Planning board hears strong neighborhood concerns over proposed Amityville bus depot at 42 Segal Boulevard

The Town of Babylon Planning Board on Jan. 7 held a public hearing on an application (Job 2436A) to reestablish a bus-depot use at a vacant property at the southwest corner of Schlegel Boulevard and Commerce Boulevard in Amityville.

Applicant representatives said the site will be used mainly for vans transporting special‑needs students across Nassau and Suffolk counties and described the facility’s layout, employee counts and operational controls. Paul Scribe, district manager for Total Transportation, said the company “provides safe and reliable transport to 1,000 in our community daily” and has hired local residents. Engineer Chris Tartaglia of High Point Engineering described a 2‑acre parcel with an existing 4,783‑square‑foot building, a three‑bay service garage, about 1,700 square feet of office space and a 160‑square‑foot mezzanine; the site is enclosed by a 6‑foot chain‑link fence with screening slats.

Tartaglia told the board the site currently provides 144 on‑site parking stalls: 97 van stalls, 10 bus stalls and 37 employee stalls. He said the town zoning calculation requires 57 employee stalls, and the applicant expects an operational pattern in which vans leave while employees occupy van stalls, but acknowledged there is an on‑street overflow in peak periods. Tartaglia said he observed about 17–19 vehicles parked on adjacent streets during a site visit; several residents said on‑street spillover is more persistent and more numerous.

Neighbors gave multiple accounts of congestion, blocked sight lines and trash or other debris near property boundaries. Lynette Reynolds, who said she lives at 6 Commerce Boulevard, told the board the area is “chaotic” with parking on Commerce Boulevard, Schlegel Boulevard and adjacent streets and that, in her view, “they’re not trying to be good neighbors.” Other residents described cones placed to protect driveways, cars parked on private property and frequent vehicle stacking that, they said, creates blind spots when exiting driveways.

Environmental and safety concerns were raised. Planning board member Juan Leon asked about historical fill and soil borings; Tartaglia said previous environmental reports gave the property a “clean bill of health” but that urban fill (brick and other fill) had been recorded and any material excavated during proposed drain work would be disposed of in accordance with New York State Department of Environmental Conservation rules. Residents and board members also discussed records of former underground storage tanks associated with the prior operator First Student; the transcript records differing recollections (applicant said four tanks were removed; a resident cited town records indicating as many as 11 registered tanks). Tartaglia and Scribe said they would review the county records and provide documentation to planning staff.

Several residents said they observed larger buses on the site after Total Transportation began operations in September; the applicant said operations primarily use vans but acknowledged that, on occasion, larger buses may be needed for specific routes. The applicant said all fleet vehicles are gasoline powered and that the company has systems and campaigns to limit idling. The planning memo referenced by staff includes a condition (No. 10) requiring posted no‑idling signage and condition No. 16 limiting hours of operation to 5 a.m.–6 p.m. Monday–Friday and 8 a.m.–2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday; Scribe said the shop operates largely during weekday hours and that weekend work would be minimal and limited to training or DOT inspections if approved on‑site. The board noted condition No. 16 in the record.

Board members and staff repeatedly returned to parking as the central concern. The applicant indicated a willingness to explore options to reduce on‑street parking—such as identifying off‑site parking and shuttling employees, implementing stricter on‑site pull‑through procedures, and enforcing no‑idling rules—and planning staff said the planning commissioner’s December 27, 2024 memo includes a process for the department to notify the property owner by certified mail if substantial spillover parking complaints are received.

The hearing record remains open; the board closed the public hearing and reserved decision to allow staff time to review the environmental report, a traffic study submitted last week, and the testimony provided. The board instructed that written comments be submitted to the planning department; Chair Halpin closed the hearing and the board voted to reserve its decision.