Town of Islip residents braved chilling weather to come and hear about the new TOI-360 plan. The auditorium in the Islip Town Hall warmed up quickly as everyone sat inside. Just shy of 100 people were there, ready to learn and act as a shield, a unified voice for the town they love, safeguarding it against the proposal of changes they didn’t sanction.
TOI-360 is the comprehensive plan the Town of Islip authorities launched. In simple terms, it examines the entire town and identifies ways to preserve its history while actively improving it in the future. According to Noah Levine, associate principal of BFJ Planning, who will lead this project, the plan prioritizes the community’s voice and “expresses the community’s shared vision of the future. ”
The last comprehensive plan adopted by the Town of Islip was in 1979, almost 50 years ago, with a progress update in 1989. TOI-360 earned its name because 20 years from now when the plan is expected to have peaked, it will be the 360th anniversary of the land purchase from the Secatogue Nation that formed Islip Town.
“This is really big for us, it’s been decades [since the last plan],” stated Angie Carpenter, the Town of Islip’s Supervisor.
TOI-360 is set to focus on eight key areas, including housing, sustainability and resilience, parks and recreation, cultures, neighborhood centers, economic development, transportation & mobility, public services, and the hamlets. Islip Town is the third biggest township in New York State, encompassing multiple hamlets. From Bayshore to Sayville, Ronkonkoma, Great River, Bayport, East Islip, and Fire Island, to name a few. The plan is set to focus on each hamlet and how best to improve that area, all while the town as a whole gets improved. That is why the emphasis is on how this is the plan for the people who reside there, and surveys and questionnaires are being recorded. “It is important, we want to hear from you, this is your town,” said Levine. “It’s a transparent process.”
BFJ Planning unveiled the framework of TOI-360 with a PowerPoint presentation that covered facts and stats and even included an interactive live polling feature to help gauge how the townfolk was already feeling. The first poll asked how everyone felt being there that night, and immediately, the favorite response was “ready to get down to business.”
The statistics presented were intriguing: The average Islip Town household size is 3.3 persons per house, larger than the average in Suffolk of 2.9. Between 2010 and 2022, the average rent in the Town of Islip has increased by 50%. 52.4% of renters spend above their affordability level, while 36.8% with a mortgage are in the same boat. Affordable housing is of the top concern for those who attended and is a known issue for the town. The plan wants to focus on helping to resolve that. During the public speaking portion of the presentation, a woman said, “My kids want to stay in Sayville, but there is no housing or affordability for them.”
A young man named Josh from Brentwood stood before everyone and made a fiery statement. “You’re already building more housing, but it’s not affordable to the working class,” he explained. Density is being resolved, but affordability is not.” The crowd clapped and cheered as they doubled down on their housing affordability stance.
The plan also wants to focus on improving transportation and environmental concerns. The town residents want to reduce traffic congestion, improve roads, and protect water quality. However, not all the streets in the town of Islip are under town control; they are also county and state-controlled. “I can barely pull out of my driveway; enough is enough,” said one man who lived off Lakeland Avenue for years.
While the town has limited things it can do, there are still plenty of things to focus on to improve Islip overall. That is why they are holding information sessions like the one that just passed, and they are looking to host multiple more workshops in different locations across the Town of Islip to ensure the residents are heard.
The town’s website has a survey for residents to fill out, with a looming deadline of January 31, 2025. However, the crowd in attendance has pushed for an extension to spread the word.
The town intends to host future workshops, gather as much possible public opinion and directives, and then for BFJ to present a plan to the Town Board in four to five months to get approved and get work.
It is clear, however, that the residents are unsure about trust. One man said, “Is this really for us, or is this a front for you guys to look better, and it’s going to be all your plan?” He was met with a loud applause, and Levine denied his claim. Islip residents spread the word, complete the surveys, and attend the workshops. It is your town, and the future is being laid into your hands.
