Islandia clears path for 366-unit housing project near Jake's 58 casino

Islandia village officials have cleared the path for a mixed-use development with hundreds of housing units and 50 hotel rooms — a major milestone after years of failed efforts to build on 13 acres of vacant land.

The project site is a wooded lot at the southwest corner of Veterans Memorial Highway and Long Island Motor Parkway, west of Jake’s 58 Casino Hotel. Feldman Properties Inc. has proposed at least four plans for the property since 1998. None have gotten off the ground.

The company’s latest plan calls for two five-story buildings on the site, which will comprise 366 residential units and 50 hotel rooms, as well as a one-story retail building. The developer will set aside 140 of the residential units for individuals 55 and older.

Islandia’s village board voted to create a new zoning district to facilitate the project. 

“It’s been a long journey,” Glenn Feldman, who heads the development firm, told Newsday in an interview. He said he was “very relieved” by the vote.

Previous proposals included a hotel and office development pitch in 1998, which died on the vine after winning approval from the Suffolk County Planning Commission in 2000.

About four years later, county planners rejected a proposal for restaurant and condo buildings up to 14 stories tall. In 2008, county planners rejected another proposal that would have been three times larger than the prior one.

Islandia Mayor Allan Dorman said Tuesday the project has been pending for what "feels like forever" and called the current version "the best one that’s been presented to the village so far. We’re pretty pleased with it.” 

County planners ultimately backed Islandia’s proposed code change in June, about six months after rejecting another proposal, citing among other things a lack of public benefit to justify the proposed density.

The project is still poised to boost Islandia’s population of roughly 3,600 residents by at least 10%, but it now includes the age-restricted units, as well as the construction of a public veterans memorial on-site.

It is not yet clear whether the 366 units will be for rent or sale, Feldman told Newsday.

Dorman said Tuesday he believed the project was better than alternative proposals, such as an industrial warehouse.

"You’ve got a choice in life to make," Dorman said from the dais, explaining the decision was between an industrial project, or "something that looks good and adds quality and value to the community.” 

Tuesday’s zoning change doesn’t guarantee the project moves forward. The developer still needs to file a detailed development plan and secure village site plan approvals.

Feldman told Newsday he is committed to seeing this version of the project through.

“It’s been 30 years with different types of developments. But this one we’re locked into,” he said. “There’s a great need for housing, and we’re very excited.”

By Sam Kmack

sam.kmack@newsday.com

Sam Kmack covers the Town of Islip for Newsday. He is a graduate of the University of Southern California and previously worked as a city watchdog reporter in the Phoenix metro area, as well as an investigative journalist at the Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting.