Brookhaven approves site plan for Yaphank warehouse, distribution center
Brookhaven Town officials have approved a $45 million Yaphank warehouse and distribution center at a facility at Station and Horseblock roads, seen here, the latest such project in an industrialized area of the hamlet. Credit: John Roca
Brookhaven Town officials have approved a $45 million Yaphank warehouse and distribution center, over the objections of neighbors concerned about how it will affect traffic and drinking water.
The 332,970-square-foot facility at Station and Horseblock roads is the latest such project in an industrialized area of the hamlet. The site is less than two miles from the Brookhaven Rail Terminal on Sills Road, a freight and sand mining operation on a 350-acre site that includes proposed distribution and waste-transfer facilities that have drawn local opposition.
The Brookhaven Town Planning Board voted 7-0 on July 24 to approve a site plan for the Station Road project, known as AIREF II. The vote included approval of a special permit for a trucking terminal as part of the project.
The proposal otherwise complies with the site's industrial zoning, so it does not require town board approval.
AIREF II's parent company, Ares Industrial Real Estate Fund, a global investment firm with principal offices in New York, Denver and Hong Kong, also has proposed a 523,100-square-foot warehouse in Bellport that is awaiting town approvals.
An Ares Industrial Real Estate Fund spokeswoman declined to comment.
The project's local representative, Uniondale lawyer Anthony Guardino, did not respond to an email seeking comment.
At a previous planning board meeting, Guardino said AIREF II would “address the growing need” for storage buildings on Long Island. He said the project would generate a "30-fold" increase in annual property tax revenue, compared with about $35,000 currently paid on the property.
But the warehouse had drawn opposition from neighbors who said local roads could not handle additional truck traffic. They also warned about the impact on drinking water.
Suzanne Coopersmith of Medford, who lives near the site, said Tuesday the warehouse would cause "additional greenhouse emissions," comparing the project to Suffolk County proposals to protect the environment by requiring homeowners to replace their cesspools with cleaner septic systems.
"Stop crying about cesspools if paving over our highly sensitive hydrogeological area ... is OK to do," she said in an email. "The message is very clear, unlike what our water might look like in the near future."
In a July 10 presentation to the planning board, Guardino said the warehouse could hold up to three tenants, but he said no tenants had signed leases to use the facility.
Guardino and the company did not indicate how many jobs would be created or a schedule for constructing the center.
Brookhaven Town officials have approved a $45 million Yaphank warehouse and distribution center, over the objections of neighbors concerned about how it will affect traffic and drinking water.
The 332,970-square-foot facility at Station and Horseblock roads is the latest such project in an industrialized area of the hamlet. The site is less than two miles from the Brookhaven Rail Terminal on Sills Road, a freight and sand mining operation on a 350-acre site that includes proposed distribution and waste-transfer facilities that have drawn local opposition.
The Brookhaven Town Planning Board voted 7-0 on July 24 to approve a site plan for the Station Road project, known as AIREF II. The vote included approval of a special permit for a trucking terminal as part of the project.
The proposal otherwise complies with the site's industrial zoning, so it does not require town board approval.
AIREF II's parent company, Ares Industrial Real Estate Fund, a global investment firm with principal offices in New York, Denver and Hong Kong, also has proposed a 523,100-square-foot warehouse in Bellport that is awaiting town approvals.
An Ares Industrial Real Estate Fund spokeswoman declined to comment.
The project's local representative, Uniondale lawyer Anthony Guardino, did not respond to an email seeking comment.
At a previous planning board meeting, Guardino said AIREF II would “address the growing need” for storage buildings on Long Island. He said the project would generate a "30-fold" increase in annual property tax revenue, compared with about $35,000 currently paid on the property.
But the warehouse had drawn opposition from neighbors who said local roads could not handle additional truck traffic. They also warned about the impact on drinking water.
Suzanne Coopersmith of Medford, who lives near the site, said Tuesday the warehouse would cause "additional greenhouse emissions," comparing the project to Suffolk County proposals to protect the environment by requiring homeowners to replace their cesspools with cleaner septic systems.
"Stop crying about cesspools if paving over our highly sensitive hydrogeological area ... is OK to do," she said in an email. "The message is very clear, unlike what our water might look like in the near future."
In a July 10 presentation to the planning board, Guardino said the warehouse could hold up to three tenants, but he said no tenants had signed leases to use the facility.
Guardino and the company did not indicate how many jobs would be created or a schedule for constructing the center.
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.
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