We are asking the Town of Islip to declare the shuttered Island Hills Golf Course a public park.  We also ask the Town of Islip to cede Town-owned properties in our downtown areas to Rechler Equities in exchange for the Island Hills property.  We are asking the Town of Islip to support a community-led overlay district committee comprised of community organizations, Rechler Equity employees, and elected officials from Town, County and State government.  This overlay committee will update the zone changes outlined here as part of a comprehensive update to the commercial zoning of Sayville, West Sayville and Oakdale. 

All Greater Sayville overlay meetings will be broadcasted, recorded and stored for public viewing on a public website.  An agenda and minutes will be generated and also made available on the same public website.  Periodic updates will be provided to the public at public meetings which will be advertised at least a month in advance of the meetings.

Zoning for Island Hills will be changed to a park as part of this overlay process.  Allowances that permit more development on Town land ceded to Rechler Equities will also be made as part of the overlay process while at the same time restricting development to protect green spaces.   Allowances for more development should be in commercial districts, specifically near the Sayville and Oakdale LIRR stations as well near important commercial districts (i.e. South Main Street and Railroad Avenue, Sayville).  Zone changes that promote the creation more water treatment along Browns and Connetquot Rivers should also be undertaken.   When modifying current zoning to create an overlay district, special consideration must be made to support the retail business owners and merchants in our commercial districts.  Such planning is consistent with the transit-based housing plans that have been used elsewhere throughout Suffolk County for over a decade.

Greater Sayville's past and future is dependent on our waterways and our charming downtown business districts.  The Bay and our downtowns are our brand, our history and our future.  Special consideration must therefore be made to support the development of new, public, on-site, decentralized wastewater treatment systems. 

On-site water treatment enables us to address our water management needs at a scalable level without inviting overdevelopment.   Such systems do not deplete our ground table of fresh water.  Importantly, the installation of on-site systems will save our Bay while providing our merchants with the tools we need to compete with nearby districts, all of which utilize wastewater treatment. 

Current zoning rules for Greater Sayville were developed in 1928 with an update in 1967.  Such zoning no longer reflects our current needs.  Moreover, the shuttered golf course at Island Hills is one of our last remaining open spaces.  Such open spaces, once common, are precious. They must be protected with zoning updates.  It is high time to plan for the future by preserving the parts of our past most precious to us.   

Why else is now a good time to create overlay district?  The answer is simple.  We have the funds.  The Town of Islip authorized a $469,000 agreement with BJF Planning to develop a master plan at their regular October meeting.  We are asking for some of these funds to pay the architect who drafts the plan for our community-led overlay district committee.   And with a Town of Islip Supervisor approaching her last term, she does not face the same consequences for approving a zone change that elected officials normally face.

Greater Sayville need not be an afterthought to the Town's larger plans to urbanize our area.  Devoting resources to help us safeguard our future--to modernize us while saving our Bay--is an urgent need.  We must also protect the Victorian charm that makes Greater Sayville so special.

Thank you!