"The community that will take shape on this surplus land will set a national standard for design and planning," said Mr. Levy, who touted the proposal as a potential boost to the Suffolk economy.

The project, which would be built along both sides of Yaphank Road between the Long Island Expressway and Sunrise Highway, would be designed to be somewhat self-contained, Mr. Levy said. Residents could work, shop and entertain themselves without leaving the community, he said.

The proposed development would be powered by a solar plant on the property, Mr. Levy said, making the development a net-zero energy user.

"This is the sort of development people want to see for the future," Mr. Levy said.

But not everyone is in favor of Mr. Levy's plan, which has been criticized by other government leaders as well as local civic associations, environmentalists and even Longwood school officials since the county began screening proposals more than two years ago.

Michael Loguercio, president of the Longwood Board of Education, said he thinks his community will have a hard time getting behind the plan, which he believes will be a tax burden.

Mr. Levy is estimating the plan would generate about $3 million in property tax revenue for the district. But district officials fear the developers' estimates that the project would result in only about 100 additional students is too conservative.

"I can't see how they can say 1,000 homes will only generate 100 students," Mr. Loguercio said. "That's not how it works."

The district also has raised concerns about the layout of the project, with housing to the north and the bulk of the industrial and commercial part of the project to the south, within the boundaries of the South Country School District.

Brookhaven Councilwoman Connie Kepert said the layout is a serious concern.

"South Country gets all the tax ratables," Ms. Kepert said. "There was talk of finding a way to balance that out, but it appears that's no longer in the plans."

Ms. Kepert is not the only elected official representing Yaphank to raise concerns about the project. County Legislator Kate Browning also says the proposal is of great concern for her, citing a potential environmental impact to the Carmans River as a major consideration.

Long Island Pine Barrens Society executive director Richard Amper said not only would the project be built adjacent to the river but also within the Pine Barrens and a groundwater protection area.

"It's preposterous," Mr. Amper said. "You'd think Steve Levy would have figured out what constitutes good planning and bad planning by now."

Mr. Amper said he believes there is room for this sort of development but it should be in downtown communities, not a more rural hamlet like Yaphank, where the number of housing units would nearly double.

MaryAnn Johnston, president of the Affiliated Brookhaven Civic Organization, also believes the location is wrong.

"Wrong place, wrong time, wrong venture," Ms. Johnston said, noting that there are nearly 1,000 foreclosed properties currently on the market in Yaphank and three neighboring communities.

"People need to make the effort to buy up those homes to keep our communities viable," she added.

Ms. Browning said she was notified of the decision to select Legacy Village on Thursday, when she was called to a meeting along with Brookhaven Town Supervisor Mark Lesko and a representative from Ms. Kepert's office. She said the proposal leaves her with many questions, such as how much the land would be sold for. She said she plans to propose the creation of an oversight committee to review the project.

Before the project can move forward, the land must be deemed surplus by the County Legislature. The Brookhaven Town Board also would need to grant zoning changes.

gparpan@northshoresun.com

What they're saying

School Board President Michael Loguercio

'By no means are we against affordable housing, but we want it to be of benefit to our taxpayers.'

Environmentalist Richard Amper

'Young people don't want to live on the farm. They want to live downtown, where there's public transportation and they can walk and bike places.'

County Legislator Kate Browning

'This project is not going to fly through [the approval process].'

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2 comments found

Kepert - Remember TALL GRASS??? : 8/1/2009
Kepert could care less about the north shore communities, especially Shoreham when it came to the Tall Grass PDD, when they spoke in the majority against it. Now that she is facing a mega development in her backyard she is singing a new tune. I hope Kepert is shown the same deference that McCarrick and our community was shown by hervote against us: NONE, NADA, ZILCH, ZIPPO.

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public transportation : 7/31/2009
It would be nice if this communitiy were built with easy access or a shuttle to the Yaphank LIRR train station

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