07/23/2026
Dear Members of the Town of Islip Planning Board, Town Board, and Islip Industrial Development Agency,
I am writing as a concerned resident to respectfully urge you to deny approval of the proposed Amazon fulfillment center.
This proposal is simply too large and too intensive for the surrounding community. While economic development is important, it must be balanced with protecting the health, safety, and welfare of residents. In this case, the long-term impacts outweigh the potential benefits.
This project should not be approved because:
It is incompatible with the surrounding community.
A 24-hour distribution facility of this magnitude is not consistent with nearby residential neighborhoods and existing local businesses. The size, scale, and intensity of operations would permanently alter the character of the area.
The traffic impacts would be substantial.
Thousands of daily trips by tractor-trailers, delivery vans, and employee vehicles would increase congestion, create delays, raise the risk of accidents, and place additional strain on local roads and intersections.
It creates unnecessary public safety concerns.
More commercial truck traffic increases risks for pedestrians, cyclists, school buses, and motorists. Congested roads can also delay police, fire, and EMS response times.
Residents will experience a lower quality of life.
Round-the-clock operations bring continuous truck traffic, loading dock activity, backup alarms, exterior lighting, and industrial noise that nearby residents would have to live with every day.
The environmental impacts are significant.
- Increased diesel emissions and poorer air quality.
- Greater stormwater runoff from extensive paved surfaces.
- Loss of open space and wildlife habitat.
- Increased heat island effects.
- Additional pressure on local infrastructure and drainage systems.
The economic benefits are uncertain.
While jobs are often highlighted, many warehouse positions experience high turnover, and increasing automation may reduce long-term employment. Local governments must carefully determine whether the promised economic benefits justify the long-term community costs.
Taxpayer-funded incentives should not be provided without overwhelming public benefit.
Amazon has indicated the project depends on IDA incentives. Residents deserve to know:
- How much financial assistance is being requested?
- How much tax revenue will schools, libraries, fire districts, Suffolk County, and the Town lose through tax abatements?
- Who ultimately bears that financial burden?
- Are there enforceable clawback provisions if promised jobs and investments do not materialize?
A corporation of Amazon's size should demonstrate a substantial public benefit before receiving significant taxpayer-supported incentives.
The cumulative impacts have not been fully addressed.
This proposal must be evaluated alongside existing traffic, planned development, infrastructure capacity, emergency services, and long-term growth. Looking at the project in isolation does not provide an accurate picture of its total impact on the community.
The Town has an obligation to protect its residents.
The Town of Islip's responsibility is not simply to encourage development, but to ensure that development is appropriate, sustainable, and in the best interests of the community. When a project creates significant concerns regarding traffic, public safety, infrastructure, environmental quality, fiscal impacts, and neighborhood compatibility, denial is an appropriate and responsible course of action.
For these reasons, I respectfully request that the Town of Islip Planning Board, Town Board, and Islip Industrial Development Agency deny this application unless the applicant can clearly demonstrate that the project will not adversely affect the surrounding community and that any public incentives provide a measurable and lasting benefit to taxpayers.
Thank you for your careful consideration and your commitment to protecting the residents of the Town of Islip.
Respectfully,
[Your Name]
[Address]
