Residents call Bristol Suffolk DEIS an "environmental nightmare," raise traffic and water concerns

At a public hearing on the draft environmental impact statement for the Bristol Suffolk LLC project, residents told the Town of Babylon Town Board that the proposal threatens local groundwater, historic sites and neighborhood traffic.

Kevin Heschner of Wheatley Heights called the project “an environmental nightmare,” saying the plans look more like an industrial source-separation facility than a standard warehouse and warning of long-term risks to the town’s recharge basins and drinking-water supply. He questioned site operations and capacity—he said the proposal referenced roughly 260 people and raised a calculation that, he asserted, could imply thousands of truck movements if fully active—and asked whether Native American burial grounds on the property had been contacted. “Don’t poison the water,” he told the board.

Town staff present at the hearing reminded attendees that the comment period remains open through Nov. 25 and that written and online submissions will be accepted. The board heard technical and neighborhood-focused concerns about traffic and stormwater control from other speakers, including Robert Lutz, who urged stronger light-pollution controls and questioned the DEIS traffic-study comparators, saying the applicant’s chosen industrial benchmark did not match the residential corridor on Little East Neck Road.

No town action was taken at the hearing itself. The board closed the public comment portion and “reserved decision,” leaving the DEIS record open to additional written input through the stated deadline. The project application and the specific Suffolk County tax-map parcels were read into the record during the hearing.

What happens next: The record remains open for written comments through Nov. 25, after which town staff and the board may review and consider next procedural steps. The board did not vote to approve or reject the project at this meeting.