Muslim boarding school plan in Bay Shore deserves fairness

The unseemly undertones from the Islip Town Zoning Board of Appeals hearing Tuesday night are hard to miss.

Around 600 people attended the meeting to hear a variance application submitted by a Muslim boys boarding school who recently purchased a former seminary in Bay Shore. The objections to an application that would replace one religious boarding school with another have troubling First Amendment implications.

The United American Muslim Association wants to operate a boarding school for up to 120 boys in grades 7 through 12, supervised by 30 staff members. The 13-acre property was sold in June for $5 million by the Roman Catholic Montfort Missionaries. From 1926-1972, the Montforts operated a seminary there for teen boys considering the priesthood. Since 1972, the Montfort order used the property for Catholic retreats, but such events declined after COVID-19.

Some residents have long protested any zoning changes at the property, and inquiries about the potential consequences of new development are routine on Long Island. Municipalities, in turn, have the obligation to keep the public informed about building proposals, and goodwill gestures from those seeking changes can be rewarding.

But this isn’t an application for a data center, battery storage facility or sewage treatment plant in the middle of a small community of single-family homes. The Montfort facility, built a century ago, predates many homes in the area, which includes a drugstore, bank, bus stop and apartment complex within a few thousand feet.

A previous attempt to change zoning to allow construction of an assisted living facility for seniors at the site was defeated after an eight-year war. Perhaps Tuesday night was just the latest iteration of NIMBYism. But it seems like a line is about to be crossed by those who claim to be defending the character of the community. They aren’t saying the quiet part out loud.

In March, Newsday’s news division reported that Oyster Bay Town owes more than $5 million in legal fees stemming from a federal lawsuit over its denial of a Bethpage mosque’s expansion. Oyster Bay initially fought the mosque and ultimately settled, leaving taxpayers to partially foot the bill. The town boasted that litigation led to a better result for the community, including enhanced crosswalks and more on-site parking. The Town of North Hempstead has paid $874,000 in legal fees for denying the expansion of a mosque in New Hyde Park. Surely Islip Town will want to avoid years of costly litigation that will undoubtedly bring similar results.

A religious boarding school for 12 students/staff per acre won’t add undue traffic concerns, create environmental hazards or overstress EMS providers. The town has produced no evidence otherwise. Residents and Islip Town leaders would do well to recall the cost of recent legal battles when a municipality sought to restrict religious freedom at the behest of what seems to be a narrow-minded vocal minority.