Full Transcript

Thank you. Thank you. Good evening, everybody. This is the advertised time and place for the Thursday, October 2, 2025 Planning Board meeting. Please join us in standing for the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Okay, good evening, everybody. We have no public hearings tonight, so we're going to go right into discussion items. Heather, can you tell us about 305 West Main Street site plan issue? Yeah, so we had discussed this back, I think it was July 3rd. It's a site plan looking to redevelop an existing. It's currently vacant. The buildings had to be taken down because they were blighted. They're looking to redevelop the site with a 3,000-square-foot commercial building. And originally, they were proposing to widen the existing curb cut. They're now proposing to make it on Main Street to 30 feet. They are now proposing to make it 25 feet, which meets the town standards. I think it's 24 feet minimum for two-way traffic. Obviously, DOT will need to have the final say in it. I think their minimum is 25 feet, if I'm correct on that. So essentially, they have to go to the zoning board, impervious surface coverage, landscaped area, and then the buffer to the Suffolk County parkland. At the zoning board meeting last week, they came up with an alternate plan to reduce the impervious surface coverage variance. And in doing that, they are landscaping this five-foot area on the site plan.

I think the board, you have the plans in front of you, right? So the first page is essentially what they were originally proposing with that 30-foot curb cut right there. And this is all asphalt. And what they present. And then they send it to the zoning board, which will need to be formalized in a revised site plan. This shaded area, and in the shaded area, they're going to vegetate that rather than have it as asphalt, and then maintain the 25-foot existing curb cut. The zoning board just wanted the planning board to take a look at it, see if there were any issues from a planning standpoint, which it complies with town code for the width. So not just east of there. Is that 7-Eleven, or is it a vacant lot next door? The lot just to the east. The east of it is a vacant lot owned by Suffolk County. I guess it's intended to be designated for parkland, but it's just vacant and overgrown right now. And then further to the east of that is the 7-Eleven lot. Thank you. The road opening is what size now, Heather? So the curb cut exists at 25 feet, and they are going to maintain that. Originally, they were proposing a 30-foot wide curb cut because that's what the applicant wanted. But town code minimum for two-way traffic is 24 feet. And they're just keeping the 24. 25-foot curb cut. Are they going to have to resubmit? They're going to have to get something from DOT. I mean, I don't know. I mean, from the plan. Yes. So Jeff Zalewski actually had emailed me a revised plan the other day with the formalized landscaped area. So if the zoning board approves their variances, which now they no longer need the landscaped area variance. They're at 50.4%, where a minimum of 50% is required. And then they reduced impervious surface down to, I think, 49.5%. And then they still need the setback relief from, they are supposed to have a 25-foot buffer between the Suffolk County parkland and the improvements, which, you know, the lot's narrow, so they can't really make that. So if they get that relief, they'll come back to the planning board, presumably with this revised plan, and move forward to a public hearing. And we'll address any other, you know, planning. I mean, concerns at that point. So we'll get a more comprehensive plan, like parking and drainage and all that. Yeah, that was included in the original submission. I'll note, Joe, you know, it was a little hard to read, so hopefully it'll get fleshed out in, you know, more pages of a site plan. I know they have some comments, Benny's comments they have to respond to. But in terms of the access, again, they're not changing the curb cut meets minimum width for two-way traffic. So from a planning standpoint. I don't think there's much of a concern, especially since they're reducing the impervious surface coverage now. Okay. Yeah. Thank you, Heather. Okay. Item number two, Walmart remodel 2025 with Marissa.

Hello, Helen. How are you guys? Doing good. You're good, Marissa. Good. All right. Are you ready for it? Are you ready for it? Are you ready for it? Are you ready for it? Are you ready for it? Are you ready for it? Are you ready for it? Are you ready for it? Are you ready for it? Good evening. Can we just get your name and address for the record? Yeah, so my name's Chase Kramer. I'm with Collier's Engineering and Design out of Rochester, New York, on 280 East Broad Street. All right, so for the record, Marissa Donasky, site plan reviewer. This is for the Walmart Shopping Center, which is located at 1880 Old Conduct. This is for they're looking to do some site improvements to the overall area of they're trying to do some new pavement markings, and then they're also trying to relocate the existing online pickup area and grocery area to a separate part of the property just to help as it's currently being built. Currently on the west side, they're looking to put it more on the east side. It's giving them a little bit more space. With that, so currently the project site, 1880 Old Country Road, also known as Suffolk County Tax Map number 600-119-1-1.2, is a 20.7-acre parcel currently improved with multiple commercial buildings. And it's located within the destination retail center zoning. The proposed action, considered as a type 2 action as it's just maintenance, they're trying to, again, help the traffic flow overall and to produce better safety standards just because everything is a little tight and congested over in this area. Again, the entrance of the Walmart parking lot. The updated pavement markings, as you can see on here, it is, they're looking to redo, so this area right over here, located on the far west side, is currently where the online parking designated park pitting areas are located. They're looking to relocate them to the east side, and that would make the, they currently have 10 parking, they're looking to make 17. And then additionally, they are looking to just add overall more lighting to make it more safe for people to walk to and from the area of the online parking and grocery. Also, they are looking, they're proposing to redo the pavement markings throughout the property, so right now, I believe it's, it's just a, it is a stop in Arrow, and they're looking to just redo the parking lot overall and have a more uniformed type look. So. Are you eliminating any parking at all? Say that again? Are you eliminating any of the parking? Yeah, so there will be a decrease in 20 parking spaces. The existing parking ratio on site is 4.59. We're putting, we're going to be moving it down a full point. What about all this? There's more than ample, yeah, ample parking. So this is to eliminate everybody that's parking on the west side of the building. Exactly. The lots, the spots are all filled. Yeah, that's right. I'll lay you with it. Yeah, also accompanying this project, there's- It's a better alternative, by the way. It's a much better alternative because it keeps you, nobody wants to walk all that distance, so putting it on the east side makes a lot of sense. Right. But no, also the existing TLE area, so the tire and loop center was currently decommissioned, so that's kind of just been a vacant space in the store. So they're going to use that to kind of house their coolers, their racks and storage, and then they're going to dispense out of that side door near the TLE area. So really the only traffic coming out of there is going to be Walmart associates delivering to the people in the parking lot, so customers don't even have to get out of their vehicles to get there. Right. Get their goods. It won't do it. I don't think it'll disrupt that flow of cars that much. Is this place dark sky compliant? Yes, currently it is. I did make a note of that in the resolution just to confirm that all lighting is to be dark sky compliant, and I was having conversations back and forth. I don't know if it was with you. I think so. Was it? Yeah. Okay. So train of thought. And we were talking about because the additional lighting proposed, we were making sure that it would be dark sky compliant. Yeah. I have to compliment Walmart because they're one of the few shopping classes that actually did it according to the ordinance. Their lighting is dark sky compliant. They have a berm in front which hides a lot of the parking. So, you know, Walmart kind of did a really good job of it. I'm happy to support them. Okay. Thank you. Thank you. The question on the east side is a complete entrance. That's what's going to be used for the three door where the tire place used to be? Yeah. There's like a sliding door entrance. Yeah. That's what's going to be used to dispense out to the garage. It's part of my staff report but that area overall is the area to be used for the online parking. Well, online area. Right. Right. It's going to be perfect because the area is not being used right now anyway. No, and so it's going to get rid of those roll-up doors, so you're going to have a nice facade for the building there as part of this remodel. Great use of the area. Good, gentlemen. Flew all the way from Rochester for this? Yeah, yeah. That's what Walmart pays us to do. Good. I don't think we've ever had an applicant this far away that's come and join us. All right, thank you. Thank you, Jason. Number three, HK Ventures. All right. All right. Good evening. Good evening, everybody. So I just wanted to go over real quick the resolution that's before the board tonight for the final site plan approval for HK Ventures, just to kind of refresh the board a little bit because it's been a while since it's been before us. This is a site plan application seeking to develop a vacant parcel with industrially zoned land with approximately 413,000 square feet of industrial buildings broken up into eight buildings. There's going to be a 1,500-square-foot commissary for tenants of the complex. And related site upgrades. The property is located at 4285 Middle Country Road, which is just to the east of Tractor Supply. So in the resolution, within the body of the resolution, we did grant a preliminary approval in September of 2023. That was resolution number 23-077. Included a number of conditions. We did grant two subsequent extensions of that resolution, and we are getting close to the expiration of that. So I'll just go through the resolution to sort of discuss with the board how they've complied with all of the requirements of the preliminary approval. So I did receive Vinny Gaudiello's comments. They've been incorporated into this resolution. Vinny noted that the site plan drawings currently before us have been amended in a manner that satisfactorily addresses previous comments from his September 2023 site plan memo. He did make note of DOT permit for the curb cut. As well as a stormwater pollution prevention plan. And upon approval or satisfaction of those two conditions, he had no objection to engineering approval being granted. The applicant did receive a stormwater pollution prevention plan approval from the town engineer. That was dated March 19th of 2025. In a memo dated March 20th, 2025, the chief fire marshal stated that all previously cited requests had been completed to satisfaction. At this time, the applicant did not receive a stormwater pollution prevention plan approval. At this time, the applicant did not receive a stormwater pollution prevention plan approval from the city of We did receive correspondence from the health department in a letter dated May 7th, 2025. The gist of that letter is that the Suffolk County Department of Health Services has been reviewing the application. They did note that at this point in time, minor issues remain that prohibit the granting of final approval to construct. However, the department had no objection for the town releasing a foundation-only permit. However, they just asked that issuance of a permit for the construction of the buildings be withheld until they've issued a permit. So that's the final approval. issued final approval. In terms of the site plan themselves, the only change aside from some engineering items, the board required the 24-foot wide cross-access with the property to the west and to the east, which was discussed at a previous work session prior to the preliminary approval. The applicant did receive the final map and plan report from H2M Architects and Engineers who were the consulting engineers for the Riverhead Water District. That spelled out all of the necessary improvements that would be required to provide potable water and fire service water to the proposed development. The remainder of the site plan fee has been received. So the only thing I just want to just make sure the board's aware of and okay with, the preliminary approval resolution stated that prior to final approval the applicant will obtain approval from the Suffolk County Department of Health Services. In light of the fact that to an extent the Health Department control is completely out of the purview of this board, they have been making diligent progress with the Health Department. Is that on the sewage treatment plant? Yes, on-site sewage treatment plant to facilitate all of the wastewater. So I... Sorry, Greg. Who runs the sewage treatment plant? Does the owner or do you have to be licensed to run it? They get a service to run it. They get a service to run it. Licensed? Yeah. Okay. Yeah, and I'm assuming that that's part of the maintenance program. I'm sure that the Health Department is going to require that. You know, they do require some covenants related to certain aspects of the development, so I'm sure that's going to be looked at. Excuse me, but unless they apply to the sewer agency and turn the plant over to the sewer agency. So the only result in here, RJ just wrote that the Planning Board at its discretion will consider the final site plan approval resolution for the application to the Health Department. Okay. So the Planning Board has made a condition despite the requirement in its preliminary approval that the Health Department approval be obtained prior to final site plan, noting that only minor issues are outstanding and that these are not within the purview of the board and shall instead be made a condition of the Planning Board chairman's sign of the final site plan. So essentially, it allows them to obtain a final approval, continue the work, but there will be no building permits that will be issued until they get that final Health Department approval, that final sign off. And then we've just got the conditions. Obviously, I brought forth all of the conditions from the secret finding statement. There's conditions to require covenants to be filed on the property to memorialize those conditions. And like beyond that, just sort of the standard 229 excavation or exportation permit prior to the excavation and exportation material. Obviously, New York State Department of Transportation and all the final approvals from the Riverhead Water District to facilitate the extension of the district. Beyond that, glad to get these guys over. I mean, this project went through an extensive, extensive environmental review. There were some strong conditions in there, but happy to get this thing over the finish line. Like you said, been kicking around for about five years. Board members? No, I'm good. Good. Thank you, Greg. Okay, that's the end of the discussion items. Do we have any public comments on resolutions? Okay, not seeing anybody. Okay. Let's take up the resolutions. I'll move Resolution 2025-097, Woodhull at Soundshore for the minus subdivision, granting minus subdivision approval. So moved. Second. Moved and seconded. Mr. Zernicki? Yes. Mr. Denaro? Aye. Mr. Behr? Yes. I vote aye. The motion carries. I'll move Resolution 2025-098, grants final site approval for the site plan application of HK Ventures. Aye. Mr. Behr? Aye. Mr. Denaro? Aye. Mr. Behr? Aye. Mr. Denaro? Aye. Mr. Behr? Aye. Mr. Zernicki? Aye. Mr. Denaro? Aye. Mr. Behr? Aye. Mr. Zernicki? Aye. Mr. Denaro? Aye. Mr. Behr? Aye. And I vote aye. The motion carries. Resolution 2025-099, Walmart remodels 2025, resolution granting administrative approval for a site plan application to perform modifications to the existing Walmart parking lot to facilitate the expansion of the grocery and online orders. second moved in second mr zonicki yes mr de niro mr bear and i vote aye the motion carries okay that's the end of resolutions uh at this time we'll take public comments on all matters

okay how about the minister uh september fourth move this second all in favor all right all opposed motion carries we have no seeker actions uh plan the department any issues correspondence okay um our next meeting will be

august 16th at three o'clock right here um motion to adjourn second all in favor all right all opposed thank you for coming everyone everybody moved moved moved moved moved moved moved moved moved moved moved moved moved moved moved moved moved moved moved moved moved moved moved moved moved moved moved moved moved moved moved moved moved moved moved moved moved moved moved moved moved moved moved moved moved moved moved moved moved moved moved moved moved moved moved moved moved moved moved moved moved moved moved moved moved moved