Opponents come out swinging as developer preps new housing proposal for old Sayville golf course
The developer behind a failed housing proposal for the grounds of the former Island Hills Golf and Country Club in Sayville is preparing to submit a new plan for the site as opponents get ready for another fight. Credit: Rick Kopstein
The developer behind a Sayville housing proposal Islip Town rejected in 2021 after community opposition expects to file a new application this fall with a scaled-down plan, according to company officials.
Rechler Equity Partners, which owns the former Island Hills Golf and Country Club on Lakeland Avenue, says it has downsized its original proposal for a 1,365-unit apartment complex into a plan for about 925 housing units that would include some single-family homes.
The company wouldn't specify how many single-family homes.
Members of at least one local civic group used the Freedom of Information Law to obtain a recent conceptual plan for the project from the town that the developer submitted earlier this year — and they're prepping for another fight.
The residents said after seeing some modified plans — which Rechler officials said still are evolving — that they're still concerned about the development size and its potential impact on their quality of life.
“These are people that live in this community, they have their hearts and souls here, they're raising their families here,” said Milynn Concepcion, president of The Greater Islip Association Inc., which obtained some of the developer's conceptual plans through a public records request.
The organization wants Rechler to "go back to the drawing board" and opposes any apartments on the site, according to Concepcion.
She said the civic group is raising money to fund an opposition effort, which will include a letter-writing campaign to raise concerns about how the project might negatively impact traffic and schools and strain the resources of emergency responders.
The developer first submitted plans for the 114-acre property in 2017, but the $500 million project required rezoning approval by the town board. The current residential zoning allows 98 single-family homes on the former golf course, which closed in 2015.
Stiff community opposition against the project previously included more than 200 residents protesting the development proposal at a 2021 public hearing before Islip's town board rejected the rezoning necessary for it.
Islip Supervisor Angie Carpenter touted that decision in her 2023 state of the town address in March as an example of the town’s willingness to work with residents.
An Islip spokesperson said Thursday when asked for comment on new developments on the issue that "no new application has been submitted."
In an effort to avoid more community friction, Rechler has established a five-person advisory group to gather local feedback before the company finalizes details for a formal application with the town.
The application would be for a change of zone, which still would be required before any other necessary town approvals for the project would be considered.
"It became apparent to us that we really needed to come up with a new method or way to let everyone be heard in a safe way,” Gregg Rechler, managing partner at the company, said in an interview. “We really want to get input from the entire community."
The new proposal has cut the number of housing units by around a third, Rechler said.
Single-family houses for sale would line the development, with multifamily units for rent, smaller in scale than originally proposed, built toward the center, according to company officials.
Rechler said the development would include a clubhouse, art center and community farm.
But he acknowledged plans still may change and couldn't provide an estimated project cost.
Brianne Ledda covers the Town of Islip for Newsday. She previously covered Southold and Greenport for The Suffolk Times and is a graduate of Stony Brook University.
