The Town of Brookhaven Planning Board approved a site plan modification for Bayport Properties on Montauk Highway in Mastic that adds a second story containing two apartments above a reduced ground‑floor retail area.

Don Hone, planning director, said the application modifies an earlier approved 1,950‑square‑foot office building, reducing the first‑floor footprint to 725 square feet and adding a second floor of about 1,500 square feet with a one‑bedroom and a two‑bedroom apartment. Architect Michael Morbillo described the building as a mixed‑use design with residential quality materials and a small front porch to improve street presence.

Neighbor Diane Andre told the board she and nearby residents strongly objected to through traffic onto Smith Street, a small residential dead‑end, and asked that site access be routed to Montauk Highway only. Andre said Smith Street currently functions as a quiet dead‑end and that additional traffic would endanger children and the daycare located in the neighborhood.

Morbillo and the applicant said they had worked with Suffolk County Department of Public Works and county highway requirements limited curb cut placement along Montauk Highway; the county required a secondary access on Smith Street in their review. The applicant said they had sought and been denied cross‑access at a neighboring property and that previous site approval included a similar access arrangement.

Town highway staff and the highway superintendent — present at the hearing — confirmed that county regulation and previous agency comments shaped the access plan. The town suggested installing signage to warn drivers of two‑way traffic where appropriate, and the highway superintendent said traffic‑safety signage could be installed if warranted.

After public comment and testimony from the applicant, the planning board closed the public hearing, declared a negative declaration under SEQRA and approved the site modification. The approval authorizes the mixed‑use building with two apartments above first‑floor retail and the access configuration described; construction will require standard permits and any additional conditions required by county or town highway authorities.

The board and the applicant acknowledged neighbors’ concerns and agreed to follow up with signage and to coordinate with county highway and town traffic safety staff if safety issues arise during construction or occupancy.