West Babylon residents oppose rental units

Residents from the neighborhood surrounding West Babylon's Muncie Road showed up in force at Tuesday's Babylon town board meeting -- many on a bus chartered for the occasion -- to oppose a proposal to build a 24-unit rental development on the street.

The plan would require rezoning to put four six-unit buildings on about 1.3 acres of land now occupied by a single-family house the neighbors say is historic.

An attorney and a traffic engineer for Lindenhurst-based VMD Development said the project would add little traffic to area streets while providing benefits like a developer-financed crosswalk and timed signals on nearby Montauk Highway. Attorney Nicole Blanda also said the development would include units designated as affordable housing, though she could not immediately supply prices for any of the units.

But residents said neighborhood streets are already congested by three existing apartment complexes and a busy car dealership at the corner of Muncie and Montauk Highway.

"We've had enough," said Madeline Sheldon, in a presentation that touched on problems with traffic, parking and access for emergency services vehicles she said would be exacerbated by the development.

Resident Michael Honahan warned that the 48 parking spaces VMD would build for the new apartments would be inadequate on holidays, and that snow plowed from the development's parking lot would end up piled in Muncie Road. "I have no problem with the developers, but please, not in our neighborhood," he said.

Town Supervisor Steve Bellone said the matter would remain open for written public comment for another week.