Town approves Amazon site plan amendment for automated vehicle inspection with landscaping and complaint conditions

The North Hempstead Town Board approved an amended site plan Tuesday to allow a one‑story automated vehicle inspection (AVI) building at the Amazon last‑mile facility at 2 Westbury Avenue. The board placed conditions on landscaping maintenance and required a functioning irrigation system and a complaints contact for neighbors.

Kathleen Deagan Dixon, an attorney for the property owner and applicant, said the 1,720‑square‑foot drive‑through AVI would scan delivery vans as they return to the site and that no new vehicle trips or changes to tractor‑trailer routing are proposed. "We're not proposing any changes to that and all tractor trailer traffic will continue to be limited to Voice Road," Deagan Dixon said. She added that tractor‑trailer routing is GPS‑controlled and that the applicant checked recent routing logs.

Residents raised concerns about van and truck access via Westbury Avenue, landscape maintenance and overflow parking in adjacent private lots. Longstanding local critic Pete Gaffney said Amazon has “not been a good tenant” and urged denial unless routing and enforcement were fixed; resident Neil McLaughlin raised enforcement and lease‑remedy questions. Amazon operations staff committed to create a direct email alias for neighbors so site leadership receives complaints and to respond to issues; applicant committed to restore or install irrigation for the proposed plantings.

The board included a condition requiring the irrigation system be demonstrated at final building permit review and asked the applicant to maintain communication with council members about complaints. The resolution to approve the amended site plan carried on a voice vote.