Islandia

A Late Arrival Born in Controversy

Beginnings: Amid sharp controversy, this 2-square-mile incorporated village was carved out of northeast Central Islip and south Hauppauge in April, 1985, next to the busy interchange where Exit 57 of the Long Island Expressway crosses Veterans Memorial Parkway. Islandia became Long Island's first new village since Lake Grove was established in 1968. Islip Town and Suffolk County planners charged before the 505-178 approval vote that the incorporation bid was a transparent effort to gain zoning control to lure new industry and make the village, which has about 2,900 residents, a tax haven. They warned that too much industrial buildup would further aggravate traffic problems around Exit 57, and later criticized the new village's willingness to give concessions to businessmen seeking zoning changes.

The Founder's View: Warren Raymond, now 85, who dominated the incorporation effort and became the first mayor, says taxes paid by industry have had a minor effect on village property taxes, most of it going to school districts, the county and town. ``The village has been very successful. Most of the growth has been what we had hoped to see - upscale homes,'' Raymond said.

Who's There: The village lists 162 businesses. The big ones that moved in since 1985 include Computer Associates and the Radisson Hotel on the LIE, the large, glass-walled Pavilion office complex at the interchange, and nearby Islandia Center, a shopping mall on Veterans Highway.

Identity Confusion: The village is served by three post offices (Central Islip, Ronkonkoma and Hauppauge), three school districts (Central Islip, Connetquot and Hauppauge) and three fire districts (Central Islip, Lakeland and Hauppauge).