West Islip CVS Proposal Focus of Public Hearing Thursday

The hotly debated CVS proposal in West Islip will be the focus of a public hearing Thursday night before the Islip Town Zoning Board as the applicant, First Hartford Realty Corp., seeks a zone change from Resident B and Business 1 to all Business 1, as well as a special permit to operate a freestanding retail use that is larger than 10,000 square feet of floor area.

The hearing, scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at Islip Town Hall, comes less than a month after the town planning board approved the CVS proposal for the northwest corner of Montauk Highway and Higbie Lane, the site of the former La Grange catering hall and restaurant.

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 planning board meeting in late November.

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.