Members of a Suffolk community are protesting a possible zoning change that would allow the construction of new high-rise apartment buildings.

Dozens of people spent Sunday afternoon protesting in front of the old Island Hills golf course on Lakeland Avenue in Sayville.

It was the third protest held against a builder’s plan to put in more than 1,300 luxury apartments on the 114-acre property.

Neighbors, including James Carter and his wife Debra, worry the plan will bring congestion and overload local schools.

"The traffic is going to be horrendous, an extra 1,300, 1,400, 1,600 cars on Sunrise Highway, it's backed up for miles now at 5 p.m. and this is no good," says James Carter.

Ann Marie Jones, spokesperson for developer Rechler Equity Partners, said in a statement, "The plans for the shuttered Island Hills Golf Club are at the beginning stages of the town's comprehensive planning and review process. We are committed to transforming this distressed piece of property into a welcomed asset for the Sayville community. We are wholeheartedly committed to following the town’s comprehensive and transparent process that will provide extensive opportunity for the community and other stakeholders to weigh in and provide comment. 

A spokeswoman for the Town of Islip says a vote on the zoning isn't expected anytime soon, but last month the town board voted unanimously that an environmental impact statement must be prepared.

Islip Commissioner of Planning Ron Meyer said in a statement, “The town has recently initiated the  Island Hills State Environmental  Quality Review Act process for this significant  proposal.   A draft environmental impact statement (DEIS) scoping hearing will be scheduled in the near future. This DEIS scoping hearing requires the developer to post hearing notice signage along the  property boundary, as well as certified mailing notices to  adjacent landowners. The Town Planning Department encourages all interested parties to attend this future public hearing. The purpose of the scoping hearing is to  specifically identify the environmental and infrastructure elements that will be evaluated in the developer's DEIS, that has not been prepared at this stage. The town will augment state notice requirements by posting Island Hills  SEQRA status updates on the town’s website.”