On Thursday, Aug. 11, the Brookhaven Town Board held their monthly town meeting, at Town Hall. On the agenda were several public hearings, including a request to consider the application of Medford Logistics LLC for a Change of Zone from Commercial Recreation (CR) and A Residential 1 to L Industrial 1 on a property located on Expressway Drive South in Medford, the same location as the formerly proposed OTB casino.

The application included a SEQRA (State Environmental Quality Review Act) Negative Declaration, granting the change of zone and a Resolution of Adoption. It was approved unanimously by the town board, though the applicant was required to post the property as well as notify all property owners within a 500-foot radius of the subject’s property.

The Suffolk County Planning Commission, at its regular meeting on July 6, reviewed the referral from the Town of Brookhaven, entitled Medford Logistics LLC at Medford. The planning commission subsequently approved the changes in the zone petition to Light Industrial (LI) for the project.

The property was previously developed for a multi-movie theater complex and is currently vacant after years of attempted sales, a new application in December from Suffolk Regional Off-Track Betting. Originally OTB planned to put a 1,000-VLT-machine casino.

The new applicant is seeking to redevelop the parcel with a 390,000 square feet and a 55-foot-tall warehouse facility, with associated landscaping and other improvements, including an on-site sewage treatment plan and 90 loading docks, seven trailer parking spots, 248 vehicle parking spots, and 68 land parking spots.

A land-use intensification fee in the amount of $311,025 will be due prior to the final site-plan approval. Now that the rezoning has been approved by the town board, the plan will need to be submitted to the planning board, which will require variances from both planning and zoning, as well as a special permit from the planning board. The Suffolk County Planning Commissioner issued an approval, in addition to a lengthy list of comments which were read at Thursday’s meeting.

The 1996 Land Use Plan recommends commercial development of this parcel, and the 2010 Medford Visiting Plan recommended office, high-tech, or corporate use for this property. Therefore, industrial use is essentially in compliance with these land-use plans. In addition, the Medford Taxpayers and Civic Association sent a letter of approval to the town board.

“They’ve been vociferous about the use of this land in the past,” said Brookhaven Town supervisor Edward P. Romaine. “Obviously, they’re less vociferous and more pleased with its current proposal.”

The applicants of this proposal were on hand at the meeting, including Garrett L. Gray of the Weber Law Group, in Melville. The firm represents Medford Logistics, the contractor of the subject property. He was there with two architects from Medford Logistics, who will be instrumental in seeing the property’s site plans come to fruition, and other members of the team involved in the development of the project, which has the mailing address of 440 Expressway Drive South in Medford. It is currently an entirely vacant land, informed Gray. The area to the northeast and south of the property is completely industrial, and the area to the west of the property is zoned A1 Residential and will be separated from the subject property by a dense buffer.

In addition, an application under consideration for 718 Medford LLC for a Change of Zone from J Business 2 to J Business 5, special permit for a major restaurant with accessory drive-through, and waivers of special-permit criteria on a property located on Route 112 in East Patchogue, was adjourned to the next public Brookhaven Town Board Meeting on Thursday, Sept. 29. It was postponed at the last minute due to a request from the applicant, who was not prepared to move forward at that time.

Visit brookhavenny.gov to watch a recording of the meeting, to see a calendar of upcoming town meetings, or to view the complete agenda. Town board meetings take place on the second Thursday of every month at 5 p.m.