search

The Real Deal Logo

Trending

Tides’ original investors may be wiped out by preferred equity dealTides’ original investors may be wiped out by preferred equity dealLA court strikes down SB9 law allowing single-family lot splitsLA court strikes down SB9 law allowing single-family lot splitsGeorge Lucas developing priciest condo in Chicago history George Lucas developing priciest condo in Chicago history Major developers are converting South Florida malls into mixed-use projectsMajor developers are converting South Florida malls into mixed-use projects
Development
Tri-State

Gutter ball: Islip locals aim to strike project at bowling alley site

Benchmark Senior Living’s 90 homes would increase traffic, strain infrastructure, residents say

Benchmark's Tom Grape with 117 East Main Street (Benchmark Senior Living, Google Maps/ Illustration by Ilya Hourie for The Real Deal)
Benchmark's Tom Grape with 117 East Main Street (Benchmark Senior Living, Google Maps/ Illustration by Ilya Hourie for The Real Deal)

Long Island residents are trying to knock down a senior living facility proposed to replace a bowling alley, pinning their hopes on demands to be spared from traffic and noise.

Benchmark Senior Living is in the process of buying the East Islip Lanes at 117 East Main Street to build 90 units for seniors, Newsday reported.

The sale has not closed, and Benchmark, which operates several facilities on Long Island and throughout New England, would need a zoning change from commercial to residential use.

Enter the Nimbys.

At a virtual town hall hosted by Benchmark on Tuesday, nearly a dozen residents raised concerns about the development, saying homes for grannies and grandpas would strain East Islip’s infrastructure and snarl traffic, according to Newsday.

The handful of objectors represented a much larger group. Residents have launched a Facebook group and an online petition which has gathered more than 1,000 signatures and refers to the facility, which would provide assisted living and memory care for seniors, as “an insult to East Islip.”

Sign Up for the undefined Newsletter

Some residents just want to keep the bowling alley, which has operated on the site for more than 60 years. Krissy Dworkin, who organized the petition, told Newsday the lanes’ replacement by a senior living facility would change the feel of the neighborhood.

“People feel like the bowling alley is part of their family,” Dworkin said.

The developer pointed out that old people need homes designed for their needs.

“There is a tremendous need in this area for housing for the elderly,” said Eric Gardner, vice president of development at Benchmark. “Seniors deserve to have a choice of housing. … These are everybody’s moms and dads that [already] live in the community.”

The sale could take up to two years to be finalized, according to Benchmark spokesperson David Levesque.

Read more

[Newsday] — Holden Walter-Warner

Tags
DevelopmentLong IslandSenior Living