Wyandanch, Wheatley Heights residents offer opposing views of proposed industrial park
The industrial park has been proposed for 100 acres of wooded land, right, that runs from Little East Neck Road east to North 28th Street and from south of Circle Drive to Long Island Avenue in Wyandanch. Credit: Newsday / Steve Pfost
They may share a ZIP code, but residents in the Babylon Town hamlets of Wyandanch and Wheatley Heights largely do not share the same views on a proposed industrial park in Wyandanch that abuts a Wheatley Heights neighborhood, residents said at a public hearing Monday night.
Dozens of people from both communities filled the Town Hall boardroom to voice their opinion of the 100-acre Suffolk Technology Park. The public hearing was for a potential new zoning code that would be required if the park, proposed by San Francisco-based Bristol Group, is approved by the town board. The town board did not vote on the proposed zoning code.
Bristol wants to build the industrial park on wooded land owned by Pinelawn Memorial Park that runs from Little East Neck Road east to North 28th Street and from south of Circle Drive to Long Island Avenue.
The proposal calls for nine one-story buildings with up to 40 companies and 384 truck bays. The developer predicts almost 2,000 permanent jobs will be created from the park.
Although situated in Wyandanch, the park would border Wheatley Heights residential streets, as well as a historic Black and Indigenous cemetery owned by Pinelawn.
Bristol has touted what it said will be a more than $5.6 million infusion of tax revenue to the town, including more than $3.6 million to the beleaguered Wyandanch school district. In addition, Bristol has promised more than $2 million in givebacks to Wyandanch and Wheatley Heights for benefits such as scholarships, renovations and beautification projects in the communities.
The public hearing drew mostly Wheatley Heights residents opposed to the project, with nearly three dozen residents speaking out. About a half dozen Wyandanch residents took their turn at the podium to voice their support of the project.
Wyandanch residents emphasized the financial boost the park could give the community, noting how it is consistently ranked as one of the most economically disadvantaged on Long Island.
“Some of us we share a ZIP code and we don’t share the same interests,” Wyandanch resident Robert Johnson said. “They don’t have the problems that we have. ... Wyandanch is starving, we need help, and if this is going to help us and give us some stability in our community, I don’t understand why people don’t even think about that part.”
Wheatley Heights residents countered that their quality of life is threatened by the park, citing noise, air and water pollution potential, along with increased traffic and how that might impact first responders.
“I want Wyandanch ... to be economically viable,” Wheatley Heights resident Monique Golding said. “To look like Babylon Village, Lindenhurst, Farmingdale. It’s a dream I dream too. But I also want the Wyandanch ambulance corps to be able to get to my mother in a medical emergency.”
At times, the comments and back-and-forth from the audience became heated, with many in attendance saying the project had positioned Wyandanch and Wheatley Heights against each other.
“I’m very, very troubled and saddened that it pits two wonderful communities at odds with something when we share an environment and a community together,” Wheatley Heights resident Sandy Thomas said.
In addition to the zoning, for the project to move forward, the town board needs to approve a subdivision of the land, and the town’s planning board needs to OK the park’s site plan. The project also needs to get the green light from the Suffolk County Planning Commission, Babylon Town spokesman Ryan Bonner said.
According to state Department of State spokeswoman Mercedes Padilla, the state cemetery board has not yet made a recommendation on Pinelawn leasing the land to Bristol. The board is awaiting a new application from Pinelawn that reflects changes made to the original proposal, Padilla said.
Denise Bonilla has worked at Newsday since 2003 and covers the Town of Babylon, including the villages of Lindenhurst and Amityville.
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