Planning Board Reserves Decision on Proposed 7-Eleven Zone Change

The Town of Islip planning board reserved its decision Thursday night on the zoning change of a parcel on the corner of Udall and Muncey Roads where a .

West Islip resident and attorney Eliot Bloom--representing property owners Jon Halperin, Peter Halperin and Stephen Halperin--presented an application to the board seeking the change of zone for the property from a Business 1 District to a Business 3 District and a Planning Board Special Permit for a convenience store.

Dozens of West Islip residents packed the second-floor Town Hall meeting room, with many taking the podium to voice their opposition of the project, citing traffic and safety concerns. Many of the echoed those presented to the board in 2009, when Halperins first proposed constructing a convenience store at the site.

Bloom argued 7-Eleven is the "best tenant for [the location]" and would "beautify" the area and "remove blight." The site is currently and auto repair shop, which has become an eysore after years of vacancy.

A rendering of the proposed convenience store displayed at the meeting  showed the 2000-square-foot building with what developers called a "residential motif," flanked by 4870-square-feet of landscaping and a 20-space parking lot.

The 1650-square-foot structure that currently sits on the property is set to be demolished.

Bloom said if the project is completed, the owners plan to donate a $25,000 gift to the town for "significant" street improvements for the intersection.

The applicants submitted a traffic study to the board, which Bloom said indicated an "imperceptible increase in traffic" to the site if the store were built.

"We can't keep this site blighted forever," he said. "Something has to be done."

The board voted to reserve its decision on the application, with Planning Board Chairman John Schettino adding, "We're reserving the decision to go through all the documents and everything we've got so far." According to Schettino, the date of the decision will be made available to the public sometime in the future.

Schettino also noted that the record for the application is still open, and members of the public who wish to submit documents or comments regarding the proposed zone change to the planning board may do so.

Patch will continue to provide updates on any developments related to this story, including testimony from West Islip residents who spoke at the meeting.

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