Town Board Green Lights CVS at La Grange Inn Site in West Islip

While the Islip Town Board approved a plan to build a new CVS at the site of the La Grange Inn on Dec. 19, the West Islip Chamber of Commerce remains worried about the traffic congestion the retail pharmacy store will bring.

“We are still concerned about the traffic flow. Today [referring to Dec. 23] the cars were lined up from the causeway to Route 231,” said Nancy Donohue, chamber president, in an email to Patch on the town board decision. “I know it is the holiday and it was raining. When I went into Babylon, I could not cross the street with all the cars,” she wrote, noting that while many residents feel the building is in disrepair and anything would be better at the site, that traffic remains a concern.

Following a planning board public hearing on November 14, the board recommended approval to the town board on November 20.

A Patch poll in early February, 2013 revealed most residents wanted a park or some other sort of project that would keep traffic to a minimum and retail the historic value of the Inn.

The debate over what should be done at the Inn site is five years old. In 2008 local residents protested a proposal to build a Walgreens at the site citing many of the same concerns.

The approved application by First Hartford Realty sought a change of zone from Residence B District and Business 1 District to all Business 1 District.  The applicant also sought a special permit to allow for a single-user, freestanding retail use in excess of 10,000 square-feet of gross floor area, as well as a drive-through window for a pharmacy.

First Hartford now has the green light to build a 16,000 square-foot CVS on the western portion of the site, and will relocate the original three-story portion of Inn further north on the property, facing Higbie Lane. 

According to town officials the area to the south of the relocated La Grange Inn will be a landscaped area with walkways for pedestrians to access the building and to provide an attractive setting for the historic building, allowing for a park-like look.

The new store will have 110 paved parking spaces and 14 net land-banked stalls, and will provide cross access to the proposed three-story medical office building adjacent to the west.