HUNTINGTON, NY – August 11, 2026
The Cornerstone Melville is moving toward a public hearing after the Huntington Town Board voted 3-2 on August 11 to advance the proposed 168-unit mixed-use development at 115 Baylis Road. Councilwomen Brooke Lupinacci and Jennifer Hebert voted no. A public hearing date was not announced.
Farmingdale-based Terwilliger & Bartone Properties proposes replacing a single-family home on 3.75 acres near Baylis and Maxess roads with a four-story development containing 168 rental and for-sale residences and approximately 20,000 square feet of commercial space. About 78% of the apartments would be studios or one-bedroom units.
Cornerstone would follow Melville Crossing at 75 Maxess Road, the first project approved under the Melville Town Center Overlay District (MTCOD), with 400 residences.
What Does the 400-Unit Pause Mean?
Town Code §198-34.1(A)(3) requires a pause after the first 400 residential units are submitted to assess cumulative impacts on traffic, fire and emergency services, and educational services. The Town’s Melville Town Center application page currently states that applications are on hold under that provision.
During public comment, a speaker read a communication from Half Hollow Hills Central School District Superintendent Dr. John O’Farrell into the record. O’Farrell said he had been in contact with Councilman Dr. Dave Bennardo about the Melville Town Center and had been “both publicly and privately seeking clarification” of the pause. His understanding was that the first 400 units would be built and occupied so their actual impacts could be evaluated before additional development proceeded.
Supervisor Ed Smyth disagreed, saying he had been clear with civic associations that the pause would not require the first development to be built before another could move forward. He described it as “a break on overdevelopment” intended to control the pace of development.
“The pause was our break on the process to make sure that we didn’t have a flood of new applications coming through the door where we can stop that process, and we baked it into the resolution to make sure that we maintained control of the pace of development.”
Smyth said the 400-unit threshold was tied to Suffolk County sewer capacity and was not intended to trigger another environmental or traffic review after each 400 units. With Melville Crossing still the only approved Town Center project and not yet under construction, Smyth said of the pace, “Frankly I think it’s too slow.”
Resident Gail Jasper later read the Town Code language requiring the pause “to assess the cumulative impact” and questioned what constitutes a meaningful pause.
Huntington Matters has asked the Town how that cumulative-impact assessment will be conducted and when the requirement is considered satisfied. This article will be updated when we receive a response.
Cornerstone Was Submitted in September 2025
Ahead of the meeting, Huntington Matters spoke with Anthony Bartone, Managing Partner and Chief Executive Officer of Terwilliger & Bartone Properties.
“We submitted in September of 2025. The application was submitted, but I don’t know if accepted is the right term.”
Bartone said the Town then stopped the project from moving forward.
“We were told we submitted the application, but it was just kind of sitting there in the ether, more or less, because we were told that that pause was in place.”
Cornerstone and Melville Crossing have since accounted for each other in their analyses, including traffic, water, sewer and other environmental impacts.
“Their environmental impact analysis has contemplated our project and ours has contemplated theirs as well,” Bartone said, describing the studies as part of New York State’s environmental review process for developments of this type.
The Project Has Changed
Cornerstone was originally proposed with 200 rental units. It has since been reduced to 168 residences with both rental and for-sale housing following discussions with Smyth about including homeownership opportunities.
The project includes approximately 20,000 square feet of commercial space, with potential restaurant and café uses. Qualifying Huntington residential developments must provide a 20% affordable housing component, and Cornerstone says its workforce housing plans will include opportunities for veterans, first responders and local households.
Terwilliger & Bartone has also met with the Melville Fire Department, Half Hollow Hills Central School District and local civic organizations. Meetings with the fire department resulted in firematic changes, including emergency access considerations and elevators rated to 3,500 pounds for emergency operations.
Schools, PILOT and Taxes
Terwilliger & Bartone has agreed to participate in an additional payment arrangement with Half Hollow Hills Central School District, similar to discussions already underway with Melville Crossing developer Steel Equities. Several possible formulas are still being developed.
Asked whether these additional school payments could establish a precedent for other Suffolk County projects receiving PILOT incentives, Bartone said, “I certainly hope the answer to that is no.”
Terwilliger & Bartone intends to seek economic incentives through the Suffolk County Industrial Development Agency. The property currently generates approximately $15,000 annually in property taxes. The developer projects that Cornerstone would generate just under $400,000 in its first year and eventually more than $1 million annually.
Long Island Business News described Cornerstone as an $85 million project in May. The developer’s website now describes it as a $100 million private investment.
Water Concerns Factor Into the Vote
Councilman Dr. Dave Bennardo, who offered the resolution advancing Cornerstone, did so with the understanding that a water committee would be established to study the area.
Hebert said the planned advisory committee will establish parameters for studying water quality and quantity and the effects of development in Melville, including Town Center development and the potential NYU Langone Hospital project. She said outside funding has been identified for the study.
Hebert said her no vote was not necessarily opposition to Cornerstone itself.
“I believe…that the pause was not well defined and I am not really clear on the parameters of it.”
Recharge Basin, Public Park and “Critical Mass”
Potential improvements to the Maxess Road recharge basin and publicly accessible park space promoted on Cornerstone’s website are not part of the special use permit moving toward a public hearing, Bartone said. Those concepts are being discussed separately with the Town.
Bartone argues that the Town Center needs enough development to create the “critical mass” necessary to support its planned businesses and pedestrian activity.
“If we just slammed on the brakes and didn’t let anything else proceed, it’s dooming this downtown for failure,” he said.
According to Bartone, only 17 properties are eligible for the Town Center zoning, with requirements that limit how many can realistically be developed.
What Happens Next
The Town Board’s 3-2 vote did not approve The Cornerstone Melville development. It advances the project to a future public hearing where the developer will present the proposal and residents can comment. No hearing date was announced August 11.
Bartone said the remaining review and approval process could still take “months and maybe even years.”
Huntington Matters will update this article when the Town responds to questions about the 400-unit hold and required cumulative-impact assessment.
