Residents Protest Against Proposed Apartments Outside Town Hall

East Islip, NY — A group of residents opposing a proposed zoning change on a residential East Islip street met outside Islip Town Hall on February 5th. The concerned locals were protesting against the application from Greenview Properties to change zoning from residential to rental on two properties, 7 and 9 Bayview Avenue.

The builder Larry Gargano presented preliminary plans for a 29-unit 55-and-over apartment complex at an informational town meeting earlier this week where many residents expressed concerns over traffic, the character of the neighborhood and strain on civic services.

Dana Rehm Ehlich lives nearby and is involved in the efforts to oppose the development.

East Islip has a unique traffic issue. We are the last town before the Oakdale merge. All traffic funnels down to Union Blvd. and Main Street. People use our town to bypass the merge on Sunrise to continue into Oakdale via Montauk Highway. The traffic is so bad at rush hour that our main roads become a parking lot. We are prisoners in our homes. We can’t get out of our neighborhood. People also speed through our backroads and endanger our children. The last thing we need here is more high-density housing."

Approximately 50 people chanted and held signs outside the Islip Town meeting, although the zoning change wasn't on the agenda. No date has been yet set for the application to be presented at a planning board meeting.