Community pushes back on proposal to turn Deer Park bowling alley into self-storage facility
Strike 10 Lanes is located at the corner of Long Island and Irving avenues in Deer Park.
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A proposal to demolish a decades-old bowling alley and replace it with a self-storage facility in Deer Park went before the Babylon Town Planning Board last night and faced waves of community pushback.
"That's ridiculous," Deer Park resident Steve Nese said. "That's been here for what, 60, 70 years?"
The property owner is proposing to demolish Strike 10 Lanes at the corner of Long Island and Irving avenues and replace it with a 17,000-square-foot, two-story self-storage facility with a basement in its place.
Nicole Blanda, a Melville-based attorney representing the applicant, LAG Associates, LLC, spoke before the board last night. She said the owner is currently in talks with Public Storage to run the site.
"We have a brand-new facade, which we believe is attractive," Blanda said. "It's not your standard industrial-looking building."
Over 1,500 people have signed a petition against that plan.
They're urging the town to reject the application, citing concerns about the neighborhood's integrity, environmental impact and the balance between residential and commercial properties in town.
Resident Mike Morolla wants the board to reconsider the application. He said his son with special needs routinely goes to the bowling alley for important events and programs.
"It builds friendships, and it helps their social skills," Morolla said. "Taking away a building like that takes away something that's part of what they're growing up with."
Others pointed out that there are several other storage facilities all within a mile and a half of this new proposed location.
"To put another storage unit for what?" Ralph Fandetaa, who works in Deer Park, said. "To me, it makes no sense."
"[There are] too many storage units around," St. James resident Gary Rehn said as he went to grab breakfast across from the bowling alley. "They need a bowling alley."
At Monday's meeting, Blanda argued that the large number of existing storage units isn't a sign of oversaturation but rather a growing need.
"For a company like Public Storage to even be interested in a site like this, they had to have done a market study that told them that they believe this would be a viable and profitable site for them," she said.
Blanda said they are reviewing all the feedback from last night's meeting.
The board reserved its decision but did not say when it would weigh in on the proposal.
News 12 reached out to the bowling alley for comment but has not yet heard back.
