Planning board approves buffer reduction to add parking at 967 Patchog/Hullbrook Road

The Town of Islip Planning Board voted to approve a modification reducing the recorded 75‑foot natural vegetated buffer to a range of approximately 37.9 to 45.5 feet at 967 Patchog/Hullbrook Road to permit expansion of the existing parking area.

Len Crick of Islandwide Permit Services presented on behalf of owner John Massendono, saying the 1.3‑acre site is a multi‑tenant shopping center and that the reduced buffer would align the parcel’s vegetated edge with neighboring properties that previously received buffer relaxations. Crick said additional parking spaces will support prospective tenants requiring sewer service, such as restaurants and medical offices, and will bring the site into closer alignment with adjacent commercial properties.

Staff told the board the parcel was rezoned from residential to Business 1 in the 1970s and that similar buffer relaxations had been approved on nearby lots, including a neighboring parcel approved in 2009. The planning staff recommended granting the modification to align the buffer with adjoining approvals and to accommodate the proposed parking expansion, subject to the listed conditions.

The board closed the hearing and approved the request on a motion by Mr. Ryan that was seconded and carried.

The approval will be implemented through the site plan and any conditions set by staff; planning staff noted the decision reflects prior relaxations in the immediate area and aims to maintain consistency among adjacent parcels.