Little Neck Road and
Centershore Road is a virtual hazard. Recently, CHCA worked with New York State Department of
Transportation to at least get “zebra” stripping along the north side of the road (closest to the
Centerport Mill Pond). This is a no parking zone. It is especially important because if an ambulance has
to pop up onto 25A from the Fire Station, the cars on the road need to be able to pull over and get out
of the way.
Yet there are frequently vehicles parked there, especially in front of Waters Edge. Here are some recent examples:
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CHCA has met with the 2nd Precinct Police and asked their help. They are willing to come and give tickets but we need to let them know when there is illegal parking. Please help out:
Call the 2nd Precinct at 631 852- 2677 to report illegal parking. Ask that the police send someone over to ticket the vehicle. Note: this is a special dispatch #. It helps if you can provide the exact address of the situation you are reporting. For instance:
* Mill Pond House@ 437 East Main St, Centerport
* Waters Edge@ 445 East Main St., Centerport
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CHCA Year to Date Activities​
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BULLETIN #1
New Website and Email
In the first quarter of 2023, we put up a new website: centerportharborcivicassociation.org. For the first
time, members now have a choice on how to renew their membership. They can either pay on the site
with a credit card or they can print out a form and send in a check. Additionally, the site will be a source
of information about what CHCA has done and plans to do. Of course, potential new members also
have a simple access site, so they can understand what we are trying to accomplish.
Along with the new site, we changed our email address to CHCA11721@gmail.com. Although this was a
step forward, it did initially present challenges as when we sent out emails, they often went into spam
folders. To counter this, whenever we were having meetings or needed to communicate, we did two
things: first, we did send out emails. Second, we often called all the members to be sure that they
stayed informed. Ever since the launch of the new email address, we have urged folks to switch over.
We think that we have finally turned the corner on this one.
Annual Spring Clean-up
In April, we hosted our Annual Spring Clean-up for the Centerport Mill Pond and the Harbor, which was
well attended. Mounds of trash were collected.
Meetings
We started having meetings in April:
April 10: Dr. Rory Manning, Superintendent of Harborfields Central School District, spoke about the
School budget.
May 11: Jillian Guthman, Town of Huntington, spoke about Town taxes and how to pay them.
Garrett Chelius, Deputy Director, Maritime Services, spoke about the Centerport Mill Pond
gates and when they would be operated this year.
June 22: John McCarron, Deputy Supervisor, Town of Huntington, fielded a range of questions and
promised follow-up which has indeed happened (see below).
July 24: Michael McCarthy, Esq. presented information about the proposed renovation of the decrepit
Jellyfish restaurant.
Results of June 22 nd meeting with Deputy Supervisor McCarron
There have been a number of positive follow-ups from our meeting with Deputy Supervisor McCarron:
A. Centerport renovations:
1. The Centerport Mill Pond bridge has undergone a facelift. There are new stable trash cans.
2. All the lights on the bridge now work and they are all the same color.
3. Heron Park has been spiffed up. Rotten wood in the fence has been replaced and the fence has
been repainted.
4. Grist Mill Park across the street has also gotten some beauty treatment. A Town crew came in
and limbed up the trees and cut out dead wood.
B. Deputy Supervisor McCarron hosted a meeting at Town Hall on July 13 th , with Board members
from CHCA and the new Captain of the 2 nd Precinct Police, as well as the Town Director of Public
Safety. CHAC presented information about the traffic issues on 25A as well as photos of the types of
violations. The Captain was quite impressed and promised to follow up with Waters Edge in
particular about illegally parked vehicles.
C. On August 7 th , Deputy Supervisor McCarron and 3 Town Directors came to Centerport and walked
along Centershore Road with 4 members of the CHCA Board. The objective was to show the Town
the issues with trying to walk along this stretch of road. There will be further dialogue as we work to
make this road more “walkable”.
Jellyfish
One of the hottest topics of the year is the proposal to replace the derelict Jellyfish restaurant with a
mixed use building which would have ground floor office space and 9 apartments above that. At the
July 24 th general meeting, Michael McCarthy, an attorney representing the owners of the property,
shared the proposed plans and fielded questions. About 100 people attended this meeting.
On August 3 rd , there was a Zoning Board of Appeals (“ZBA”) meeting at Town Hall, where two
variances were proposed for Jellyfish. The variances were very specific and focused on a business
depth extension and unraveling variances that were previously granted, back in 2011, with regard
to the Jellyfish opening as a restaurant. Darrin Berger, Esq. spoke to the fact that this site is a steep
slope, per the Town’s codes, and needs to be considered as such. Various Board members of CHCA
also raised other concerns about the proposal, including the height of the building, the fact that the
upper floors are bigger than the footprint of the ground floor, whether the building is 3 or 4 stories
high, and the fact that the site abuts the tidal wetlands of the Centerport Mill Pond. There were
also concerns about traffic and safety.
The ZBA adjourned that night, reserving judgment (so they did not make a decision). CHCA will
continue to follow this proposal as it moves along and will keep the membership informed.
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Meetings You Can Attend
Generally speaking, CHCA meets once a month, although we do take August off. Members are informed
of all upcoming meetings via emails and/or phone calls. In addition, there are all sorts of local meetings
that you can attend, to stay well informed of local plans and activities:
1. Monthly Board of Ed meetings for the balance of 2023:
October 18th, 2023 - Nov 15th, 2023 - December 13th, 2023
2. Fire Department Meetings: Open to the public and there is a brief period for public comment.
Meetings are usually held the 3 rd Monday of every month, at 7 PM at the Centerport Fire
Headquarters.
3. The 2 nd Precinct Police: Public meetings are held on a monthly basis. Sometimes the meetings
are at the Precinct at 1971 Park Avenue; other times, they are at community centers. Call 631
854-8200 for information.
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