Developments & Issues Affecting Bohemia
A running summary of the matters before the Town of Islip and other agencies that affect our hamlet — and the meetings where residents can be heard.
The Town’s pause on battery energy storage facilities runs out at the end of this month. Unless the Town Board extends it again or adopts permanent zoning, new applications could begin moving. The next Town Board meeting is September 15.
At a glance
Battery Energy StorageTown moratorium expires Sept 30 Deadline Amazon “Project Sunrise” — HolbrookApplication under completeness review Filed Island Hills / South Bay VillageZone change pending, no decision Under review MacArthur Airport TerminalPreferred developer named Active Groundwater & Drinking WaterOngoing treatment and monitoring Ongoing Data Center MoratoriumAdopted, in effect to Feb 2028 Adopted 731 Smithtown Avenue Zone ChangeRezoning granted ApprovedThese write-ups are informational. The Bohemia Civic Association does not speak for any resident — we encourage every neighbor to review the official documents and speak for themselves at a public hearing. If you spot something out of date, let us know.
Battery Energy Storage Facilities
The Town of Islip has had a moratorium on permits and approvals for Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) in place for several years, extended most recently by a unanimous Town Board vote for a further twelve months. That extension runs through September 30, 2026.
The pause has held large projects in place — including a proposed 79-megawatt facility on Rabro Drive in Hauppauge — while the Town works on permanent zoning. Much of the public concern traces back to fires at three separate battery storage facilities in New York State between May and July of 2023. The moratorium does not apply to small Tier 1 systems of 80 kWh or less, as defined in §68-456(c) of the Town Code.
With the expiration date this month, the Town Board will need to extend the moratorium again, adopt permanent regulations, or let it lapse. Residents who want a say should watch the Town Board agenda closely.
Amazon “Project Sunrise” — Holbrook
On July 16, 2026 Amazon filed an application with the Town of Islip for a roughly $1 billion, 4.2 million-square-foot fulfillment complex on about 140 acres of wooded land near Sunrise Highway and Beacon Drive in Holbrook — just east of MacArthur Airport and a short distance from Bohemia.
The plan describes a 3.7 million-square-foot sortable fulfillment center plus a 450,000-square-foot delivery building, operating around the clock. Amazon estimates roughly 1,000 jobs and has projected on the order of 300 tractor-trailer trips per day; a traffic study with proposed road improvements was submitted with the application.
Status: as of mid-August 2026 the Town had not yet deemed the application complete, and the applicant was updating the submission. The formal review begins once it is deemed complete. The project requires a change of zone to industrial, site plan approval, and environmental review under SEQRA. No public hearing has been noticed yet — one must be before the Town can act, and residents may comment at that time.
Island Hills / South Bay Village — Sayville
Rechler Equity Partners has proposed redeveloping the former Island Hills Golf Club, on Bohemia’s southern border, as “South Bay Village.” The current plan is for 890 homes — roughly a 35% reduction from the original 1,365 — including 314 for-sale residences and 576 rentals, with about 55% of all homes age-restricted to residents 55 and older.
The application requires a zone change. The Islip Planning Board held a public hearing in July 2025 that ran about five hours and did not render a decision; the developer later filed a lengthy written response to questions raised by the public. A Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement and its appendices are posted on the Town’s website.
Residents who have spoken at hearings have raised traffic, building height, density, and school enrollment concerns. No final decision has been announced.
MacArthur Airport Terminal Expansion
In July 2026 the Town of Islip named Fly Long Island — a joint venture of RXR and Avports — as its preferred developer for a major terminal project at Long Island MacArthur Airport. One option under consideration is a new north terminal with a direct connection to the Ronkonkoma LIRR station.
The project is not final. It still requires approval from the Islip Town Board and the Federal Aviation Administration, and an initial $250,000 due-diligence appropriation was not approved at the time of the announcement. Residents who have spoken at public sessions have raised questions about aircraft noise, road traffic, and air quality.
Groundwater & Drinking Water Quality
The Suffolk County Water Authority brought a new granular activated carbon (GAC) treatment facility online near Smithtown and Sycamore Avenues in June 2026. The Church Street well field remains subject to an active New York State DEC environmental review, and land near the airport has been evaluated in connection with state cleanup programs.
1,4-dioxane and PFAS remain county-wide concerns. SCWA publishes annual water quality reports by distribution area and has held town hall sessions for Bohemia, Holbrook, Oakdale, and Ronkonkoma customers.
Town-Wide Data Center Moratorium
Following the public hearing held on August 11, 2026, the Islip Town Board adopted the moratorium — Local Law No. 5 of 2026, adding Chapter 68-761 to the Town Code, “Moratorium for the Development of Data Centers.”
The law prohibits the erection, siting, construction, modification, or development of any data center anywhere in the Town of Islip, and runs through February 28, 2028. It does not apply to routine maintenance or equipment replacement that adds no floor area, or to existing, lawfully approved data centers whose land use approvals and building permits were already issued.
This matters locally: Bohemia’s industrial and flex-space corridors — including the areas around Church Street and the airport — are the kind of sites such proposals typically target.
731 Smithtown Avenue Zoning Change
A change-of-zone application for 731 Smithtown Avenue — filed by the Joseph G. and Darlene A. Catalanotto Trust — sought to rezone the property from Residence AA to Business 3, along with a Town Board special permit, in order to expand an existing motor vehicle dealership.
The application was heard at the Town’s Change of Zone meeting on July 16, 2026 and has been approved. The parcel sits on the east side of Smithtown Avenue, roughly 147 feet south of Treadwell Court, in the Connetquot School District.
Hear about these in person — September 21
Suffolk County Legislator Anthony Piccirillo will speak on Island Hills, battery energy storage facilities, and the Amazon warehouse at our first meeting of the season, 7:00 PM at the Bohemia Firehouse.
Meetings Worth Attending
Town of Islip meetings where residents can be heard on the matters above. All meetings are open to the public and streamed online. Dates that have passed are grayed out automatically.
September 2026
Zoning Board of Appeals — Bohemia Application
6:00 p.m. Includes application #637-26 for 1372 Ocean Avenue at Birchwood Court, Bohemia — a roofed-over deck with a front-yard variance.
Town Hall West · 401 Main Street, IslipPlanning Board Meeting
6:00 p.m. Site plans and land use applications, with their environmental review. Note the location for this date — the September 9 meeting is noticed for Town Hall, not Town Hall West.
Islip Town Hall · 655 Main Street, IslipTown Board Meeting
5:30 p.m. — an evening start rather than the usual 2:00 p.m., for the Board’s Hispanic Heritage Month meeting. Public hearings and resolutions are taken up here. This is the last scheduled Town Board meeting before the battery storage moratorium expires on September 30.
Islip Town Hall · 655 Main Street, IslipChange of Zone Meeting
5:00 p.m. The next scheduled Change of Zone meeting. Rezoning applications — the step both the Amazon and Island Hills proposals require — are heard here once noticed.
Islip Town Hall · 655 Main Street, IslipZoning Board of Appeals
6:00 p.m. Variance applications from across the Town. The agenda is normally posted on the Town’s site about ten days beforehand.
Town Hall West · 401 Main Street, IslipPlanning Board Meeting
6:00 p.m. The Planning Board’s second September meeting. Site plans tied to change-of-zone applications are commonly reviewed here.
Town Hall West · 401 Main Street, IslipOctober 2026
Zoning Board of Appeals
6:00 p.m. Variance applications from across the Town, including Bohemia properties when they are noticed.
Town Hall West · 401 Main Street, IslipPlanning Board Meeting
6:00 p.m. Site plans and land use applications, with their environmental review.
Town Hall West · 401 Main Street, IslipTown Board Meeting
2:00 p.m. The Board’s October meeting, back to its usual afternoon start. Public hearings and resolutions are taken up here.
Islip Town Hall · 655 Main Street, IslipMeeting dates are subject to change and special meetings may be called. Always confirm on the Town’s public notices and town calendar pages before attending. Need an accommodation? Contact Islip Constituent Services at (631) 224-5380.
Have Your Say
A hearing record is built from the people who show up. If any of the items above affect you, here is how to be part of the decision.
How to Make Your Voice Heard
Speaking at a public hearing, submitting written comment, and what actually gets read into the record.
Who Represents Bohemia
Every official who votes on these matters — Town, County, State, and Federal — with phone numbers and office addresses.
Town of Islip Public Notices
The official source. Every hearing must be noticed here before the Town can act on it.
Battery storage, data center, and Amazon entries reviewed September 2026; remaining entries reviewed August 2026. Nothing here is legal advice or an official Town record.