Bay Shore residents fight against plan to build assisted living facility in neighborhood

A Bay Shore neighborhood is fighting against a plan to build an assisted living facility in their community.
The Montfort Spiritual Center reached a deal with Sunrise Senior Living to sell its 14-acre property on South Saxon Avenue. Sunrise Senior Living wants to build its 11th facility on Long Island on the property.
Representatives say the plan includes nearly 200 units, and that Sunrise Senior Living is asking the Islip Town Planning Board to convert zoning on the property from residential to commercial in order to finalize the deal.
Doris Kennedy, of Bay Shore, and several of her neighbors say their neighborhood will become filled with traffic and give other properties in the area the potential to become commercial. Suffolk Leg. Tom Cilmi says he will be joining the residents to prevent the zoning change.
Sunrise Senior Living says while the zoning change is required, it promises to be good neighbors and that the facility is residential in nature.
The assisted living facility cannot be built at the property without the zoning change. The Islip Town Planning Board is set to consider Sunrise Senior Living's request on Dec. 12.