Sandpiper Co-op Gets Green Light To Rebuild

The Westhampton Beach Village Planning Board has given the OK to rebuild the Sandpiper cooperative on Dune Road, almost a year and a half after the building was decimated by fire.

The applicant—The Sandpiper at Westhampton Beach Inc.—now has six months to obtain a building permit, and it has18 months to complete construction of the 50-unit building at 473 Dune Road unless an extension is granted. The final paperwork for the permit was submitted last week.

“They are very excited to be able to finally get going again,” said Jim Hulme, the attorney from Kelly and Hulme in Westhampton Beach representing the applicant. “It has been a long process, but a necessary process.”

The blaze completely leveled the original Sandpiper building on April 15, 2015, and the cause has never been determined. The fire also caused exterior damage to a sister condominium building, the Sandcastle, 50 feet east of the Sandpiper. Although some of its aluminum siding melted, that building was saved.

According to Paul Houlihan, Westhampton Beach building and zoning administrator, the new Sandpiper will be very similar to the old one, with the same approximately 14,300 square foot layout that the destroyed building had. According to the site plan approval, the new building will include 46 one-bedroom units and four two-bedroom units. There will also be 57 on-site parking spaces and an additional 24 across the street.

The site plan was approved at a November 10 Planning Board meeting. One of the most critical portions of the application was the septic system because of the property’s proximity to the ocean. Recently, Mr. Houlihan explained that it would be impossible for a sewage treatment plant to fit so close to the dunes, so a cesspool system will be installed instead. The system was fully vetted during the application review, which started four months after the fire.

Although the paperwork has all been filed, Mr. Hulme said he is not sure when construction will begin.