Babylon zoning board hears variance to keep century‑old garage as part of Copiague mixed‑use project

The Town of Babylon Zoning Board of Appeals on May 8 heard application 25060, in which the applicant seeks a rear‑yard setback variance to retain an existing two‑story garage built in 1920 as part of a proposed three‑story mixed‑use redevelopment on Great Neck Road in Copiague.

The variance request is driven by a 20‑foot access easement that, the applicant’s attorney said, would terminate if the garage is demolished. Nicole Blanda, attorney for the applicant, told the board: "As long as the garage exists, the easement remains." She said the required rear‑yard setback in the zone is 15 feet and "this building is at 0.8," and that the garage would be used as a carport and a real‑estate management office limited to site management functions.

Board members and residents focused on traffic and parking. Resident Susan Giruso told the board, "You're gonna try to come out and make a left when all of those cars are... You're asking for an accident," citing heavy congestion at the Great Neck Road and Oak Street intersection and nearby school pedestrian activity. Donna Farina, speaking as president of the Copiague Chamber of Commerce and a local business owner, said, "The traffic is horrendous at that Great Neck Road itself," and urged the board to consider business parking needs. Marlena Borkovsky, owner of the Polish Deli, said she was concerned that an additional similar business in the new building "will cause someone a downfall in our business."

Project and zoning details provided to the board: the subject lot is about 25,095 square feet and currently includes the roughly 21‑by‑42‑foot garage. The mixed‑use proposal calls for a three‑story building fronting Great Neck Road with a deli and two office spaces on the first floor and 19 apartments on the upper floors (the applicant described the unit mix as studios and one‑bedrooms). Blanda said the downtown Copiague zoning district permits three stories and that the proposal is for 19 units, "we're allowed to have 20 units. We have 19."

On parking, Blanda said the applicant is providing 28 on‑site spaces and requested a three‑space parking waiver from the planning board; she noted the town code allows the planning board to consider a 20 percent shared‑parking reduction and that a 20 percent reduction in this case would equal six spaces. The planning division, environmental control, and fire marshal had submitted memos for the file and the planning board had already reviewed the site plan in February. Town traffic‑safety consultant Cameron Engineering and the applicant’s consultant Nelson e& Pope participated in the planning review, the attorney said.

Blanda described design changes to the garage—raising its roof by three feet for aesthetic reasons—and said the applicant consents to several covenants the board requested: merge the tax lots, limit the garage office to site management, prohibit residential use in the garage, and bar auto‑body repair in the garage.

The board amended the application on the record to include additional tax lots (the chair moved the amendment and a second was recorded; the board voiced "Aye"), but did not vote on the variance itself. Board members asked the applicant to follow up with the planning department and traffic‑safety consultants about egress and whether left‑turn restrictions, signage or other measures would be appropriate to address the safety concerns at Oak Street and Great Neck Road. The attorney said she would check with the planner on the job and with traffic safety and get back to the board.

No final decision on the variance was announced at the hearing. The board said the applicant will receive any decision in writing once the board reaches a determination.