Bayport Resident Launches Petition Fight to Stop Housing Proposal

This article was updated to include further insight from the Bayport Civic Association and clarify contact with the developer.

A Bayport resident is circulating a petition in protest against a proposed 56-unit apartment complex slated for a four-acre lot between McConnell and Oakwood Avenues in Bayport.

As of last week McConnell homeowner Matthew Feddern, who’s lived in Bayport for 14 years, had 100 names on the petition and he hopes to have much more to present to the Islip Town Planning Board that is slated to hold a hearing on July 11 as the project requires a change of zone.

Feddern has put the petition online and interested parties can click here to view it or email Feddern at mattfeddern@gmail.com.

Feddern said he’s opposed to rental units, the number of units as well as changing the current zoning from residential A to residential C given the property has had a house on it for over 100 years. Part of the property is also zoned industrial.

The project involves the construction of a sewage treatment plant and the knock down of a 1876 home on the property.

Feddern has been knocking on doors for the past few weeks, as has developer Jim Tsunis, of The Northwind Group, which has submitted the project proposal and is seeking the change of zone.

But the two have very different opinions of what neighbors want to happen on the parcel.

According to Feddern all the neighbors, except for two, are against the rental project and the idea of a potential 100 cars coming and going through egress on Oakwood Avenue, right north of the railroad tracks.

Tsunis has reportedly already bought the first house north of the tracks, on the west side of Oakwood, for the entrance into the development.

“The people in the immediate area are signing the petition against the Jim Tsunis’ current plan. They are particularly against the idea of rentals,” Feddern told Patch in an email.

Bayport Civic Association President Bob Draffin said Tsunis has not approached the BCA or attended a civic meeting regarding the officially submitted change of zone proposal.

"Mr. Tsunis has not reached out to the Bayport Civic Association in any way, and given this proposal I can see why as it is an absolute non-starter," Draffin told Patch in an email.

"The idea of cramming in 56 rental units onto four acres of land along with a sewage treatment plant is completely out of character with the surrounding privately owned residential neighborhood on McConnell Ave.  The rental complex would generate another 100 cars on our already overcrowded roads and require the demolition of a 19th century Victorian home," he added.

Draffin said he has heard of a "groundswell of opposition" from the neighbors and the petition being circulated.

"I support them in defeating it," said Draffin.

Feddern said neighbors, including him and his wife, want homes that fit into “the nature and character of the surrounding properties that are privately owned single family residences mostly on parcels of land an acre and more.”

While he’s spoken to Tsunis he doesn’t believe the developer is truly interested in what local neighbors want.

“In the initial stages of this, almost one year ago, he indicated that if there was a lot of resistance to the project he would not proceed. He has since seen a lot of resistance by the people living in the area and he seems to be going ahead with his plans,” noted Feddern.

“He also indicated he wanted to work with the community to build what they would want within reason and this is certainly not what they want.”

For his part, Tsunis said the response to the plan has been mostly positive and that residents have indicated that they’d rather have housing than industrial development, which the land could be used for.

Tsunis said the units will be for senior housing, 55 years and older, and be one and two bedroom occupation, with a maximum of 75 residents most likely. That population, he noted, won’t create 100 or more cars.

“This property has been an eyesore for years and most neighbors I’ve spoken to seem to favor the idea rather than having industrial buildings on the property,” he told Patch in a phone interview.

Car traffic, he added, is much more suitable than truck traffic that would be accessing an industrial development.

But Feddern doesn’t buy that argument and noted there is already an increasing number of apartments in the local community and congestion on roadways has become worse in recent years.

“One hundred more cars in the immediate area will have a major impact on the neighborhood. Especially in a community that does not provide school buses for our children,” he said.