Wheatley Heights residents urge Town of Babylon to halt industrial-park review, say FEIS and traffic study are flawed

Wheatley Heights residents told the Babylon Town Board on Sept. 10 they oppose a proposed industrial park and asked the town to halt action on an amended Final Environmental Impact Statement and accompanying traffic study.

The residents said the FEIS relied on an improper traffic comparison and omitted neighborhood comments and local conditions. The comments came during the board’s public comment period on resolution 6-10, which speakers identified with the amended FEIS.

Why it matters: Speakers said the project would bring thousands of vehicle trips, heavy truck traffic and years of construction close to homes and local schools, conditions they said the study failed to address. Several speakers urged the board to require a new, town-led traffic study and to ensure all resident submissions were included in the record.

Robert Lutz, a Wheatley Heights resident, told the board he and his neighbors “are highly opposed” and said the traffic study compared Little East Neck Road — a two‑lane residential street — with a commercial route near Hartland Industrial Park. Lutz said the study’s sample road does not reflect Little East Neck’s residential geometry or restrictions.

Karen Turk, of Wheatley Heights, said the FEIS “does not adequately indicate the traffic” and that Little East Neck Road is not suitable for trucks in either direction. Ruthie Scheck said many neighbors were not properly informed about the proposal and that at least two emails from her family (dated Nov. 18 and Nov. 25) were not recorded in the impact study’s comment record.

Christopher Black, president of the Concerned Taxpayers of Wheatley Heights and Dix Hills Incorporated Civic Association, asked the board which portions of the FEIS had been amended and said the civic association had formally requested, on May 14, that the town produce a more extensive traffic report rather than rely solely on the developer’s consultants. Black said that request was stamped by the town clerk on 05/14/2025.

Other residents pointed to environmental, safety and emergency‑response concerns if the proposal moves forward. Margaret Ramada, a long‑time Wheatley Heights resident, said the development would bring “2,000 employees” and additional trucks; she said the community’s roads and at‑grade rail crossings cannot absorb that volume.

Discussion vs. decision: At the start of the meeting the board closed a separate public hearing on a traffic ordinance amendment and “decision is reserved,” recorded on the meeting minutes. Speakers addressing resolution 6-10 asked the board to withhold approval of any project permits or findings based on the current FEIS until the town addresses the traffic‑study and public‑comment concerns; the transcript does not show a board vote on resolution 6-10 itself during the Sept. 10 meeting.

What residents requested next: Multiple speakers asked the board to order a town‑commissioned traffic study, to verify the public‑comment record and to re‑post or re‑install local signage noted in the record (for example, a missing “no trucking” sign north of Long Island Avenue on Little East Neck Road). Several speakers also asked the board to consider alternative sites, noting that vacant warehouses and nonresidential sites exist elsewhere.

The record: Speakers repeatedly said the FEIS failed to use a locally comparable roadway, omitted resident emails and undercounted local impacts. Board members did not announce a final decision or vote on the FEIS during the meeting; speakers asked the town attorney and staff to follow up. The transcript does not record any further staff response or a formal action to order a new traffic study.

The board’s next steps — if any — were not specified in the meeting transcript. Residents said they will continue to press the town for a fuller traffic analysis, a complete public‑comment record and, if necessary, legal review.