UPDATE: Bohlsen's Asian Eatery Gets Village OK

The Babylon Village Board unanimously approved the application by the Bohlsen Restaurant Group to establish a 275-seat Asian Fusion restaurant in the former Bank of NY building on Deer Park Avenue.

The vote at Tuesday night's board meeting stipulated that the approval is based on the project's adherence to all required village code provisions. The approval provides the Bohlsen Restaurant Group (BRG) a special use permit to move forward on the project, which is expected to open at the end of 2011.

"We are diligently working on finalizing our plans to submit for our building permit. All that has gone on so far is some of the inital demolition," Michael Bohlsen, president of BGR, told Patch today.

"We are very excited to have the green light to operate a restaurant in the village of Babylon, a stone's throw from the location of the restaurant our grandparents raised our father in," noted Bohlsen, referring to the for which in West Islip.

The restaurant proposal drew a standing-room only audience at the public hearing held on November 23, with parking concerns the main topic of discussion.

The Bohlsen Restaurant Group's (BRG)  Asian cuisine eatery is the latest in a growing list of high-end eateries the group operates in Suffolk, including the Beachtree Café in East Islip, Tellers Chophouse in Islip, Prime in Huntington and the H2O Seafood Grill in Smithtown. The most recent addition to the list is Verace in Islip.

The restaurant plans have already undergone substantial changes following months of review by the village architectural and zoning boards.

At the November hearing,  a handful of speakers addressed the board and while all commended the design, which maintains the 88-year-old building's current look, and acknowledged that new business is good for the village, most expressed concern that patrons would devour 150 parking spots and exacerbate the already-stressed parking situation.

"The parking is the issue," said one resident, who noted that the parking estimations did not include spots needed for employees, which could range from 30 to 50. "The calculations on the parking needs are not realistic."

But BRG representatives said two parking studies the company conducted show adequate parking available and that BRG will provide signage to help patrons find open parking.

Several residents who live near the bank building stressed the need for village vigilance on potential noise and garbage issues. One resident also requested that the fire department and emergency services organizations be involved in reviewing the proposal.

"Village services such as those are going to be needed and they have to be taken into account," stated a resident.

In response to the concerns, BRG leader and longtime local resident Michael Bohlsen said he is willing to do what is necessary to address the issues and told Patch his company strives to use local businesses for services such as printing and floral needs and aims to be  part of the business community.

He acknowledged that the project is big and that he's focused on making the new restaurant a good addition to a village he already loves.

This update includes comment from BRG President Michael Bohlsen after the story originally published earlier today.