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VOL. 74 NO. 2
JANUARY 9-15, 2025
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Babylon Town cracks down on Copiague motel activities By CAROLYN JAMES cjames@kiherald.com
Carolyn James/Herald
The Red Roof Inn in Copiague where illegal activity has been reported.
Babylon Town has taken action against six businesses, including motels and massage parlors, over the past year for allowing illegal activities such as drug use and prostitution to take place at their establishments. Last month, the town moved against a seventh location. “We believe these motels and businesses promote prostitution and drug use, lowering our quality of life in Babylon,” said Supervisor Rich Schaffer. “We are putting them on notice that we are not stopping. They need to change their business models, or we will shut them down.” The most recent case involves the Red Roof Motel (formerly Days Inn) at 10 34th Street in Copiague, which abuts the back of Copiague High School. A Suffolk County Police drug overdose investigation, combined with community complaints and town inspection findings, prompted the town’s action to force the owners to comply with local and state laws. The motel’s own-
ers were required to meet with the town attorney and attend a public hearing to address the motel’s conditions and apparent violations. Shiv Patel and his father, Sirish Patel, who have owned the franchise since 1996, ,attended the Dec. 18 hearing. Shiv Patel spoke on behalf of his father, saying that since being notified of the issues, they have taken significant steps to address the problems. These include staff training on identifying human trafficking, drug use, and prostitution at the motel. The training is being provided by the Suffolk County Police Department. Patel also said the motel has installed a camera system, now requires guests to provide identification, and has posted a sign in the office outlining rules for renting rooms and delineating prohibited activities, including drug use. Jerry Guarino, the assistant town attorney, testified that there had been two arrests at the motel: one for prostitution on Aug. 18 and another for criminal posCONTINUED ON PAGE 2
State drops proposal for multi-use housing at Babylon LIRR station By CAROLYN JAMES cjames@kiherald.com Babylon Village Mayor Mary Adams says the state has officially ended its muchcriticized proposal to build a multi-unit housing development at the village’s Long Island Rail Road station. The plan, which had been under consideration by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), faced strong opposition from village, town, and state officials who argued the location was inappropriate for such a project. “I am pleased to report that the study has been completed
and there will not be any development of the property or any housing opportunity at the Babylon Railroad Sta tion,” Adams wrote on Facebook last week. “The parking lot will remain as it is—a parking lot.” Several months ago, the village was informed that the MTA and state officials were conducting a study to determine the feasibility of the project. The proposed housing development was part of a broader state initiative to build transit-oriented housing on MTA properties in Nassau and Suffolk counties. Gov. Kathy Hochul has set a goal of adding 800,000 such units over
the next 10 years, with several Long Island locations— including Farmingdale and Melville—also under consideration. The Babylon MTA site, located across from the Junior-Senior High School, sits at the intersection of two busy streets, Railroad and North Carll avenues. It is also the only parking lot for the railroad’s riders. While the state owns the land, the project would have required local approvals from the village’s building and zoning boards, a process the state was reportedly seeking to bypass. In response, the village held a press conference
in early November to announce the study and its potential impact, quickly generating strong opposition from local officials and residents. With the new announcement, many expressed relief and Adams thanked a host of officials for their support: the Village Board of Trustees, the Zoning and Planning boards, Town Supervisor Rich Schaf-
fer, the Town Board, Suffolk County Presiding Officer Kevin McCaffrey, State Sen. Alexis Weik, State Assemblyman Mike Durso, and Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine. “They all recognized how a housing opportunity at the Babylon Railroad Station would be a detriment to our community on many levels,” CONTINUED ON PAGE 2