Planning board hears plan to combine six lots on Little East Neck Road, rezone one parcel for 10 one‑bedroom apartments

The Town of Babylon Planning Board on an evening public hearing considered a proposal to reconfigure property at the northwest corner of Little East Neck Road (Route 109) and Millard Avenue, combining six existing lots into two and rezoning the front parcel to MR to allow a two‑story building containing 10 one‑bedroom apartments.

Applicant representative Joseph F. Bazzell told the board the overall site totals about 3.79 acres and that Lot 1 would be approximately 0.83 of an acre and developed with a single building of 10 one‑bedroom units (unit footprints described as about 944 square feet). Lot 2 would be unified as Business E and would retain the existing shopping center with minor restriping and added landscaping. Bazzell said the proposed apartment lot provides more parking than required in his view (he cited 20 required and 25 provided for the residential building) and that access for residents would be exclusively from Route 109; an emergency‑only access drive would remain on Hab Avenue.

Why it matters: The proposal would resolve the current split zoning on the site, add market‑rate rental housing with a 20% affordable component that the applicant said is typically managed through the Long Island Housing Partnership, and change the traffic and parking patterns near established multifamily housing and commercial uses.

Board questions and concerns centered on required variances, emergency access control, drainage and traffic. A board member asked whether variances were needed; Bazzell said variances would be required for lot area and for a north‑side setback (he said the project meets frontage and height limits and is under density limits set by the town). Another member pressed how the Hab Avenue emergency drive would be controlled; Bazzell proposed installing a chain keyed for fire‑department access to prevent daily public use.

Residents at the hearing voiced several concerns. Mary Ellen Christie of 201 Millard Avenue said limiting the Ha(b) Avenue access to emergencies could force residents and service traffic to Route 109 and create difficult travel patterns; she asked whether the building would be age‑restricted (Bazzell said units would be open‑market). Fisherman’s Wharf resident Aileen Sharon asked about the construction timeline, security, whether units might be Section 8 (Bazzell said his client does not intend to lease to Section 8) and what rodent control measures would be used during excavation.

Bazzell responded that a standard rodent control plan would be used during construction, that utilities are public and the applicant does not expect impacts to neighboring water or electric systems, and that construction would take roughly nine months after obtaining required approvals (the application must still go to the Town Board, ZBA, county DPW for sewer tie‑in, the health department and then the building permit stage). He also said the applicant would install a hydrant if the fire marshal requires it and confirmed the project will connect to the Southwest Sewer District if necessary.

The board made a motion to close the hearing and reserve decision. The chair read that the decision was reserved, the record will remain open for written comments, and members of the public may review application documents at the planning department in the West Wing of Town Hall or submit comments to planningcomments@townofBabylonny.gov or by phone at (631) 957-3103.

Next steps: The Planning Board will review feedback from the hearing and outstanding site‑plan issues before issuing a decision; the record is open to written comment.