A Space That Works for Us.
We need a permanent asset that feeds our local economy and a green space built to bring people together.
The Park
A cozy green space with seating, shade, and public art. This is a gathering space and focal point this stretch of Larkfield has never had. A destination, a resting place, and place to stop and sit with a coffee from a nearby shop.
The Parking
More than just a place to leave your car. Safe parking brings foot traffic, and foot traffic supports the local businesses right down the block. This could allow for some street parking to be pushed away from the corners to increase visibility when making turns onto Larkfield.
Imagine...
- walking families having a clean and safe destination right in the neighborhood.
- kids on bikes meeting up before heading to the bowling alley next door.
- turning a quick coffee run into a chance to sit outside with neighbors.
- a commercial strip that feels alive, walkable, and welcoming.
Design Features
A Custom Monument Sign
A perforated sign that creates a distinct entrance. It provides a visual buffer from busy traffic while keeping open views into the park.
Safety-First Lighting & Hours
Warm pedestrian lighting and an open layout easily seen from the street, keeping the space safe, bright, and welcoming day or night. Dawn-to-dusk hours and 2-hour parking limits keep the lot active and self-policing.
Native Plants & Easy Upkeep
Low-maintenance native plants and flowers that support local pollinators and replace a block of asphalt with greenery that doesn't need constant watering or care.
Clear Sightlines for Drivers
Landscaping and setbacks designed to eliminate visual obstructions, giving drivers turning onto Larkfield Road a clean, safe view of oncoming traffic and pedestrians.
Shaded Seating
Seating tucked under the tree canopy creates a welcoming spot for neighbors to pause.
Public Art
A central art piece from a local artist that gives the corner a focal point and a sense of place.
With the right design, we can:
Erase an eyesore.
Eliminate a prominent safety hazard and a decades-long drain on municipal code enforcement resources.
Create our only green space between Clay Pitts and Pulaski.
In a dense residential neighborhood with no open space, this corner can be the first dedicated space with trees and plantings where there's only ever been asphalt. Native landscaping offers environmental and health relief for a dense residential grid.
Support local commerce.
This corner is the missing link between our homes and our stores. A place for neighbors to gather and sit with a coffee, and for passing drivers to park safely and stop in as customers. Making Larkfield more walkable will ease parking stress and draw new business.
Anchor the corridor.
Create a distinct, welcoming gateway that East Northport can be proud of.
Background
This property sits right in the middle of a commercial corridor on Larkfield Road and at the edge of a dense residential neighborhood. It is situated just out of walking distance from existing parks, but right in the heart of a business district that could use some foot traffic.
Our neighbors could use some green space, the area could use a feature to be proud of, and in general, Larkfield Road could use some love.
This guide shares a vision for how this blight can be converted into a public asset, fulfilling long-standing Town Comprehensive Plan goals, supporting nearby storefronts, and delivering a gateway feature East Northport can be proud of.
Decades of Decay
Since this business closed, nothing has changed on this site except weeds growing, roofing crumbling, and the Realtor sign a few times. 1To put the timeline in perspective: This Taco Bell closed before smartphones and now we yell our orders at a robot. We have seen four presidencies, economic recessions, and a pandemic. We’ve watched Taylor Swift’s entire career so far.
Nearly two decades of code complaints and off-the-charts blight points have placed a strain on Town resources, offering zero long-term return for our neighborhood despite the Town’s best enforcement efforts. 2Topping out at 175 points, per Town Code Enforcement Case #C190531 (Aug 2019)
Pivoting to a public project gives the Town the chance to break the cycle and replace years of neglect with a clean, welcoming gateway for our commercial strip.
Something we can be proud of.
A Complicated Past
Despite many creative attempts, the lot is just too small to accommodate any viable commercial use.
A look at past activity, including ZBA activity, doesn’t paint an optimistic future for private commercial development.
- 1934
Zoned C-6 Commercial. Designated commercial during the Great Depression—decades before modern parking standards, drive-thrus, or suburban traffic existed.
- 1956
The Diner. A little diner goes up on a quiet corner.
Permit #004835 - 1969
Parking Variance Withdrawn. A diner company asks to change parking requirements, then the application was withdrawn.
ZBA #5768 - 1973
Furniture store mandate. A fire takes out the diner. The town approved a rebuild with less parking but only if one shop is furniture or appliances. Presumably to ensure low traffic with where there’s little parking.
ZBA #7457 - 1977
Enter Taco Bell. Taco Bell was approved based on claims of a tiny menu, low volume, and a promise to be a good neighbor.
ZBA #8934 - 1985
Messy Taco Defense. Now they want a drive-thru and argue its low-volume tacos are messy, and a drive-thru moves cars through faster, so even less parking needed. Approved, but only for Taco Bell.
An actual quote in the decision states that Mexican food “cannot be eaten in the car without making a genuine mess” and therefore patrons using the drive-thru window “of necessity will be taking the closed package home to eat rather than eat it in the car.”
ZBA #11852 - 2006
Taco Bell Closes
:( - 2015
Demo Plans Interrupted. Plans to demolish and build new get approved but neither happened.
ZBA #21179 - 2021
Don’t Call it a Drive-Thru. A new plan to try for 14 parking spots where 58 are required was based on the concept: “it’s not a drive-thru, it’s a pickup window.” This application was eventually withdrawn.
ZBA #22748
Options
- Wait for the next food service concept that swears it’s different this time.
- Settle for an office or store nobody’s asking for.
- Debate it for another 20 years while the lot continues to sit empty.
- Build something the community needs.
For decades we waited while developers asked:
“What can turn a profit?”
Now we should ask:
“What do we need?”
Addressing the Horizons 2020 Vision.
Every problem on this corner is one the Town already named and provided a solution in its own 2008 Comprehensive Plan:
Replace Blight, Not Just Buildings.
The Town’s plan names “unoccupied, obsolescent retail structures” as a corridor problem — fueled by “the high level of Zoning Board of Appeals activity” and “the pressure to maximize the use of more marginal properties through variances.” The plan traces this to “the predominant commercial zoning district, C-6 General Business,” which applies “the same generic standards” across very different corridors.
§6.2, Key Issues, Objectives, and Recommendations, p. 6-8
Create a Feature
The plan calls for a “hamlet gateway feature” on Larkfield Road — landscaping, signage, and public art at gateways into East Northport, under a “Green/Sustainable Huntington” initiative.
§10.2.2, East Northport, pp. 10-7–10-8
Address the Parking Problem
“Parking is a major issue in East Northport for retail customers and commuters.” Many businesses on Larkfield Road have no dedicated parking or share spaces with other businesses.
§10.2.2, East Northport, p. 10-6
Realize the Vision.
The plan calls for “community-serving uses” to replace “undesired, underutilized, or obsolete development patterns” — held to “high standards of quality in architecture, site design, and landscaping.”
Vision Statement, §2.3, p. 2-5
A park within a quarter-mile walk
It’s been done before.
The Town recently spent up to $3.05M3 to turn an underutilized bank footprint into a public parking lot.
It now provides immediate economic support to Huntington Village, channels foot traffic directly to nearby businesses, and provides massive visual relief to everyone’s eyes.
Let’s do it again.
3 HuntingtonNow.com, "Town to Purchase Bank Property, Convert to Parking Lot," June 7, 2019.
A Starting Point for Collaboration
This layout is a conceptual community vision, not a finalized plan. Bringing this to life will require partnering with Town planners, landscape architects, civil engineers, local business owners, and community organizations to create a viable long-term solution that benefits all.
Author Note
— A lifelong East Northport resident
Tell the Town it’s worth a look.
If you think this corner deserves better, say so. Here is a short email to the Town Board. It asks for one thing: a fair look.
Toesmyth@HuntingtonNY.gov, dbennardo@HuntingtonNY.gov, jhebert@HuntingtonNY.gov, blupinacci@HuntingtonNY.gov, tmari@HuntingtonNY.gov
Subject336 Larkfield Road, East Northport
Dear Supervisor and Members of the Town Board, I live in East Northport, near the vacant lot at 336 Larkfield Road. It has sat empty for about twenty years. A neighbor has put together an idea for turning it into a small park with off-street parking. I think it's an interesting opportunity and worth the Town taking a look. I'm not asking for a commitment. I'm asking that it get a fair look. Please visit 336larkfield.com to see the concept. Thank you, [Your name] [Your street]
Sign it with your own name and street, and change the wording if you like. The email goes from your own account. This site collects nothing.