Convenience Store: Board Doubts Hess Plan
As more details emerge on the plans for the construction of a convenience store at the site of the Hess gas station in Wainscott, concern over the project is also emerging on the part of town planners.
Members of the East Hampton Town Planning Board last week voiced reservations about the plan, saying a 3,045-square-foot store could be too big for Hess's less-than-one acre lot and could add more traffic congestion to an already burdened portion of Montauk Highway.
Hess submitted plans last month to split its property in two, allowing the station to relocate its pumps to one lot and build a "general store" on the other. The board reviewed the proposed layout of the site at its Oct. 22 meeting and reviewed the town engineer's comments on the proposal.
Add Stores
The Amerada-Hess Corporation has embarked on a $120-million plan to add stores to many of its 600 gas stations nationwide over the next several years. The company already has applications in to the Southampton Town Zoning Board of Appeals for smaller stores at its stations in Water Mill and Tuckahoe. The proposed Wainscott store would be more than double the size of those two.
"The board, from an engineering standpoint, should be concerned with the density of what's being proposed for these lots," said the town's consulting engineer, Vincent Gaudiello. He pointed to new traffic being generated by the store as well as a potentially congested traffic-and-parking flow within the property.
He urged Hess to obtain traffic-generation data from a similar store, and not rely on general estimates for convenience stores. Hess now has smaller convenience stores at gas stations in Riverhead, Wading River, Miller Place, and Farmingville, as well as off the Island.
"I have a problem with this whole thing," Gary Swanander, a Planning Board member, said during the discussion. "This is just going to be a congested nightmare. . . . I don't see how it's going to work."
Hess has proposed placing the traditional-style general store on the southeastern corner of the lot, where Georgica Drive meets Montauk Highway. Three pump islands would be set toward the back of the property.
After a lengthy discussion about potential conflicts between parking and fueling cars, a Hess representative, Tom Thill said the plan could be scaled back to two pump islands with four pumping stations.
"The capacity now can be served with four pumps," he said.
Basic Groceries
Iris Osborn, another board member, suggested Hess consider building a smaller store.
Eric Bregman, a lawyer representing Hess locally, argued that the purpose of the store was to offer basic groceries and convenience items where there are not many available. "The smaller it gets, the less likely it's going to be anything but a place for coffee and cigarettes," he added.
Mr. Bregman said Hess would consider scaling back the project and to return with traffic figures from a similar-sized business.
"Wainscott's getting tighter and tighter," sighed the Board's chairwoman, Pat Mansir, after the discussion. "It's going to get like a gauntlet going through there."