No Objections to Plan for New Bowling Alley in Wainscott

[caption id="attachment_48757" align="alignnone" width="800"] A rendering of the proposed development at East Hampton Indoor Tennis in Wainscott. Courtesy of Ernie Schieferstein, architect.[/caption]

By Stephen J. Kotz

When Scott Rubenstein of East Hampton Indoor Tennis unveiled plans last fall to transform the facility from an indoor-outdoor tennis club on Daniel’s Hole Road in Wainscott into a more full-service recreational center, complete with a bowling alley, indoor bocce courts, miniature golf course and bar and restaurant, it was warmly received by East Hampton Town planners

This week, the proposed improvements continue to sail through the review process, as nobody spoke for or against the project at a hearing on the site plan before the town Planning Board on Wednesday, February 23. On Friday, planner Eric Schantz, who has been assigned to the project, said he expected the project could receive final approval from the board as early as April 23.

Mr. Rubenstein said this week the bowling alley and other attractions would fill a need for more recreational activities for singles and families alike. “I can’t get over the number of people stopping me in town or at the post office, telling me they are happy about this. They are looking for something to do,” Mr. Rubenstein said on Monday.

“This has been a fun project to plan,” he added. “The board has been wonderful.” Mr. Rubenstein first unveiled the plans informally to the Planning Board last year before submitting an application in the fall. He stressed that board members and planning department staff had been cooperative with him through the process.

When Mr. Rubenstein proposed Health Hampton, an ambitious health club development in the 1980s, he met with major opposition at the town level before eventually scaling back his plans and limiting the operation to tennis.

The current plans call for the elimination of two of eight tennis courts that are under a bubble and replacing them with a 10-lane bowling alley and three indoor bocce courts. A miniature golf course along with approximately 100 parking spaces will be added, replacing an existing sports field, and a restaurant and sports lounge bar with outside serving areas will also be added.

“It’s a very important part of the business. It’s really what drives the business,” Mr. Rubenstein said of the bar and restaurant. “We couldn’t do this with food and beverage.” He said he is still talking to prospective managers of that portion of the operation, but expects the restaurant to serve sandwiches, salads, and other fare that will appeal to a health conscious clientele.

The facility currently has food service for tennis camps, and Mr. Rubenstein said it would obtain a liquor license.

The new bowling alley will replace East Hampton Bowl, which closed two years ago and has since been razed, as the only bowling alley east of Riverhead.

East Hampton Indoor Tennis sits on a 24-acre site near the East Hampton Airport. The project will require an additional 7,000 square feet of clearing but will still leave the property below clearing restrictions.

Mr. Rubenstein said the project would cost $6 million and is expected to be finished in 2017. As part of a separate approval, a new bubble will be constructed over four of the existing outdoor tennis courts and be removed seasonally. The other 16 outdoor courts will remain the same.

The existing soccer and softball field would be converted into the miniature golf course and an additional parking area.

Overall, the plans would increase the parking lot from 235 spaces to 328 spaces.

Mr. Rubenstein said that the expansion plans would not result in any additional clearing of his 24-acre property and that all the construction would take place on parts of the property that were already in use as part of the facility.

Plans to add a manmade pond, which would available for skating in the winter have been set aside for now, according to Mr. Rubenstein.