Residents urge planning board to reject rezoning request for Deer Park bowling alley site

The Town of Babylon Planning Board on Wednesday heard an application from Lag Associates LLC to demolish the existing bowling-alley property at 849 Long Island Avenue in Deer Park and to rezone the parcel to allow a two‑story, climate‑controlled self‑storage facility with a 17,048‑square‑foot footprint.

The developer’s attorney, Nicole Blanda, told the board she represents the property owner and that the applicant “consents to all of the covenants and restrictions.” Blanda said the project would add about 20,633 square feet of landscaping, provide a 20‑foot buffer along residentially zoned property, install dark‑sky‑compliant lighting and eliminate an existing rear parking lot that currently abuts houses.

The public hearing drew more than two dozen speakers from Deer Park and neighboring communities, many of them citing the bowling alley as a longstanding community resource, particularly for children, people with disabilities and local youth bowling teams. Residents repeatedly urged the planning board and the town to preserve the bowling alley and to leave the…