Residents urge Town of Babylon to halt proposed Bristol Technology Park, citing traffic, air and historic-site concerns
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Summary
Multiple Wheatley Heights and Wyandanch residents told the Town of Babylon board they oppose a proposed industrial park (referred to by speakers as Bristol Technology Park), raising concerns about traffic congestion, air quality, wildlife, and burial sites. The board took no action on the development at the meeting.
Several residents at the Town of Babylon—s Oct. 22 meeting urged the board to stop a proposed industrial park on land between Wheatley Heights and Wyandanch, warning of traffic, air-quality and historic-site impacts.
"If you pour 72 acres of cement ... you've created a zone for habitation," resident Kevin Hesch told the board, saying he feared the project would increase diesel traffic, reduce air quality and overwhelm local roads. "I like it just the way it is," he said, asking officials not to build the project.
Susan Thompson of Wheatley Heights said current rush-hour congestion on Little East Neck Road and Long Island Avenue already makes turning difficult, and she opposed placing an industrial park in that location. "It's really hard to get out," Thompson said, citing existing traffic delays and train crossings.
Teresa Wallace, who said she represents more than 1,400 people who signed a Change.org petition, told the board that promoters had not been transparent about the plan. She said the project was described to some residents as retail development but that the proposal she described would be "$250,000,000" on a roughly "100 acre" parcel with "9 30-foot tall industrial buildings with over 300 trucking bays." Wallace also said a newly installed gate and clearing this past summer had made nearby residents suspect the project was a done deal.
Pamela Dowdy, whose home borders a water plant on Circle Drive, told the board the site is about 275 feet from her residence and said she feared construction noise, vibration and long-term pollution. She said Newsday had documented the proximity to her home.
Phyllis Stewart and other speakers asked the board to consider the presence of burial plots and the area's ecology, and to reconsider rezoning that residents say could threaten preserved land and historic graves. "There are civil war veterans buried up on the abutting land," Wallace said. She questioned why an industrial park would be the means to "beautify" and honor those plots.
Board members did not vote or take action on the development proposal during this meeting. Several speakers asked the board to stop the project, to provide clearer information to residents and to halt any further approvals until public concerns are addressed.
The meeting also included separate items and votes (see other items approved on the consent agenda).
