Englebright pushes for 3.9-acre greenway purchase as development looms

Suffolk County Legislator Steve Englebright addressed the Port Jefferson Station/Terryville Civic Association on Tuesday, Oct. 27, to outline a plan for preserving local green spaces and scrutinizing upcoming infrastructure projects. The lawmaker, who has represented the area since 1983, focused on the Setauket-Port Jefferson Station Greenway and a proposed land acquisition near Route 112.

Englebright detailed a pending agreement to purchase approximately 3.9 acres of land along Route 112 at the former nursery property. The joint town-county deal is valued at $1.65 million. While the purchase has been agreed upon, the transaction has not closed because environmental cleanup remains necessary. Englebright proposed using the land for a public green space or botanical garden to maintain open areas in the community.

The legislator linked this effort to a larger concern about development pressure in Port Jefferson Station. He cited the proposed Long Island Rail Road electrification and a potential rail yard near the former Lawrence Aviation Industries property as key variables. Englebright noted that the Metropolitan Transportation Authority has historically argued a turnaround facility is necessary for electrification. However, he said residents lack sufficient detail on how the facility would impact nearby homes and woodland.

Residents voiced caution during the meeting. Ed Guijarro questioned whether the benefits of the rail project would outweigh environmental impacts, specifically the removal of mature trees and disturbance of contaminated soil. Englebright supported this skepticism, stating that the group would ask hard questions until concrete plans are available. He also highlighted a nearly two-year delay in receiving records under the Freedom of Information Law, which revealed no support for a previous justification to build a highway through the Greenway corridor.

Englebright traced the Greenway's history to shortly after his election in 1983, when he identified a nearly 3-mile stretch of state-owned land originally intended for a highway bypass. Local business owners opposed the road, citing potential harm to commerce, which allowed the corridor to remain undeveloped. He secured $2.5 million in planning funds while in the state assembly and a $5 million federal grant with former Congressman Tim Bishop. The path now serves bicyclists and pedestrians, connecting communities that Englebright said had historically viewed each other through a lens of class and status.

The discussion extended to the Route 112 corridor, where new development and planned sewer infrastructure could spur growth. Civic association President Ira Costell asked for an update on a proposed planning study for the area. Englebright said he formally requested that county planner Sarah Lansdale consider how the county could participate in coordinating the effort. The request remains pending. Englebright warned that sewer infrastructure should not be treated as a blank check for denser development, noting that the presence of a sewer line could be extrapolated into almost any type of construction.

Earlier in the meeting, Town Councilmember Jonathan Kornreich discussed restoring the name of Chief Jack Jantzen Memorial Park to the property currently known as School Street Park. The park is located behind JFK Middle School on School Drive. Jantzen was a Suffolk County police officer who was shot and killed on April 21, 1991, while off duty and attempting to help someone in distress at a Lake Grove restaurant. He served in the department’s community relations unit and left behind a wife and infant son.

Kornreich said the park was renamed in Jantzen’s honor in the early 1990s, but the dedication plaque faded over the decades, causing the name to revert to School Street Park. The town is moving to formally restore the memorial name. A proclamation is planned for the Nov. 19 Town Board meeting, where Jantzen’s family and police department members will attend. A rededication ceremony could follow in spring 2027.

Civic association Treasurer Lou Antoniello, who attended high school with Jantzen, remembered him as someone who never spoke ill of others during their four years together. Costell also reported speaking briefly with Valentin Staller about possible fencing and printed screening around the Jefferson Plaza construction site. The goal is to make the view more attractive while demolition and future construction proceed.