Islip Officials To Host 2nd Informational Meeting On Proposed Heartland Project

The Town of Islip will be hosting another informational meeting regarding the proposed Heartland development project this week.

The public meeting will be held on Wednesday, April 26 starting at 6 p.m. at the Islip Town Hall Annex on 401 Main Street in Islip.

Town officials warn residents who wish to speak at the meeting to arrive as early as possible to sign up as speakers will be heard on a first-come, first-serve basis. Sign up begins at 5 p.m.

Parking will be limited. Off-site parking will be available at nearby public lots and along Main Street, but it is strongly suggested that residents consider carpooling.

No props or backpacks will be permitted inside during the meeting.

The project, which would create retail and office space and residential units to land on the Pilgrim State Psychiatric Center property in Brentwood, would cost local taxpayers a total of $3.7 million for the first five years of development.

The proposed plan, which would require a zone change for the area, includes building 9,000 apartments, 3.2 million square feet of office space as well as 1 million square feet of retail built over the next 32 years, Newsday reports.

The project would also require hiring about 23 new town employees.

"Our Planning Department staff have been working tirelessly to analyze the impact of this proposal from every angle, and it was important that we held this meeting ahead of any further action on the part of the Town," Supervisor Angie Carpenter said after the last meeting earlier this month.

John Jay LaValle, Chairman of Suffolk County Republican Committee is also in support of the project, calling it a "game changer."