Updated October 27, 2026

If you've driven east on Jericho Turnpike past Manor Road in Elwood, you've passed it: roughly 55 acres of wooded, hilly land that once held the Mediavilla apple orchard. For decades, developers have tried to build there, and for decades, the plans have stalled.

The latest proposal, called Estates at Elwood, would put 46 single-family homes on the site. It is still before the Town of Huntington Planning Board, with no decision yet. Here's what's planned, where it stands, and how we got here.

What's proposed

The applicant, Villadom Corp., wants to build 46 single-family homes on the 55-acre site and hold the southwest corner for possible future commercial use. The land is already zoned R-40, which allows single-family homes on large lots, so no rezoning is needed this time.

The key details:

  • Clustered homes, preserved woods. The town previously accepted a conventional yield of 54 lots. Villadom proposes 46, mostly on lots of about 21,000 to 41,400 square feet, with two larger lots along Jericho Turnpike. Clustering frees up about 20.8 acres of mostly wooded land in the northwest corner to stay preserved.
  • One way in and out. All traffic would use a single entrance on Jericho Turnpike, about 900 feet east of Old Country Road, with new turn lanes and acceleration and deceleration lanes on Jericho.
  • Drainage. A 1.83-acre groundwater recharge basin is planned along Jericho in the south-central part of the property.
  • A park next door. The site borders Berkeley Jackson County Park.
About 21 of the 55 acres would stay wooded Estates at Elwood site plan, simplified. Not to scale; boundaries approximate. Site: about 55 acres, zoned R-40 Manor Road Warner Road Jericho Turnpike (Route 25) Preserved woods about 20.8 acres Possible future commercial 46 single-family homes clustered lots location approximate Recharge basin 1.83 acres Single entrance with turn lanes about 900 ft east of Old Country Road N The site also borders Berkeley Jackson County Park (side not shown).
The woods stay in the northwest, a commercial pad sits in the southwest, and every car enters through one driveway off Jericho. Simplified from public descriptions; not an official site plan.

See it on the map:

Where it stands

The Planning Board held a public hearing on August 5, 2026, and kept the hearing open without a vote. As of this writing, we have not found a decision.

At the hearing, residents and board members raised questions about:

  • Water capacity
  • Relying on a single entrance on Jericho Turnpike, and emergency access
  • Steep slopes and wildlife
  • How the open space would be protected long term

Reaction was mixed. Some residents objected to added traffic on Jericho, while at least one speaker supported the cluster approach because it leaves a large part of the property undeveloped. The developer's engineer said a full traffic analysis was done and pointed to the planned turn lanes.

Suffolk County planners have also weighed in. They recommended permanent legal protection for the open space, Health Department review, confirmation of public-water capacity, a natural buffer along Berkeley Jackson County Park, state approval for work on Jericho Turnpike (a state road), and an alternate route for emergency vehicles.

How we got here

This site has drawn development proposals for more than four decades, according to the project's engineer. Each plan has looked different, and each has met resistance. The most recent chapters:

When Proposal What happened
2026 Estates at Elwood: 46 single-family homes, about 20.8 acres preserved Public hearing Aug. 5; left open, no vote yet
Late 2025 Earlier Estates at Elwood plan: 44 homes on about 0.4-acre lots, preserved space, small commercial area Introduced to the Planning Board; later revised to 46 homes
2022 Country Pointe Elwood (Beechwood Organization): 385 townhomes for residents 55 and over Did not move forward
2018 Elwood Orchard (Villadom): about 486,000 sq. ft. commercial development, requiring a rezoning from R-40 to commercial Hundreds of residents opposed it; the rezoning request was withdrawn in May 2018

The big difference now: earlier plans needed a zoning change or leaned heavily commercial. This one fits the existing residential zoning, which gives the town less room to simply say no and shifts the debate to traffic, water and environmental conditions.

Why it matters, and what to watch

Elwood isn't Syosset, but Jericho Turnpike ties our communities together. Large projects along the corridor shape traffic, local inventory and how buyers compare towns across the Nassau-Suffolk line. And a 46-home subdivision would add a meaningful batch of new-construction single-family homes to the area.

What to watch next:

  • The Planning Board's next step on the open hearing and the cluster request
  • Conditions tied to any approval, especially on traffic, water and the preserved open space
  • State review of the proposed changes to Jericho Turnpike

Want to follow along? Planning Board agendas, meeting videos and project documents are posted on the Town of Huntington website. Meetings are open to the public, and residents can speak during public hearings.

We'll update this post as the project moves forward.

Sources

This post is for general information about local development and is not legal or investment advice. Details are based on public reporting as of the date above and may change. Educators Realty, Syosset, NY. Equal Housing Opportunity.