Islip Town to hold public hearing today on proposed Islamic boarding school in Bay Shore
A public hearing tonight could determine whether the plan as currently proposed moves forward.
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A former Catholic boarding school in Bay Shore could soon get new life with a similar use.
The United American Muslim Association recently reached an agreement to buy the 13-acre complex at 26 South Saxon Ave. to turn it into an Islamic boarding school.
The property housed a Catholic boarding school that closed in the early 1970s and has more recently served as a home for Catholic priests.
According to the buyers, the nonprofit wants to open the school to provide full-time Islamic schooling, early childhood education and community programs.
The campus includes a 73,000-square-foot facility with multi-floor buildings for classrooms, gathering areas for community events, dining capacity for events and student services and outdoor space for activities, according to the United American Muslim Association.
According to the original letter submitted to the town, the facility would have 120 male students who would live on the campus full-time alongside 20 faculty and staff plus 10 teachers who would commute.
The organization said it plans to begin renovations and preparations for the future school once closing is finalized.
But first, tonight, the Islip Town Zoning Board of Appeals will weigh in on a variance application to decide whether boarding constitutes a permitted accessory use to a parochial school within a residential district.
The project has received strong pushback from people who live in the surrounding community.
"I'm all for religious affiliations," Bay Shore resident Athanasios Antoniadis said. "I have no problem with that, but I don't think a boarding school belongs in a neighborhood community."
The waterfront property sits south of a condominium community and west of several residential roads.
"I just feel like it's going to totally compromise the environment and the history that has been here for years," Bay Shore resident Elizabeth Byrne said. "I think it's going to destroy it."
A group called 'Saxon Says No' has signs dotting the front lawns and sidewalks of people who live in the area surrounding the property.
The community group said in a recent statement that their opposition is strictly a zoning issue.
"The proposed use by the new property owner is far more intensive than what is appropriate for a quiet residential neighborhood. The plan includes not only a school, but additional uses that will generate activity and impacts similar to those of a commercial operation. We believe such a use should be subject to the same review process required of comparable projects, including the need for a special permit or appropriate zoning approval.
This issue should concern every member of our community. If this type of intensive use is permitted as an "as-of-right" use on this property, it could set a precedent for other similarly situated properties throughout the Town. For example, properties such as the former Daughters of Wisdom campus on South Ocean Avenue in Islip could potentially be subject to the same interpretation.
Zoning laws exist to preserve the character, integrity, and quality of life within our neighborhoods while ensuring that land uses are appropriate for their surroundings. Our community is simply asking that those zoning laws be applied consistently and fairly, and that any proposal with impacts beyond what is permitted by the current zoning receive the proper level of public review.
This is about protecting the integrity of our zoning laws—not opposing any individual or organization. It is about ensuring that significant changes in land use follow the established legal process designed to protect every neighborhood in our Town."
"A lot of these people have been living on this street and in this neighborhood for a very long time and the town shouldn't be making any unilateral decisions without their input," Islip resident Kevin Colgan said.
News 12 reached out to the United American Muslim Association for comment, but has not yet heard back.
An Islip spokesperson said, "It is the Town's policy not to comment on pending land use applications."
Tonight's meeting begins at 6 p.m. at Islip Town Hall West.
