Zoning board hears plan for Enterprise rental-car hub and large outdoor vehicle storage; decision reserved

The Town of Babylon Zoning Board of Appeals took public testimony on a proposal to convert a 16.29-acre Industry G site in East Farmingdale into an Enterprise rental-car hub, with one office/service building and large areas for outdoor fleet storage, and the board left its decision pending further clarification.

Attorney Nicole Bland, representing Elra LLC, said the site is irregularly shaped, has limited street frontage (about 43.27 feet on New Highway), and was previously the subject of approvals for warehouses and other uses. Bland said the current proposal reduces previously approved building counts and would provide an office and light-service bays for Enterprise's fleet, with the majority of the site used for outdoor storage of rental vehicles.

Because local parking rules count outside storage in the parking calculation, Bland said the computed requirement for the site would be about 329 spaces (driven largely by the area classified as outside storage). The applicant proposes 63 spaces overall and argued that the actual daily staffing and operation (estimated roughly 46 to 50 employees, plus staging lanes for vehicles and up to five on-lot drivers) would not require the full 329 spaces for customer parking because the site is not open to the general public.

"This is strictly to rotate. As Nicole said, this is not for the public to come here," said John Solomon, who identified himself in the record as speaking on matters related to the landlord and described the on-site function as fleet inspection, light repairs and staging rather than public auto service.

Board members pressed for specificity about the term "light repair" and asked that the permitted activities be listed in writing to avoid future disputes. The council recommended that any allowance for repair be limited to light maintenance tied to the fleet and not major mechanical overhauls; the applicant agreed to provide detailed covenants and limits on outdoor storage areas on the approved site plan.

The record indicates the applicant agreed to typical conditions for public-garage permits, to limit outdoor storage to designated areas shown on the site plan, and to submit additional drainage and covenant language as requested. The board closed the hearing, kept the record open to receive clarifying details, and reserved decision.

If approved, the applicant would still be required to comply with conditions the board may impose and obtain any required permits. The board also discussed public-notice, shared access easements and security arrangements for the site.