Neighbors press ZBA over proposed Spark Car Wash on Montauk Highway; applicant offers sign and operational concessions

A proposal to develop a Spark express car wash at 560 Montauk Highway in West Babylon dominated the Town of Babylon Zoning Board of Appeals meeting Oct. 9, producing an extended presentation by the applicant’s team and lengthy public comment from nearby residents concerned about traffic, noise and safety.

Attorney Keith Brown opened for Spark Car Wash, LLC and introduced a multi‑disciplinary team including Orr Raitsis (director of real estate for Spark), civil engineer Alex Holloman (Boller), architect Gabriela de Almeida (GKA), acoustical consultant Jack Zabora (Louis S. Godfried & Associates), traffic engineer Nicholas Tortorella (Stonefield Engineering), environmental planner Deirdre Ryan (PW Grocer) and real estate appraiser Paul Dykes. The application seeks a special exception for car wash use, area variance(s) and sign variances (cases 25‑152 and 25‑157). Brown said the planning board had approved site plan on July 28 and that several town departments had reviewed the project.

Project description and operations: Spark proposes a 4,588 sq ft two‑story building with one tunnel, two entry lanes (member lane with license‑plate recognition and non‑member lane with kiosk), ten vacuum stalls (including one ADA…