Rendering of a building at the planned Suffolk Technology Park. The Babylon Town board has given the green light for the rezoning of a proposed 100-acre industrial park in Wyandanch, setting the stage for the final step of approval needed for the controversial project. Credit: Courtesy/Bristol Group Inc.
The Babylon Town Board has given the green light for the rezoning of a proposed 100-acre industrial park in Wyandanch, setting the stage for the final step of approval required for the controversial project.
The development, called Suffolk Technology Park, would be built on property owned by Pinelawn Memorial Park and leased to San Francisco-based Bristol Group. The plan calls for nine one-story buildings that would serve up to 40 companies on what is currently undeveloped land. The property runs from Little East Neck Road east to North 28th Street, and from south of Circle Drive to Long Island Avenue.
In December, the town board voted unanimously to approve Planned Industrial Park District-2 zoning, which was created by the town specifically for the project. Because the property is zoned for residential and business uses, the site had to be rezoned to the new industrial park designation. On Wednesday, the five-member board unanimously approved the rezoning, as well as a subdivision of the parcels.
The vote was the final approval needed from the town board. At the town level, the project now only needs site plan approval from the planning board to go forward. Other approvals, such as from the state’s cemetery board for use of the land, are also required.
Town spokesman Ryan Bonner said a public hearing is required for the site plan approval. He said the planning department is still awaiting revisions to the proposal and will meet with Bristol this week.
Bram Weber, the Melville attorney representing Bristol, told Newsday that the company will submit a revised plan within the next few weeks. He noted there was “nothing major” being contested and that discussions were now focused on details such as engineering design for a sound wall and what types of landscaping would be used.
“In any site plan process, certainly one as complex as a new industrial office park with new zoning, there’s always going to be a back and forth,” he said. “There’s no problem that can’t be overcome. It’s just an ongoing dialogue.”
Although located in Wyandanch, the property abuts a Wheatley Heights neighborhood, leading to a rift between the two communities over the plans. The proposed development is also next to a historic Black and Indigenous cemetery owned by Pinelawn, raising the concerns of historians and preservationists.
The project would be expected to add nearly 2,000 permanent jobs and an additional $5.6 million in tax revenue, including more than $3.6 million to the Wyandanch school district.
In their support, Wyandanch residents have pointed to this as a needed economic boost in a community that has long struggled to raise its tax base. Bristol has promised more than $2 million in givebacks to Wyandanch and Wheatley Heights for benefits including scholarships, renovations and beautification projects. Wheatley Heights residents are steadfast in their opposition, citing increased traffic and potential environmental, noise and water pollution.
Weber called the project commercially “transformative” for the region, and in particular the two communities, citing the jobs as well as promises of roadway improvements and a solar energy initiative.
Wheatley Heights resident Elanna Osdoby told Newsday she was disappointed in the town board’s rezoning approval and remains skeptical of Bristol’s promises.
“They sold it to a community but I just do not believe whatever they’re planning is really good for the community,” she said. “It’s just going to benefit a few people.”
Osdoby said she feels her community’s opposition is not being heard and that the project is likely a done deal.
“I would love to hope that our elected officials would do the right thing for the community and the environment when it will come to that final vote,” she said. “However, I can’t help but imagine all of those who have opposed this will be ignored again.”
Weber said he expects the public hearing on the site plan to take place in the fall and if approved, that construction will begin sometime next year.
Denise Bonilla has worked at Newsday since 2003 and covers the Town of Babylon, including the villages of Lindenhurst and Amityville.
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