Residents decry tax breaks approved for Wyandanch building

The Babylon Industrial Development Agency approved a 30-year tax abatement for a new apartment building in Wyandanch despite residents calling the developer "selfish and greedy."

All 10 residents who spoke at a hearing last week opposed the deal for Albanese Organization Inc. of Garden City that will save Albanese an estimated $12 million in property and sales tax. The PILOT, or payment in lieu of taxes, is for 11 Park Dr., a 94-unit building for senior citizens being constructed to wrap around the Wyandanch Long Island Rail Road parking garage.

This is the fourth abatement given to Albanese. The IDA gave the company 40-year deals on Buildings A and E and a 30-year deal on Building B for a total estimated savings of more than $35.2 million in property, sales and mortgage recording taxes. The buildings are part of the town’s Wyandanch Rising redevelopment, which the town has been working on for nearly two decades.

“I think it is a shame for companies like Albanese … to come into a community and just take take take,” said Wyandanch school district employee Melissa Skeen. “They already got their first three buildings. It is unfair, selfish and greedy for them to even ask for another.”

In an interview with Newsday, Albanese chairman Russell Albanese, who did not attend last Wednesday's hearing, said he was surprised to learn of the comments.

“I don’t feel like we’ve been taking,” he said. “We’ve been doing a lot, working alongside the community. Overall, the general sense from the community that I’ve received is very positive about what we’re doing.”

Monte Chandler, an attorney for the school district, called Albanese a “parasite.”

“The choice that you’re doing is bank robbing this entire school district for 30 years,” he told the board.

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo last month appointed a state monitor to oversee the district, fiscal management of which has been criticized by the state comptroller’s office in reports and audits for periods dating back to 2015.

Albanese said he “understands the frustration” because of the district’s challenges, but PILOTs are a “necessity” for affordable housing projects to get federal low-income housing tax credits.

The IDA put together a “fact sheet” on the abatements stating Building D will add no children to the district, with Albanese paying $57,000 in school taxes the first year of the PILOT. The IDA states the existing apartment buildings, which opened in 2015, have added 14 new children to the district at a total cost of about $107,000 per year. The buildings currently contribute about $103,000 in revenue to the district.

“According to the NYS Comptroller’s office, the budgetary issues of the Wyandanch School Board predate the construction of the apartment buildings,” IDA chief executive Tom Dolan said in a statement. “While we share in the same goal of protecting the taxpayers of Wyandanch, the town IDA should not be scapegoated for the poor fiscal management of the district.”

The board declined to answer questions during the hearing. After the residents spoke, the board voted 5-0 to grant the abatement.

By Denise M. Bonilla

denise.bonilla@newsday.comdenisebonilla

Denise Bonilla has worked at Newsday since 2003 and covers the Town of Babylon, including the villages of Lindenhurst and Amityville.