A proposed 14,999-square-foot medical office building — and an accompanying traffic light — in Aquebogue, N.Y., is facing opposition from residents, according to a July 21 report from the East End Beacon.
Residents are concerned that the project will create "suburban creep" along a rural, scenic byway.
"This is land that's supposed to be a rural corridor, and what you're effectively doing is increasing the length of Route 58," Lee Mendelson, an area resident, said at a public hearing on a special permit application for the project before the Riverhead Town Board on July 16. "I can’t even begin to imagine how far the backup will be."
Buildings in the rural corridor face strict zoning restrictions; they are supposed to be campus-style buildings and not more than 5,000 square feet.
The project was originally submitted to the town as a two-story campus style building, but the town had asked the applicant to resubmit it as a one-story building closer to Route 25 to move it farther from residential properties.
Projects on this scale are allowed by special permit application to the Town Board in the rural corridor zoning district.
Some residents said they are concerned about potential traffic backup caused by the new traffic stop and new building, and many have expressed that the area does not need more medical office buildings.
"There are already at least 14 medical office buildings available for lease or rent in Riverhead now. They are available already," Stephanie Visek, an area resident, told the Beacon. "People come here for the trees, for the farmland, for the preservation of it and its integrity. When we get rid of that, it is going to hurt the citizens of the town."
The board is accepting written comments on the potential medical office building until July 26, according to the report.