Residents pushing back against proposed truck parking in Syosset
Patrick and Beth Long, pictured Saturday, are among neighbors of a site on Jericho Turnkpike in Syosset who are pushing back against a proposal to make the land a parking area for trucks. Credit: Rick Kopstein
Residents who live near a proposed truck parking lot on Jericho Turnpike in Syosset say the project would bring too much traffic and noise to their neighborhood, but Town of Oyster Bay officials haven't made a decision about the plan yet.
An Atlanta-based developer wants to build a parking facility at 80 Jericho Tpke. with spots for 42 bobtails — semi-trucks without trailers — along with 112 semi-trailers and 80 passenger vehicles. The facility would operate from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.
“Traffic flow on Jericho Turnpike in the rush hour, morning and evening, is terrible now and this is going to make it worse,” said Patrick Long, 73, who lives on a cul-de-sac in Muttontown close to the site.
Neighborhood resident Susan La Bianco, 52, said the noise of trucks backing up late at night would disturb her and her husband.
“Jericho is desolate at that time,” La Bianco added of the turnpike. “I’m going to hear these trucks pulling in, backing up.”
The property is owned by SFG ISF Syosset Jericho LLC. Records show it shares an address with Atlanta-based Stonemount Financial Group — an official with which it signed mortgage papers for the LLC.
The land is zoned for light industrial use so town code allows for the storage of registered commercial vehicles.
The site had been a mobile home park but the residents previously were evicted, with the last tenants leaving in 2016.
The property at that time was owned by STP Associates LLC, a company in which Jerome Genova, the father of former Oyster Bay Town Attorney Leonard Genova, was a principal.
The former owners sold the property to a developer who sought a zoning change in order to build a mixed-use property with senior housing. After the zoning change attempt failed, in 2021 that owner sold the property to SFG ISF Syosset Jericho.
The developer's attorney, Anthony Guardino, said at a June 8 hearing before Oyster Bay's planning board that the project would benefit the area.
“The facility will provide a safe and secure location for the temporary parking and storage of tractor trailers that will enhance the movement of goods in the Long Island market,” Guardino said.
The attorney also said at the meeting that his client doesn't need a special use permit or a variance — just site plan approval.
“The use itself has already been determined to be appropriate by the town code,” Guardino added.
Area residents asked the board to reject the proposal.
But Guardino told residents who complained about the project that any home value loss due to truck noise wouldn't be because of the project but due to “the fact that you live next to an industrial area" and "that's where industrial uses are going to go.”
The board closed the public hearing but left the record open for written public comments for 30 days. The planning board hasn't announced a date for its decision yet.
Board member Scott Byrne said he’d “like to look at some of the issues pertaining to the traffic” before the board votes.
Oyster Bay spokesman Brian Nevin said no further approval is needed after the planning board's vote.
Town Supervisor Joseph Saladino said in a statement that he shares "the concerns of our residents over the proposed use of this property and its potential impact on the surrounding community and roadways."
Residents who live near a proposed truck parking lot on Jericho Turnpike in Syosset say the project would bring too much traffic and noise to their neighborhood, but Town of Oyster Bay officials haven't made a decision about the plan yet.
An Atlanta-based developer wants to build a parking facility at 80 Jericho Tpke. with spots for 42 bobtails — semi-trucks without trailers — along with 112 semi-trailers and 80 passenger vehicles. The facility would operate from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.
“Traffic flow on Jericho Turnpike in the rush hour, morning and evening, is terrible now and this is going to make it worse,” said Patrick Long, 73, who lives on a cul-de-sac in Muttontown close to the site.
Neighborhood resident Susan La Bianco, 52, said the noise of trucks backing up late at night would disturb her and her husband.
“Jericho is desolate at that time,” La Bianco added of the turnpike. “I’m going to hear these trucks pulling in, backing up.”
The property is owned by SFG ISF Syosset Jericho LLC. Records show it shares an address with Atlanta-based Stonemount Financial Group — an official with which it signed mortgage papers for the LLC.
The land is zoned for light industrial use so town code allows for the storage of registered commercial vehicles.
This property at 80 Jericho Tpke. in Syosset has been proposed as a truck parking lot, a plan area residents have come out in opposition against. Credit: Newsday/Steve Pfost
The site had been a mobile home park but the residents previously were evicted, with the last tenants leaving in 2016.
The property at that time was owned by STP Associates LLC, a company in which Jerome Genova, the father of former Oyster Bay Town Attorney Leonard Genova, was a principal.
The former owners sold the property to a developer who sought a zoning change in order to build a mixed-use property with senior housing. After the zoning change attempt failed, in 2021 that owner sold the property to SFG ISF Syosset Jericho.
The developer's attorney, Anthony Guardino, said at a June 8 hearing before Oyster Bay's planning board that the project would benefit the area.
“The facility will provide a safe and secure location for the temporary parking and storage of tractor trailers that will enhance the movement of goods in the Long Island market,” Guardino said.
The attorney also said at the meeting that his client doesn't need a special use permit or a variance — just site plan approval.
“The use itself has already been determined to be appropriate by the town code,” Guardino added.
Area residents asked the board to reject the proposal.
But Guardino told residents who complained about the project that any home value loss due to truck noise wouldn't be because of the project but due to “the fact that you live next to an industrial area" and "that's where industrial uses are going to go.”
The board closed the public hearing but left the record open for written public comments for 30 days. The planning board hasn't announced a date for its decision yet.
Board member Scott Byrne said he’d “like to look at some of the issues pertaining to the traffic” before the board votes.
Oyster Bay spokesman Brian Nevin said no further approval is needed after the planning board's vote.
Town Supervisor Joseph Saladino said in a statement that he shares "the concerns of our residents over the proposed use of this property and its potential impact on the surrounding community and roadways."
Truck Parking Lot Proposal
- Trailers could be stored on site for no more than 24 hours
- No hazardous materials would be allowed
- The site would be leased to an unnamed third-party logistics company
SOURCE: Testimony from development applicant's attorney
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