Islip Town paves way for Starbucks in West Sayville
The Islip Town Board cleared the way Thursday for a drive-thru Starbucks at the site of a former vacant bank on Montauk Highway in West Sayville. Credit: Newsday/Steve Pfost
The Islip Town Board has voted to allow a controversial rezoning proposal to move forward, paving the way for a Starbucks with a drive-thru in West Sayville.
By a 4-1 vote, the board on Thursday approved the proposal for 90 Montauk Hwy., the site of a former bank.
The proposal by Bay Shore developer J. Nazzaro Partnership to allow fast food restaurants angered residents, who said a new Starbucks would add traffic onto already crowded streets and disrupt the character of the hamlet.
Another Starbucks without a drive-thru, at 59 Main St., close to the proposed coffee shop, closed in December. Developers during previous public hearings said they expect a 10-vehicle queue at the West Sayville drive-thru, which would be located on a busy two-lane road without a turning lane into the parking lot.
At those hearings, dozens of residents voiced concern that the drive-thru would snarl traffic on Montauk Highway, which could pose an issue for the fire department next door. More than 2,500 people signed a petition in opposition to the project.
The West Sayville-Oakdale Fire District wrote in a December 2021 letter to the Zoning Board of Appeals and obtained by Newsday that while the district has remained neutral on the project, it is concerned about traffic, which could “potentially interfere with fire department response.” Sayville Public Schools wrote to the town in a December 2021 letter obtained by Newsday it didn't approve the rezoning, which the district said could pose a safety risk during school commutes.
The Greater Sayville Chamber of Commerce said Thursday in a statement to Newsday that it plans to explore options to appeal the board's decision, which "greatly let our West Sayville community down." Additionally, the chamber said: "The Town of Islip chose to side with a large corporation and local developer over the safety concerns of over 2,550 residents who signed the petition and the documented concerns of the Sayville School District and the West Sayville Fire Department."
Environmental impacts on the property will be assessed later.
Brinley Hineman covers the Town of Hempstead and the City of Long Beach for Newsday. She previously was a reporter in Nashville, Tennessee, and is a West Virginia native.
