State Rep: Greenway protection is a nonrenewable resource facing development pressure

A nearly two-year wait for state records revealed that officials had no support for a previously stated justification to build a highway through the Setauket-Port Jefferson Station Greenway. Suffolk County Legislator Steve Englebright (D-Setauket) presented this finding to the Port Jefferson Station/Terryville Civic Association during its October 27 meeting. He warned that development could fundamentally change the character of the community if planning does not keep pace.

The Greenway covers a nearly 3-mile stretch of state-owned land between Port Jefferson Station and Setauket. The corridor was originally intended for a highway bypass in the 1980s. Local business owners opposed the road, fearing it would hurt commerce. The land remained undeveloped. Englebright helped turn the site into a connection between the two communities. He secured $2.5 million in state assembly funds for planning and a $5 million federal grant with former Congressman Tim Bishop (D). The path now serves bicyclists and pedestrians.

Englebright said the Greenway helps bridge historical divides between the neighborhoods. He recalled a perspective from the 1980s that residents of Port Jefferson Station were viewed as less worthy than those in Setauket. He said shared public space could help unite the communities rather than separate them. His push for preservation stems from growing up in Bayside, Queens, where he watched a farm disappear within a year of his eighth-grade graduation. That loss of open space shaped his determination to protect Long Island’s remaining green areas.

The future of the Greenway intersects with proposed Long Island Rail Road electrification. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has argued that a turnaround facility is necessary for the project. A potential rail yard is being considered near the former Lawrence Aviation Industries property. Residents have not received sufficient detail about the facility’s design or its impact on nearby homes and woodland. Resident Ed Guijarro questioned whether the benefits would outweigh the environmental and neighborhood impacts, particularly regarding mature trees and contaminated soil.

Englebright agreed that residents should remain skeptical until concrete plans are available. He said the group would ask hard questions. He also criticized state agencies for the slow release of records under the Freedom of Information Law. He noted that the Greenway is permanent in state law, which he described as an important safeguard against future attempts to undo the project.

Civic association President Ira Costell asked for an update on a proposed planning study for the Route 112 corridor. New development and planned sewer infrastructure could spur further growth in that area. Costell argued the county should help coordinate the effort. Englebright said he had formally asked county planner Sarah Lansdale to consider county participation, but the request remains pending. He cautioned that sewer infrastructure should not be treated as a blank check for denser development.

Englebright also discussed a proposed joint town-county purchase of about 3.9 acres along Route 112 at a former nursery property. The $1.65 million purchase has been agreed upon but has not closed because environmental cleanup remains. The land could become a public green space or botanical garden. Town Councilmember Jonathan Kornreich (D-Stony Brook) also discussed plans to restore the name of Chief Jack Jantzen Memorial Park to the property currently known as School Street Park. A proclamation is planned for the November 19 Town Board meeting.