Resident raises safety concerns as Planning Board weighs rezoning for 26 Bethpage Road

The Town of Babylon Planning Board heard public comment on Aug. 10 over an application to rezone 26 Bethpage Road from a split Residence B/G Industrial classification to entirely G Industrial. The board’s chair opened the hearing, read a standard advisement that the board may rely on applicant-provided information, and confirmed a quorum before the presentation began.

John Antalone, an attorney for the applicant, told the board the site currently contains a roughly 39,753-square-foot, two-story industrial building used for manufacturing and distribution of over-the-counter pharmaceutical products and that the application proposes no new buildings, expansions or changes in use. Antalone said the rezoning would eliminate the split zoning, aligning the parcel with the industrial operations that have been in place for decades. "The entirety of the site would be rezoned to G Industrial, and all uses of the existing building would remain in the exact same layout as has existed for more than 40 years," Antalone said.

A resident, Madeline Jackson of 23 Edmonds Place, spoke for neighbors and urged the board to consider pedestrian safety for schoolchildren who walk along Bethpage Road and Great Neck Road. "I'm here on behalf of some of the residents and a question about what happens to the children who egress and use that area," Jackson said, asking whether a transportation or safety study has been performed. Town planning staff and board members responded that no traffic study is required because the applicant is not proposing a change of use or additional truck traffic.

Adam D'Zamba, introduced by counsel as director of operations for P and L Development, described current operations, saying the site runs one weekday shift (first shift begins about 6 a.m.), employs roughly 30 people and typically receives about one or two delivery shipments per day. "We have basically one or two shipments per day," D'Zamba said, and he confirmed the applicant does not propose additional truck traffic as part of the rezoning.

Board members emphasized that the Town Board will hold a separate public hearing on any proposed change of zone and that the planning board’s role is to review the application and refer recommendations as appropriate. The board voted to close the public hearing and reserve its decision to allow time to review written comments and any outstanding site-plan materials; the record remains open for written submissions and application documents are available for inspection at the Town Hall planning office.