Pharmacy Proposed to Replace Former La Grange Inn

Update: The hearing has been rescheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 14 at 7:30 p.m.

Original Story: A pharmacy may be built at the site of the former La Grange Inn, according to an agenda item posted on the Town of Islip website.

The Town of Islip Planning Board will hold a hearing for the zoning change and special permit application regarding a proposed pharmacy and retail space at the corner of Montauk Highway and Higbie Lane on Thursday, October 25.

Though the agenda does not specify the name of the proposed pharmacy, the applicant, First Hartford Realty Corporation, is involved in the development of CVS stores in New York state. Patch's requests to the Town of Islip for clarification on the proposal were not returned.

First Hartford Realty is seeking a special permit from the Planning Board for a retail space "in excess of 10,000 square feet of gross floor area" as well as a drive-through window for the pharmacy. (See attached PDF for further details.)

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The proposal to construct a pharmacy on the property that houses the now vacant La Grange comes more than four years after a similar proposal to build a Walgreens on the same parcel of land was discussed.

Several hundred residents attended a meeting at La Grange in March 2008 to hear details of the Walgreens proposal, with an overwhelming majority that evening expressing opposition to the plan.

Related: Visions For Vacancies - La Grange Inn

The proposal by Walgreens called for the construction of a drug store on the western side of the property. La Grange would have remodeled and stripped down to its original structure and moved further east on the property to sit closer to Higbie Lane.

Following the meeting four years ago, the La Grange Task Force was formed that included a group of West Islip residents who sought out alternative ideas for the property. That Task Force ultimately morphed into the West Islip Association.

OPINION: Community Needs To Give CVS Proposal A Fair Hearing

While a group of investors re-opened La Grange as a restaurant and catering hall in 2010, the business closed after only a few months in operation. Since that time, the property has remained vacant.

Would you approve of a pharmacy to be constructed there? If not, what would you like to see there? Tell us in the comments.