Stony Brook School nixes plan to build 46-foot-high indoor sports field after neighbors raise concerns about size, traffic impact

A Stony Brook boarding school is withdrawing its proposal for a 46-foot-high indoor sports facility following opposition from neighboring homeowners, Brookhaven Town Councilman Jonathan Kornreich said Tuesday. 

In a letter to residents, Kornreich said he and officials of the Stony Brook School have reached an agreement to renovate an existing practice facility on another part of campus.

Kornreich said the earlier proposal had "raised alarms" among community members, who expressed concerns about the size of the proposed 35,000-square-foot building and its potential impact on traffic in the area.

"There will be a future expansion of the existing field house done in a neighbor-friendly way," Kornreich wrote, adding he appreciated "the Stony Brook School's willingness to listen and to be a good neighbor."

Officials of the school, which was founded in 1922 by local Presbyterians, had said the sports facility was needed to help the school compete with other private schools in the region.

"After a period of much reflection and prayer, we came to the realization that the location we had proposed would not enable us to fulfill the mandate to love our neighbor as ourselves," head of school Joshua Crane said in an email. "We have pulled the athletic facility from this application as we proceed with our other buildings."

The practice facility, which would have been built on an existing baseball field, was one of three new buildings proposed as part of a campus upgrade. The school had asked the Brookhaven Board of Zoning Appeals to approve variances from height restrictions for each of the buildings. The board was expected to vote on the requests Wednesday.

The two other proposed buildings, including a dormitory and an education building, are not affected by the school's decision to withdraw the sports facility, Kornreich said.

Neighbors had said they did not object to the dorm and education buildings because they were proposed for other parts of the campus.

Anne Ryan, 74, who lives near the campus, said residents applauded Monday when Crane announced the decision during a meeting with community members.

“People were very happy,” Ryan said, adding the initial proposal had been “ridiculous.”

Residents had objected to the sports facility's proposed height and questioned whether the building was needed, citing the existing practice facility elsewhere on campus.

"I do not object to their expansion of their campus," Ryan said. "[But] it should conform with the existing area, and we don’t have buildings like this here.”

Kornreich said in the letter the existing practice facility will be modified, adding it would be "around one-third of the size of the original proposal."

He added the school also dropped plans for entrance and exit improvements that would have shifted some traffic onto narrow streets in the neighborhood. 

The dormitory would replace an existing one that is “quite old in years" and does not conform with current health and building codes, a lawyer for the school, Eric J. Russo of Sayville, said last month, adding new buildings would not significantly increase traffic in the area.

The school, which serves students in grades 7 to 12, has about 440 students, roughly half of whom live on campus. The 47-acre campus has 47 buildings, including seven residence halls. 

The number of students currently living on campus would expand from 210 to 222 with the new dorm, Russo said.

By Carl MacGowan

carl.macgowan@newsday.comCarlMacGowan

Carl MacGowan is a Long Island native who covers Brookhaven Town after having previously covered Smithtown, Suffolk County courts and numerous spot news and feature stories over his 20-plus year career at Newsday.