Kings Park residents oppose trucking station at former landfill property

Some Kings Park residents are opposing plans to build a trucking station and outdoor storage area on the site of a former landfill, citing concerns about increased truck traffic, noise and dust.

The proposal, submitted by Cox & Sons, calls for redeveloping the former Steck and Philbin landfill, which closed in the early 1990s.

Most of the property on Old Northport Road is included in the state's Brownfield program, which manages the cleanup of contaminated properties and incentivizes redevelopment.

Cox & Sons is asking the Town of Smithtown to grant two special exceptions — one to build the trucking station and another to build outdoor storage in a district zoned for light industry.

The developer is also asking the town to grant 26 variances, including to reduce minimum parking setbacks, exceed the gross floor area and allow permits for taller light poles.

Some residents opposed the project during a hearing last month.

Antonio Conte, whose family lives near the property, said the town should push the developer to make changes that "better fit the property and the community around it."

"I’m for business; I’m for development," Conte said during the hearing. But he added: "The precedent established here could someday become someone else’s backyard problem."

Seth Catandella, who lives near the site, told the board he can hear noise from facilities already on Old Northport Road, and "this would be even louder."

Fran Occhiuto, of Smithtown, said she was concerned about the potential increased truck traffic.

"It is a very big impact on our community," Occhiuto said.

Town officials have asked for changes.

In a memo, the town's planning department cited the cumulative nature of the requested variances.

Redesigning the proposal to achieve "greater compliance" with the zoning code, the memo states, "would reduce the potential impacts to surrounding properties and lessen the need for substantial relief."

Under town zoning regulations, trucking stations are allowed by special exception in the light and heavy industry zoning districts, though a special exception is required for outdoor storage in the light industry district.

The department said the applicant should redesign the site to better comply with town standards on buffers, grading, landscaping and parking setbacks.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation said Cox & Sons is "in the process of remedial design" at the site.

The DEC is in the midst of reviewing plans for a cover or cap system for the landfill, with a target of next year for installation.

Vincent Trimarco, an attorney representing Cox & Sons, said at the Aug. 11 hearing: "The oversight is there. The Cox family is not just doing it willy-nilly. Every step of the way, there is oversight." 

During the meeting, Tony Tanzi, chairman of the planning board, expressed reservations about the developer's requests.

Tanzi said that for the board "to say, 'We're going to abandon all the standards when we're trying to clean everything up,' " was something that "doesn't make sense if there are options we can address."

Mike Rosato, of the Kings Park Community Association, asked the board to reject the proposal. He called the variance request "way too substantial."

The board decided to leave the hearing open and adjourned it to Sept. 22. The adjournment allows the developer time to revise plans and file a full environmental assessment, according to planning department officials. A site plan approval will also be required.