Previously Published in The Messenger
By Matt Meduri
Raleigh Poultry Farm, located just off Indian Head Road in Kings Park, has for over sixty years provided the area with fresh produce, dairy, meats, fish, and a variety of fixings, all while retaining its small, family farm feel.
The owner and operator of the farm, Catherine Raleigh, is seeking to sell seventeen acres for the development of condominiums but asserts that the beloved farm is not going anywhere.
“Nothing’s changing; we’re just moving things around,” Raleigh, who runs the shop with her sister Maura, told The Messenger Tuesday afternoon, as loyal regular customers filtered in and out of the farmstand. Raleigh added that several acres of the property up for sale aren’t currently being used as farmland.
“I’m a farm girl. This is in my blood,” said Raleigh, adding that another eight acres aren’t up for development. “We have parcels of land we’re paying taxes on and not using.”
Raleigh Poultry Farm is known for its fresh eggs and organic animal products, with prices cheaper than most supermarkets and qualities much higher in the same regard. The proposal consists of a rezoning application by Beechwood Smithtown, LLC, to build a 288-unit condominium complex. The land is currently zoned for residential and simplex (single-family dwellings), while bordering nearly six acres of wild forest conservation land. Raleigh says that she is consulting with her legal team to ensure a synergy between the proposed homes and the farm would be a facet of the project.
“People are trying to say it’s an apartment complex; these are condos. Young people need places to live, and they all want to eat fresh,” said Raleigh, pointing to a growing cultural dissatisfaction with supermarket staples in exchange for fresh, organic produce.
In January 2023, Beechwood requested a zone change for the area, proposing 391 attached units consisting of town homes and villas. The application was amended last September to construct the 288 condominiums, along with comments from residents and recommendations pursuant to the Smithtown Comprehensive Master Plan. Additionally, the overall project density was reduced from six units per acre to four, 156 attached units were replaced with 53 detached, single-family homes adjacent to the single-family homes on Linden Avenue, and a secondary entrance roadway was added on the north side of the property to eliminate pass-through traffic on Old Indian Head Road.
All proposed units will be privately-owned homes; no rentals are proposed. A 12,000-square-foot clubhouse also remains on the docket. The clubhouse would be operated by HOA management, including two heated pools, two pickleball courts, a fitness center, a yoga studio, a sports lounge, bocce courts, and a putting green, among other amenities.
The amended application was approved by the Planning Board in September subject to several conditions.
Despite Smithtown having open space-to-resident ratios above national recommendations, Beechwood has also pledged to work with the Town to create a woodland buffer along the northern and eastern boundaries of the property and, if possible, would offer the buffer property to the State. At least 30% of the included parcels will remain open space, according to the developers.
Many residents at the December 2 board meeting spoke highly of the project, supporting the balanced development, Beechwood’s reputation in the hamlet, and the generation of jobs associated with the project.
A thirty-year resident of Kings Park said that he and his wife were considering selling their house and utilizing the classic New York-to-Florida pipeline, but found that despite the amenities and warm weather, the “roots” they have in Smithtown made the move more difficult.
“And lo and behold, Beechwood purchased property right here in Kings Park and created an opportunity for people like myself who didn’t want to maintain the big house anymore, pay the really high taxes anymore,” said the resident, urging the Town Board to accept the proposal. “We wanted something that was going to be more affordable, low maintenance, and enjoyable and sociable. This is exactly what Beechwood is proposing.”
Albert Fox, a retired dentist of East Setauket, said that with any empty house, options for downsizing were “little to none.”
“The Beechwood property allows us to downsize yet live in desirable Smithtown at a price that is affordable,” said Fox, comparing the project to a similar venture in Yaphank.
Steve Paglino, a twenty-eight-year resident of Smithtown, supports the project in light of the current “bidding wars” and “declining real estate inventory.”
“It would benefit local retail and provide long-term employment opportunities for people,” said Paglino.
Other residents stated their concerns for traffic, saying that the old industrial corridor that’s currently being redeveloped is already causing issues.
“We have no problem with the Raleighs selling their land, God bless them,” said a long-time Linden Avenue resident. “But Beechwood should find land [somewhere else] on Indian Head Road to build condominiums. We don’t have a problem with that.” He added that the condominiums proposed for the Raleigh Farm property would be out of character for the low-density residential area, instead calling for single-family homes.
“It’ll be destroying the neighborhood,” said the resident. “You’re talking 600 cars added to the area. I don’t know where they’re going to put these cars.”
Elizabeth Maffei, a sixty-three-year resident of the Town, opposes the project, stating that “nature is where Long Island stems from.”
“Long Island is about small communities, communities that are well-knit that have been here for years,” said Maffei. “I really wish that you [the Town Board] would dig deep in your minds and consider the reason you’re all sitting here is that your community had faith in you. We believed in you and that you would do what was right for its residents. We deserve to have what we all signed up for many, many years ago with our parents.”