Mosque–Boarding School Sparks Island Uproar

Three women in white veils walking past ornate blue tilework — Photo: timsimages.uk / Shutterstock

A quiet Long Island waterfront block is suddenly facing a high‑intensity Islamic boys’ boarding school and mosque, and neighbors say their residential way of life is on the line.

Story Snapshot

A former Catholic seminary in Bay Shore was sold to a Muslim nonprofit planning an all-boys Islamic boarding school and mosque.
The plan calls for housing about 120 middle and high school boys plus staff on a 13‑ to 14.6‑acre residential-zoned property.
Residents formed “Saxon Says No,” arguing the use is far too intensive for a quiet neighborhood and may violate zoning laws.
The United American Muslim Association and its attorney insist the project is legal and are seeking zoning approvals through the town process.

Large Islamic Boarding School Plan Alarms Bay Shore Neighbors

On South Saxon Avenue in Bay Shore, Long Island, a waterfront property that once trained young Catholic men for the priesthood is now at the center of a fierce zoning fight. The United American Muslim Association bought the roughly 13‑ to 14.6‑acre site, including a three‑story, about 70,000‑square‑foot building, for $5.2 million. The group plans to turn it into Bayshore Academy, an Islamic boarding school and mosque for about 120 middle‑ and high‑school boys, along with early childhood programs and community activities.

Neighbors say this is not a simple house of worship but a full campus dropped into a quiet residential block. Lawn signs reading “No Boarding School” now line the streets, and a Facebook group called “Saxon Says No” is organizing opposition. Residents stress they are targeting zoning and land‑use, not religion, but they fear the school, dorms, mosque, daycare, and community programs will turn their low‑key street into a round‑the‑clock institutional zone with traffic, noise, and safety issues.

Residents Frame Fight as Zoning and Quality-of-Life, Not Religion

Local leader Kevin Colgan and the “Saxon Says No” group say their battle is about protecting zoning laws that keep residential neighborhoods stable. Their public statement calls the proposed use “far more intensive than what is appropriate for a quiet residential neighborhood” and says a campus of this scale should need a special permit or clear zoning approval, just like any comparable large project. Neighbors worry about 120 teenage boys living on site, roaming the area, plus staff, worshippers, daycare drop‑offs, and event traffic piling onto narrow local roads.

Residents argue that if boarding, mosque, and multiple programs are treated as “as‑of‑right” on this property, it sets a precedent for other former religious campuses across the Town of Islip. They say zoning rules exist to protect the character and safety of neighborhoods, and that the town must apply those rules fairly and consistently, no matter who the owner is. Critics also point out that town officials have released few details about traffic plans, emergency access, or how 120 students plus staff would be managed on the site, leaving nearby families frustrated and feeling ignored.

Supporters Call Plan Legal Continuation of Religious Campus Use

Supporters of the project, including the United American Muslim Association’s attorney Samuel L. Bifulco, insist the plan follows town code and should be allowed. They say the campus has long been used for religious boarding and retreat, first as a Catholic boys’ seminary from the 1920s until 1972 and later as a retreat house and home for elderly clergy, so an Islamic boarding school is a continuation of that institutional pattern, not a brand‑new commercial intrusion. The association describes its mission as giving young Muslims “comprehensive spiritual and academic training” with strict rules meant to prevent nuisance or disorder.

The case has reached the Islip Town Zoning Board of Appeals, which is weighing a variance request tied to whether boarding is a permitted accessory use to a parochial school in a residential district. A Newsday editorial notes about 600 people turned out for the hearing and argues that, with around 12 students and staff per acre, a religious boarding school of this size is unlikely on its face to overwhelm traffic or emergency services, and that the town has offered no hard evidence that it would. Still, no final zoning decision or detailed traffic study is publicly documented yet, leaving both sides fighting largely on competing claims and fears.

Broader Questions About Local Control and Community Voice

This clash in Bay Shore taps into deeper worries many Americans have about losing control over their neighborhoods to large institutions and distant groups. Long Island residents already battled a previous assisted‑living proposal on this same property, and now feel they must mobilize again or see their street permanently changed. People at the hearing stressed that they would oppose any boarding school of this scale, regardless of faith, because they see 120 overnight students, plus worship and programs, as a poor fit for a residential waterfront block where families expected peace and privacy.

🕌✨Quiet suburb. Major change.

An all-boys Islamic boarding school is being pushed into the heart of Long Island — and almost no one is talking about it.

𝑾𝒉𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒖𝒔𝒉?

The UA Muslim Association just bought a 13-acre former Catholic seminary in Bay Shore —Islip, for… pic.twitter.com/JDqcR2MGQj

— Tosca Austen (@ToscaAusten) July 25, 2026

At the same time, media coverage and some activists have framed the dispute as a test of fairness for Muslim Americans, which makes it harder for residents to keep the focus on zoning instead of religion. Neighbors now must walk a tightrope: defend their property rights and quality of life while avoiding being painted as bigots. Until the Town of Islip releases clear findings on traffic, emergency access, and code compliance, working families on South Saxon Avenue remain stuck in limbo, watching lawyers and officials argue while their block’s future hangs in the balance.