The Town of Huntington took a major step toward ending a 13-year battle over affordable housing Tuesday night.

The town voted to approve the proposed construction of affordable housing on Ruland Road in Melville.

The settlement would allow the construction of 117 affordable housing units and end a long legal battle with the NAACP.

"There's been a shortage of affordable decent family housing in the Town of Huntington for a long time," says Ulysses Spicer, of the Huntington NAACP. He says the organization is happy to avoid taking the town to court over the issue.

The plan is to bring limited equity cooperative units, including 72 one-bedroom, 39 two-bedroom and 6 three-bedroom units.

Some in Melville had fought the plan initially, because the units were originally planned as all rentals.

In a statement, Town Supervisor Frank Petrone says, "This plan will provide affordable housing for young people entering the workforce and for families, while providing ownership with small-cash outlays."