Islip Planning Board OKs CVS for LaGrange Site

The hotly debated proposal of turning the former LaGrange building in West Islip into a CVS is moving forward now that the Islip Town Planning Board has approved the plan.

The project still requires a change of zone and special permit from the town’s zoning board. 

The planning board approval was made at Wednesday's board meeting, the first board meeting since the Islip Town Board fired longtime planning commissioner David Genaway on Nov. 7 and replaced him with deputy planning chief Richard Zapolski.

The CVS proposal has been strongly opposed for years by residents and even some local businesses due to concerns about traffic and safety issues.

“The chamber is in favor of business development. We are still concerned about the traffic flow generated at that busy intersection,” said Nancy Donohue, West Islip Chamber President, who attended the meeting.

During a West Islip Association meeting last February residents were provided insight on what the proposed CVS would look like. The structure shown is not a traditional box-style CVS and offers a look that is similar to that of La Grange. WIA leaders said at the time CVS agreed to go with a building design that would be more attractive than its traditional store design.