How YOU Can Help!
Get Involved — Your Voice Matters!
There are so many ways you can help protect our community and stop the zone change:
Display a “No Zone Change” sign on your property (ask us how to get one!)
Write letters or emails to local elected officials (we have templates below)
Attend town meetings and community events
Spread the word to friends, family, and neighbors
Research the facts and share them on social media (learn more below)
Donate to support outreach and advocacy efforts
Whether you have five minutes or five dollars, every action makes a difference. This is a complex issue, and if you’re unfamiliar with the details, please reach out — we’re here to help get you up to speed.
Together, we are stronger.
Together, we will stop the zone change.
More details on the South Bay Village Proposal
Stop Rechler’s Massive Overdevelopment — Protect Our Community
Rechler Equity Partners is pushing a massive 890-unit housing project on the former Island Hills Golf Course. The plan includes:
314 age-restricted for-sale units (only 143 are detached single-family homes)
576 apartments, with 173 of those age-restricted
A private sewage treatment plant
50+ acres of pavement and buildings up to 3 stories tall
They claim it’s “scaled back,” citing a 35% reduction from their original plan — but that’s still a 908% increase in density compared to current zoning.
Despite their spin, traffic congestion will explode, with estimates showing a 348% to 408% increase over what would result from building just 98 single-family homes under current zoning.
The buildings will tower over the neighborhood — three stories tall with multiple units — completely out of character with our community.
Rechler has already submitted an change of zone application and we are waiting for a town meeting for the next steps. They’ve rebranded this plan as “South Bay Village” to distance it from the failed “Sayville Greybarn,” but make no mistake — it’s the same oversized, urban-style complex that doesn’t belong here.
The Island Hills Advisory Committee report has been twisted — with summaries more favorable than the full record reflects. They invited so-called “community leaders” from as far as Nassau County to voice support, and blurred the line between personal opinion and organizational endorsements, to sow division.
But we’re not falling for it.
We stand united — and we demand a real compromise:
Single-family homes and green space only.
No zone change. No concrete jungle. No South Bay Village.
Join us. Spread the word. Speak out. Together, we can stop this.
Contact Our Local Officials
Supervisor Angie M. Carpenter: Phone: (631) 224-5500, Email: [email protected]
Councilman Jorge Guadrón (District 1): Phone: (631) 595-3555, Email: [email protected]
Councilman James P. O’Connor (District 2): Phone: (631) 595-3905, Email: [email protected]
Councilman Michael J. McElwee, Jr. (District 3): Phone: (631) 224-5559, Email: [email protected]
Councilman John M. Lorenzo (District 4): Phone: (631) 589-0234, Email: [email protected]
Town Clerk Linda D. Vavricka: Phone: (631) 224-5490, Email: [email protected]
Town Attorney William Garbarino: Phone: (631) 224-5550, Email: [email protected]
Planning Commissioner Ela Dokonal : Phone: (631) 224-5450, Email: [email protected]
More Info
Official Links
Template letters
To:
[email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]
Subject: Our Community Cannot Survive the “South Bay Village” Proposal
Dear Supervisor Carpenter, Council Members, and Commissioner Dokonal,
As a lifelong resident of Greater Sayville, I am writing to express my deepest concern and strongest opposition to Rechler Equity Partners’ proposed redevelopment of the former Island Hills Golf Course, now rebranded as “South Bay Village.”
If approved, this project will permanently destroy the character, safety, and livability of our community.
This plan is not just out of scale — it is an assault on our neighborhood. It calls for:
890 total residential units, including 576 rental apartments (up to 3 stories) and 314 for-sale units
A density of 8 units per acre — 908% higher than what current zoning allows
Setbacks as close as 25 feet from existing homes
Coverage of almost every inch of land with pavement, buildings, or water retention basins
Removal of 151 mature trees and the disturbance of 250,000+ square feet of contaminated soil
This plan also includes only two parking spaces per unit — including on-street parking. That is a guaranteed recipe for overflow, gridlock, and safety concerns on already burdened roads. Traffic is projected to increase by over 350%. Our infrastructure simply cannot handle this.
Let’s be clear: this is not a “village.” This is a self-contained city being forced into a quiet, low-density suburban community. The proposal violates not only the spirit of our zoning laws — it attempts to rewrite them entirely for a single developer’s financial gain.
And let’s not forget who’s behind this. Rechler Equity Partners has not been a good neighbor. They have disregarded community concerns, rebranded the project to confuse the public, and are now attempting to bypass accountability by seeking a custom zoning code. Their actions show a disregard for transparency, public input, and the well-being of the residents they claim to serve.
If this proposal moves forward, it will forever damage Greater Sayville and surrounding communities. Once open space is gone — it’s gone. Once traffic overwhelms our roads — it’s here to stay. Once the precedent is set for developer-driven zoning changes — we’ve lost control over the future of our own town.
I urge you to stand with the residents you were elected to represent and oppose this proposal in every form. Deny any zoning changes. Demand a full environmental and traffic review. And most of all, prioritize the health, safety, and voice of your community over the ambitions of a single developer.
The people of Islip are watching. Please protect our town.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]