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The CVS drug store is moving closer to moving in to the former movie theater in Hampton Bays. DANA SHAW
Parking spaces proposed in front of the building were a point of discussion for planners during review of the CVS project in hampton Bays. DANA SHAW
Goodbye movies, hello really long register receipts. The plan to replace the theater with a CVS drig store is moving along. DANA SHAW
The days of tubs of hot buttery popcorn and the latest blockbuster flick are over in Hampton Bays. On the near horizon, shoppers can expect those iconic yard-long register receipts, as the plan to convert the Montauk Highway United Artists multiplex into a CVS drug store moves along.
During their November 19 work session, members of the Southampton Town Planning Board took extra care, with a look at the parking scheme for the proposal. Of concern were parking spaces drawn close to the building and whether they would impede access for first responders. Carrie O’Farrell from the land planning firm Nelson Pope & Voorhis reported the town fire marshal recommended keeping a fire zone on the north side of the building rather than have cars parked there. However, the applicant believes a 30-foot wide access road satisfies fire safety requirements.
An extensive sward of green space on Montauk Highway requested by the planners “forced us to move the parking to the front of the building,” attorney Liz Vail said, speaking on behalf of CVS. Some 21 spaces were drawn in an area that is currently a drive through fire zone.
In a “catastrophic kind of situation,”cars parked up against the building will make a bad situation more dangerous, Board Member Glorian Berk opined. “I could see them going up,” she said. Firetrucks would have to deal with cars potentially catching fire, as they respond to a disaster in the building.
“That’s certainly a safety issue,” Board Chairwoman Jacqui Lofaro allowed.
Removing the spaces would also remove required handicapped parking spaces. To find a place for those spaces, board member Robin Long wondered if employee parking could be created behind the building.
Jay Mikrut from the engineering firm VHB said the owner would provide employee parking at the rear of the site and save the front for customers. The layout meets state fire requirements, with a fire lane across the front of the building, he said. Parking spaces up against the sidewalk in front of a building are a common condition in Southampton Town and not prohibited, he said. If that parking were eliminated, handicapped spots would have to be designated across the drive aisle.
Ms. Lofaro described the lot design at Bridgehampton Commons where, on the western side of the complex there is a two way drive through near Staples, then a green section, with curbing, then parking spaces. She said the CVS lot could be reconfigured similarly.
Speaking to “practicality,” board member Phil Keith said that, giving thought to a catastrophic fire, the board was legislating for an eventuality that might happen once in a lifetime, “where handicapped people … have to park in front of that building on a regular basis.”
“I think they’ve done a very good job here of parsing this out and giving us what we wanted — more green space, giving us the maximum amount of parking, giving the fire department not one but two lanes to have access to this building,” he said.
“I don't have a problem with this plan. I think it’s well done and I think it accommodates the needs of the public,” Mr. Keith concluded.
Two parking spaces near the site’s Springville Road access were also seen by fire safety officials as too close to the access for fire apparatus to handily enter the site. The applicant removed the two spaces and relocated them to the rear, eastern side of the 2.7-acre property. It meets requirements for the parking demand associated with the use, Ms. O’Farrell informed.
The plans for the parking lot include a fire zone roadway along the eastern side of the building. To make that a two way thoroughfare, four parking spaces on the neighboring Hamlet Green property have been removed. The road along the building is the continuation of a shared access off Main Street and runs all the way to the neighboring parking lot, which disgorges onto Good Ground Road.
The Planning board began reviewing the project in May 2019. Next on the agenda for the project: a discussion about the shared access agreement with Hamlet Green and the fire marshal must be given a chance to weigh in on a revised parking lot scheme.
