Two Springs ports of call, Rita Cantina and the Springs General Store (which hopes to be open by next summer), have been recommended by East Hampton Town’s new water quality technical advisory committee for sizable grants ($70,038 and $131,567 respectively) to upgrade their septic systems.
The town board will hold public hearings on their applications tonight, along with four other recommended projects.
The Springs General Store has been closed since the end of the 2022 season. Its new owners, Jonas Lafortezza and two Bennett brothers, Daniel and Evan, have since worked on getting plans for an ambitious remodeling job through the town’s advisory boards. At the end of March, they received the last necessary approval from the architectural review board.
“It’s located in a target area, with a zero-to-two-year travel time to Accabonac Harbor,” Billy Hajek, the chair of the committee, told the town board at its April 8 meeting. He noted other water quality projects that will improve both the surface and groundwater in the area and recommended that the store receive the full funding request.
Along with removing the kayak launch and rental and converting an old storage shed into a small wine shack, the owners plan to add an indoor table, delineate the parking area, add an A.D.A. access ramp and parking, and remove invasive plant species on the property, extensively revegetating with natives.
Throughout the years-long process, the planning board always pushed for the septic system upgrade, though that was not part of the original application and the owners were not compelled to do so. They were open to the idea, but on the condition a grant was awarded.
Daniel Bennett said Tuesday that he is in the process of applying for a building permit. Once he receives it, he estimates construction could take about a year.
“If I could start building tomorrow, I might be able to open up by April 29, 2026,” he said.
“I think it’s a real positive that this is before us,” said Councilwoman Cate Rogers, “particularly because of the location and the impact that it has on Accabonac Harbor.”
Rita Cantina, a popular but controversial Mexican restaurant, has been in and out of Town Justice Court for the last couple of years for several violations, and has been locked in a lawsuit with the zoning board of appeals since the end of 2022.
The advisory committee was able to overlook all that in the name of water quality. The restaurant’s septic system has already been installed. It was seeking $200,000, but only eligible for $70,038.
“Our objective is water quality improvement,” Mr. Hajek told the town board. “If it’s a good project, we’re going to make a recommendation to support it.” The restaurant is located near Three Mile Harbor, and nitrogen from its septic system reaches the harbor in under two years. The committee grades each application on a series of factors, and the short travel time to the sensitive harbor puts Rita Cantina in a target area.
“Ensuring that the tenant is addressing the violations is critical for me,” said Councilman Tom Flight.
“If we desire, we could take this to public hearing,” said Supervisor Kathee Burke-Gonzalez, “with the caveat that their building permit, and, you know, everything, is in place.”
The largest recommended grant, for $327,273, could go to upgrade septic systems at the Treescape Condominiums. Two I/A systems will serve three condo buildings each, reducing nearly 1,000 pounds of nitrogen annually that would otherwise flow into Three Mile Harbor.
The committee is also recommending $31,900 to Sag Harbor Village to pay for the engineering involved in extending the sewer system to the public schools; $91,328 to Clear Bays Environmental for a wetland restoration at Hog Creek in Springs, and $46,000 to the South Fork Sea Farmers for a reef-building project.
