'Don't touch the trees,' neighbors say as plans for Medford site remain pending
Medford resident Leonard DeCostanzo, who lives near a 30-acre site where a New Jersey company wants to build a distribution center, is among those who want to preserve trees that would form a buffer between the development and neighborhood homes. Credit: Rick Kopstein
Brookhaven Town officials would require a New Jersey company to increase a wooded buffer zone between nearby homes and a proposed distribution center as a condition of the plan's acceptance, Councilman Neil Foley said Friday.
Neighbors who live close to the 30-acre site in Foley's council district have expressed concern about noise that could come from the proposed development in Medford.
Suffolk County Regional Off-Track Betting Corp. once eyed the location for the county's first casino.
Other plans for the site that never came to fruition have included a minor league hockey arena and an auto dealership. The location on the Long Island Expressway South Service Road has been vacant since 2003, when the shuttered Brookhaven Multiplex Cinemas was demolished.
Suffolk OTB owns the property and expects to sell it to Lincoln Equities for $36 million if Brookhaven Town issues approvals for the distribution center, OTB managing director Phil Boyle said Friday. OTB bought the property in 2014 for $10.95 million.
Nearby resident Leonard DeCostanzo had opposed the New Jersey developer's plan to remove most of a 75-foot wooded buffer between his house and the proposed warehouse, but said “if they don’t touch the trees" he might support the project.
“In that case, that would be acceptable because the property has been vacant for 20-plus years," the Medford resident added.
Lincoln Equities' purchase of the site would end Suffolk OTB's six-year quest to unload a property it no longer needs.
OTB had planned to build a video-lottery casino at the site before withdrawing the plan in 2016 because of community opposition. The agency moved that project to Islandia, where Jake's 58 Casino and Hotel opened in 2017.
The town board voted 7-0 on Aug. 11 to approve zoning changes that will allow construction of the distribution center at the site, which is zoned for commercial recreation and entertainment.
But Lincoln Equities, which is based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, must obtain site plan approval from the town planning board. The company has not disclosed potential tenants nor said what products potentially could be distributed from the facility.
Expanding the wooded area would be required for planning board approval, Foley said, adding that construction could start later this year or next year.
It wasn't clear whether town officials would require the developer to leave all the woods in the area intact, plant more trees or just cut down fewer trees than initially proposed.
Melville lawyer Garrett Gray, who represents the developer, didn't respond to a request for comment Friday. He said in an April 19 email to Newsday that the company had altered its plan since August.
He declined to elaborate except to write that "nothing major has changed with regard to the building" and that its size, location, orientation and parking "are all the same."
Last year neighbors objected to Lincoln Equities' plan to remove trees that stand as a buffer between their homes and the proposed warehouse.
DeCostanzo, who lives about 500 feet from the site, said the woods "provided a good kind of isolation barrier” when the movie theater was there.
“That’s what we’re going for with this situation. Just leave the woods as it is," he added.
Before last week, DeCostanzo and other neighbors said they hadn't heard anything about the proposed project since August.
“We don’t know what’s going on," said Sam Asfar, who lives nearby with his family. "Hopefully nothing.”
Brookhaven Town officials would require a New Jersey company to increase a wooded buffer zone between nearby homes and a proposed distribution center as a condition of the plan's acceptance, Councilman Neil Foley said Friday.
Neighbors who live close to the 30-acre site in Foley's council district have expressed concern about noise that could come from the proposed development in Medford.
Suffolk County Regional Off-Track Betting Corp. once eyed the location for the county's first casino.
Other plans for the site that never came to fruition have included a minor league hockey arena and an auto dealership. The location on the Long Island Expressway South Service Road has been vacant since 2003, when the shuttered Brookhaven Multiplex Cinemas was demolished.
Suffolk OTB owns the property and expects to sell it to Lincoln Equities for $36 million if Brookhaven Town issues approvals for the distribution center, OTB managing director Phil Boyle said Friday. OTB bought the property in 2014 for $10.95 million.
Nearby resident Leonard DeCostanzo had opposed the New Jersey developer's plan to remove most of a 75-foot wooded buffer between his house and the proposed warehouse, but said “if they don’t touch the trees" he might support the project.
“In that case, that would be acceptable because the property has been vacant for 20-plus years," the Medford resident added.
Lincoln Equities' purchase of the site would end Suffolk OTB's six-year quest to unload a property it no longer needs.
OTB had planned to build a video-lottery casino at the site before withdrawing the plan in 2016 because of community opposition. The agency moved that project to Islandia, where Jake's 58 Casino and Hotel opened in 2017.
The town board voted 7-0 on Aug. 11 to approve zoning changes that will allow construction of the distribution center at the site, which is zoned for commercial recreation and entertainment.
But Lincoln Equities, which is based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, must obtain site plan approval from the town planning board. The company has not disclosed potential tenants nor said what products potentially could be distributed from the facility.
Expanding the wooded area would be required for planning board approval, Foley said, adding that construction could start later this year or next year.
It wasn't clear whether town officials would require the developer to leave all the woods in the area intact, plant more trees or just cut down fewer trees than initially proposed.
Melville lawyer Garrett Gray, who represents the developer, didn't respond to a request for comment Friday. He said in an April 19 email to Newsday that the company had altered its plan since August.
He declined to elaborate except to write that "nothing major has changed with regard to the building" and that its size, location, orientation and parking "are all the same."
Last year neighbors objected to Lincoln Equities' plan to remove trees that stand as a buffer between their homes and the proposed warehouse.
DeCostanzo, who lives about 500 feet from the site, said the woods "provided a good kind of isolation barrier” when the movie theater was there.
“That’s what we’re going for with this situation. Just leave the woods as it is," he added.
Before last week, DeCostanzo and other neighbors said they hadn't heard anything about the proposed project since August.
“We don’t know what’s going on," said Sam Asfar, who lives nearby with his family. "Hopefully nothing.”
Vacant site since 2003
- Suffolk OTB proposed a casino but withdrew the plan amid community opposition
- Bayville entrepreneur proposed a minor league hockey arena but never submitted formal plans
- A Brooklyn auto chain expressed site interest, but didn't pursue plans after pushback from locals
Carl MacGowan is a Long Island native who covers Brookhaven Town after having previously covered Smithtown, Suffolk County courts and numerous spot news and feature stories over his 20-plus year career at Newsday.
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