Town of Babylon planning board closes hearing on three-lot subdivision at 1401 Deer Park Avenue

The Town of Babylon Planning Board on Wednesday closed the public hearing on Minor Subdivision Job 2464B, an application by Eastern Home Building Corp. to subdivide a Deer Park Avenue property into three lots, and reserved its decision to review comments and staff recommendations.

The application, presented by owner-applicant Rick Levanick of Eastern Home Building Corp., proposes carving the subject parcel into three lots to permit two new single-family homes on Lot 1 and Lot 3 while retaining the existing single-family house on Lot 2. "Yes, I have seen the memo and I have no challenge with any of the conditions or the covenants and restrictions for all three of the lots," Levanick told the board when asked to confirm he had reviewed a Planning Commissioner memorandum dated June 18, 2025.

The subdivision materials announced at the hearing list the full parcel area in application text as 29,922 square feet; Levanick later said the parcel is 21,922 square feet. The record contains both figures; the board did not resolve the discrepancy at the hearing.

Levanick described the proposed lots and houses. Lot 1 is shown on the plan as 74 by 100 feet with 74 feet of frontage on Spruce Street; Levanick said the lot would contain a two-story colonial with a one-car garage and that the proposal falls one foot short of a 75-foot frontage requirement and is about 7,400 square feet compared with a 7,500-square-foot lot-area standard. Levanick said the house was sited to meet setback requirements and the driveway was located for aesthetic and traffic reasons.

Lot 2 contains the existing one-story ranch-style house; Levanick said he would maintain that dwelling. The application and the planning memo describe Lot 2 as a conforming 75-by-100-foot lot (7,500 square feet) after subdivision. Levanick said the proposed driveway for Lot 2 would be 22 feet wide, a dimension he said was recommended in a traffic study by Nelson & Pope to accommodate two cars off street.

Lot 3 is shown as a 70-by-100-foot lot. Levanick said the proposed two-story colonial for Lot 3 would be about 45 feet wide by 32 feet, 4 inches deep and roughly 2,500 square feet, and that it would require two variances: a 5-foot frontage shortfall (70 feet vs. a 75-foot requirement) and reduced lot area (about 7,000 square feet vs. 7,500 required).

Levanick told the board he has renovated properties and offices nearby, said his real estate office is adjacent to the rear of Lot 1, and that he intends landscaping, fencing and other site work for the new houses. He said PSE&G has already installed a utility pole near the proposed property line between Lot 2 and Lot 3 and that National Grid is relocating a gas meter to the side of the house; Levanick said he is willing to work with the planning division on undergrounding utilities and on a landscaping buffer to screen meters and outside basement doors.

Board members asked clarifying questions during the hearing about siding, site cleanup, driveway location and utility meters. The applicant confirmed he had reviewed the Planning Commissioner Denise Graziano memo dated June 18, 2025 and that he did not object to the listed conditions. The board did not take a final vote on the subdivision; instead, it closed the hearing and reserved decision to review written comments and staff feedback. "The public hearing is now closed. The decision has been reserved," the chair said, and the record was left open for written comments to the planning department.

The planning department contact information and the application job number (2464B) were provided at the hearing for anyone wishing to submit written comments or request application documents.

The board's next step is to review the planning memo and any public comments before making a decision on the variances and final subdivision approval.