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Town reschedules Rosewood Farm historic‑overlay hearings to April amid divided public comment
Summary
The Town Board unanimously rescheduled two public hearings on applying a historic‑building overlay to Rosewood Farm after residents delivered both support and objections about preservation, event limits and traffic.
HUNTINGTON, N.Y. — The Town Board voted unanimously to reschedule two public hearings on proposed historic‑overlay zoning for the Rosewood Farm property to April 8, 2025, after a packed public comment period that included both supporters and opponents of the proposal.
Councilwoman Maury offered Resolution 2025‑99 to reschedule the public hearing on Local Law Introductory Number 1‑2025 (designation of the Charles A. Batson House and John Bumstead House as historic landmarks). The board adopted the resolution 5‑0. The board then adopted Resolution 2025‑100, rescheduling the public hearing on Local Law Introductory Number 2‑2025 (applying the historic building overlay district to Rosewood Farm) to April 8, 2025, also by a 5‑0 vote.
Speakers at the meeting represented a range of views. Longtime resident Peter Tallman urged the board to approve the overlay and called recent opposition mailings an anonymous, “slickly produced” campaign that offered no clear return address and raised misleading concerns. “To date, I have not received a response,” Tallman said, referring to his attempts to query the group that circulated the petition.
Other residents described contrasting perspectives. Melinda McCormack, who said she is a longtime educator and Cold Spring Harbor school district resident, said she first worried a development might increase school costs but, after reviewing plans, supports preservation and said a boutique use could preserve the property while avoiding dense residential development. Donna Locascio, who recounted initial opposition years ago to Oheka Castle’s redevelopment and later changed her view, urged the board to approve the overlay as a way to protect open land.
Opponents raised concerns focused on the lack of explicit limits in the overlay text on the number or scale of events that might be hosted on the 23‑acre property, possible traffic and noise impacts, and the potential for the property to be used differently if ownership changes. Tara Kaufman, who lives adjacent to the site, said she and others collected a petition with more than 450 signatures and asked the board to ensure any overlay includes explicit event limitations.
Several speakers criticized an online petition opposing the project as misleading; others said they wanted explicit, written limits on events and activities in the overlay, not only assurances from the applicant.
Why it matters: Rosewood Farm is a 23‑acre property with a cluster of historic estate buildings. The question before the board — whether to apply an historic building overlay district — will determine whether the town imposes permanent land‑use restrictions intended to preserve structures and landscape character, or whether the property could be developed at greater density in the future.
What’s next: Both hearings were rescheduled to April 8 at 6 p.m. The board’s rescheduling vote was 5‑0 for both resolutions.
