LI Cheat Sheet: Mixed-use complex proposed in North Bellport, East Quogue development yields another lawsuit … & more

Crest Group seeks North Bellport development with assisted living component
A mixed-use development that will include rental housing, assisted living and some retail on 52 acres of vacant land in North Bellport has been proposed by the Crest Group, Long Island Business News reported. The company wants to get approval for a planned development district zoning overlap from the Town of Brookhaven. The property, located north of Sunrise Highway and east of Station Road, is currently zoned for light industrial use. As proposed, the development would have 150 units with no age restrictions, 60 units for people 55 and older, as well as a 120-bed assisted living facility. The project would also include a 100,000-square-foot self-storage facility and 65,000 square feet of retail. The Crest Group and its partner at the time, the Matrix Group, acquired the land in late 2013 through a deed-in-lieu-of-foreclosure deal with its former owner, Syosset-based developer Blumfeld Development Group, and Old Dock Associates, a noteholder that had an interest in a part of the property. [LIBN]

Opponents sue to halt controversial East Quogue development
Environmentalists, civic leaders and a state assemblyman sued to overturn a Nov. 15 decision by the Southampton Town Zoning Board of Appeals that would allow a luxury development and golf course to move forward in East Quogue, Newsday reported. The plaintiffs, including a group of East End nonprofits, argued that the board’s decision violated New York’s Open Meetings Law by not allowing for debate before approving the proposal by Discovery Land Company, an Arizona-based firm controlled by real estate tycoon and George Clooney pal Mike Meldman. In the mid-November vote, the board ruled that the development’s 18-hole golf course could be considered an accessory to a residential subdivision and therefore meets current zoning rules. If completed, the development would include an 118-unit subdivision on 591 acres over an environmentally sensitive area. The project, once known as The Hills, has previously been voted down by the board, prompting Discovery Land to sue Southampton. That litigation is pending. [Newsday]

Affordable housing complex advances in Port Jefferson Station
The Brookhaven Town Planning Board has moved ahead with a $25 million affordable housing complex by developer Ralph Fasano in Port Jefferson Station, Newsday reported. Fasano wants to build 77 apartment units and hopes to start the 18-month project in January. Some of the apartment units will be specifically set aside for veterans, though it has yet to be determined how many. At a board meeting, town residents voiced safety concerns if the project gets built, as well as the influx of traffic it could bring. The development will also include a community building and recreational amenities. The $25 million price tag reportedly includes buying the land, building costs and consulting fees. [Newsday]

Proposed FedEx warehouse in Bethpage gets $3.1M in tax breaks
Nassau’s Industrial Development Agency awarded a sales tax exemption worth up to $3.1 million to Steel Equities so it can buy construction supplies for its proposed FedEx Ground warehouse in Bethpage, according to Newsday. The planned 244,500-square-foot warehouse is estimated to bring nearly 200 jobs to the site of a former Northrop Grumman aerospace manufacturing complex. The $51 million warehouse will be included in a 2011 IDA deal that has reduced taxes on the old Northrop Grumman site for 40 years. Steel Equities’ property taxes have risen along with its income from rents on buildings at the 105-acre property. The IDA also reduced the developer’s mortgage recording tax of up to $288,257. [Newsday]

Suffolk County resubmits bid for former Kmart site
The Suffolk Legislature voted unanimously to resubmit a bid to buy a 21-acre parcel in Middle Island that once held a Kmart until it was demolished two years ago, according to Newsday. The property is owned by Garden City developer Wilbur Breslin, who in 2017 rejected the county’s previous $1.8 million offer for the land. Legislators said the new bid is slightly higher and Breslin has 90 days to accept or reject it. Suffolk and Brookhaven Town officials plan to buy part of the property, which spans 75 acres, and turn their parcel into a park with athletic fields. In the same deal, New York State would buy and preserve 28 acres, leaving 26 acres for Breslin to potentially develop. [Newsday]