Planning board hears warehouse proposal at South Strong Avenue; neighbors raise truck, noise and contamination concerns

The Town of Babylon Planning Board on March 30 heard a site‑plan application from Crescent Group Realty for a 20,000‑square‑foot prefabricated manufacturing warehouse at 1305 South Strong Avenue and heard several residents urge protections for nearby homes.

Jacqueline Pareto, principal at Key Civil Engineering, described the proposal as a one‑story Butler‑style metal building with a 600‑square‑foot office, room for up to four 5,000‑square‑foot tenants, four overhead loading doors and a 30‑space parking lot. She said the site will connect to Suffolk County sewer and water, include a fire sprinkler system and new transformer, and use landscaping and the building’s rear wall to buffer residences on Victoria Avenue.

The project requires variances, Pareto said, including a floor‑area‑ratio now at 44.2% versus a 40% code maximum, an exception for multiple overhead doors facing the same street side, and a parking‑setback variance that would provide 5 feet of planting space instead of the 10 feet required. Pareto said the plan provides 30 parking stalls where the town code requires 32.

The matter of prior contamination and cleanup drew extended discussion. Pareto said the applicant submitted a decision of record (ROD) from DEC showing the spill is closed on DEC’s website but acknowledged a Condition 22 added to the planning memorandum requires further coordination with DEC and that there may be soil testing before material removal. A town environmental representative clarified that while a Brownfield ROD has closed some elements, the site is also listed as a state Superfund site and is classified “Class 2,” meaning hazardous waste disposal on the property required cleanup; the office has contacted DEC and will continue coordination with the applicant.

“My house is directly across from the site,” said resident Sakina Thomas, identifying herself as living at 1295 South Strong Avenue, and asking how the board and applicant would limit construction dust, debris and noise and prevent trucks from using Victoria Avenue. John Zocali of 228 South Strongs Avenue repeated worries about truck traffic and nighttime deliveries.

Pareto told the board the only driveway and construction entrance will be off Cheddock Avenue and that the building and proposed landscaping should buffer Victoria Avenue residents. “There will be no trucks going down Victoria,” she said. She added the application includes a soil‑erosion plan, a stormwater pollution‑prevention plan and a construction staging plan; equipment will be swept and roadways cleaned daily under town and DEC permits.

On operation and deliveries, Pareto said the development is speculative with no confirmed tenants yet and that the applicant expects box trucks or vehicles typical of small manufacturers rather than tractor‑trailers. She agreed to a proposed covenant limiting deliveries: “deliveries will not be made between the hours of 11PM and 6AM, Monday through Friday, nor between the hours of 10PM and 8AM on Saturday and Sunday.”

Board members asked about prefabrication and crane use; architect and project representatives said the pre‑engineered panels will be delivered and erected quickly and cranes would remain on site only during building erection for a short period.

After public comment and applicant responses, the board moved to close the public hearing and reserve decision to allow staff to review outstanding site‑plan issues and the new DEC coordination requirement. The record remains open for written comments and additional materials; the planning department directed residents to the planning office and to planningcomments@townofBabylonny.gov for follow‑up.