Enterprise proposes vehicle storage and service facility on New Highway; board reserves decision

The Town of Babylon Planning Board heard a presentation from New Highway LLC on a proposed modification to an approved site plan that would convert a previously approved multi‑warehouse project into a single 12,666 square‑foot one‑story building to house Enterprise rental car office and a service garage, together with outdoor storage of vehicle inventory. The site is on the west side of New Highway in East Farmingdale, about 330 feet north of the Long Island Railroad tracks, and is zoned industrial (Z G) with a total area of 16.29 acres.

Attorney Joseph F. Bazelle described the site's approvals history, noting the board approved a warehousing plan in September 2020 and the zoning board granted related variances in October 2020; covenants were recorded in 2021. Bazelle said the revised plan eliminates the three previously proposed warehouse buildings and leaves most of the property for enterprise vehicle storage while dedicating a single building for offices and a maintenance/service center. "Enterprise would build a single building," Bazelle said, and added that the site will be used for administrative staff, maintenance and for staging late‑model rental vehicles.

Bazelle gave staffing and parking estimates: about 8–10 administrative employees, 4–5 maintenance technicians, five on‑lot drivers and 25–30 over‑the‑road drivers, for a total of roughly 46 employees. He said the building requires 51 parking spaces and the applicant proposes 69 spaces. He described the vehicles stored as late‑model rental cars and said carrier trucks typically deliver seven to nine vehicles and remove retired vehicles periodically. Bazelle told the board that "no customer will enter the site" and that there will be a security guard on site "at all times, 24/7." He also said routine maintenance would be limited to oil changes, tire changes and similar light service — "no body work" — and that waste oil handling is covered by Enterprise's existing contracts.

The presentation included building‑area calculations: the town's permitted building area is described in the record as 43.40 percent (283,911 sq ft equivalent cap), warehouse proposals previously came in at about 39.79 percent, and the revised program with outdoor storage yields building area figures presented by the applicant (figures in the discussion included 28.71 percent when including outside storage). The FAA has issued a recent "determination of no hazard" for the site; Bazelle said this was the third such FAA notice for the property.

Board members and audience participants asked several operational and environmental questions, including what constitutes "light service" inside the building, whether lifts would be installed in maintenance bays, how waste oil would be disposed of, and whether electric vehicles and charging infrastructure would be kept on site. An audience member asked about electric vehicle charging and battery fire risks; Bazelle replied he could not specify exactly how Enterprise would manage EVs but noted charging stations could be provided for employees and that the market for EVs varies.

After questions the board moved to close the public hearing and reserved decision to allow staff to review departmental comments and open site plan issues. The record was left open for written comments; the Planning Department provided contact information for follow up.