New Owner Will Propose Upgrades, Potential Changes to Eastport Shopping Center

Potential plans for the redevelopment of the King Kullen shopping center in Eastport have garnered mixed reviews from residents.

Brookhaven Town Councilman Dan Panico shared some ideas proposed by the center’s new owner on Facebook last week, and comments on the updates that may be in the future site plan application began pouring in.

“This would be great, and all so desperately needed if it all comes to fruition, including the new building, as long as we don’t look at the ugly back of it from the street,” Bill Mills said. “Hopefully, it will include a new parking lot, lighting and landscaping.

“Our historic town of Eastport also needs an upgrade with curbs, sidewalks, street lighting and new trees. Thanks, Dan. This is great news!”

“I am all for upgrading the existing building, but to add another free-standing building to just sit there and never be used is not a good idea, unless they know it’s going to be occupied,” Eileen Clare Woodburn said. “Look at all the buildings in Shirley, Mastic and Moriches not being utilized.”

Regency Centers Corp., a Florida-based retail center owner and real estate investment trust, made a deal to purchase four Long Island shopping centers for $130 million back in April. The contract included the acquisition of the 6.87-acre property in Eastport, as well as Wading River Commons, which is also anchored by a King Kullen supermarket, and shopping centers in East Meadow and Valley Stream.

The company now owns and operates 30 properties in the greater New York-New Jersey-Long Island area.

“These are exactly the kinds of opportunities we seek out,” said Jack deVilliers, senior vice president and market officer for Regency Centers, in a statement. “This portfolio is a perfect addition to our expanding footprint in the New York metropolitan area, and we look forward to bringing our time-tested expertise to these locations.”

The Eastport Plaza has 45,466 square feet of retail space. Other tenants include Rite Aid, Marinelli Jewelers, Suffolk Federal Credit Union, Original Michelangelo Pizzeria and Restaurant, and Eastport Plaza Delicatessen & Catering. Currently, there is one available suite, at 1,280 square feet. A cigar lounge proposal for that space hit town Zoning Board of Appeals desks last week.

Panico said, though no formal application has yet to be submitted to the town Planning Department for review, current informal renovation plans include a new façade across the entire building, landscaping, new lightening, curbing, asphalt and drainage, along with the addition of a small building on the southwesterly portion of the existing property, which is currently part of the parking lot.

Much of those plans were results of initial community feedback, Panico said.

“He is amenable to adding trees, replacing all of the lighting, redoing the entire parking lot and all of the curbing, etc.,” the councilman said. “He also mentioned adding electric charging stations as a possibility and is interested in hearing what people have to say.”

The plan does not need to go before the Town Board, because the property is already zoned J2, or commercial, so the future site plan application would be presented to the town Planning Board and then the Historic District Advisory Committee. It could also possibly be presented to the Zoning Board of Appeals with regard to the side yard variance as it comes to the additional building and its possible proximity to the roadway.

“If there is a contentious part of the application, it would be the addition of the small building, because people will obviously have questions about the end-users and what that’s going to look like, although they did include an architectural rendering that is substantially similar to the overall façade of the bigger shopping center,” the councilman said. “That’s something they need to speak to the community about. I think most people would agree that the Eastport shopping center could use a face-lift and a refreshing of the entire center. It’s just going to come down to the details.”

Panico said the owners are looking to occupy the potential expansion with a medical company and restaurant. There are no plans for a drive-thru, and the owners are not looking for a fast-food company.

“They said they have a lot of people eager to fill the medical side, and on the restaurant side said there’s a lot of interest but didn’t go into detail,” Panico said Monday. “I let them know they’re in the historic district, and I gave them a list of people they would want to contact before they file their site plan, including the Eastport Green Project, Eastport Area Chamber of Commerce and East Moriches Property Owners Association — and they didn’t balk at any of those suggestions. They appear to be very willing to go out and meet with the local people.”

Panico said, hearing Regency Centers Corp.’s initial ideas, that he believes the upgrade to the façade, additional trees and generally sprucing up the center is a very positive detail of the future application. A public hearing would have to be advertised, so any official plan presentation is months away.

Still, community members quickly shared reactions to and thoughts on the plans.

“The existing shopping center is a dated eyesore in a location that is essentially the gateway to Eastport coming from the north, so any update to the façade, along with a reworked access from Montauk Highway, would be welcome,” Rick Seigleman said. “You need only look down the road to the Speonk shopping center, where a free-standing building with a restaurant, Brewology, works, along with a façade that blends in with the community.”

“We do need a face-lift, but a new building? No thanks!” Melissa E. Frey-Locrotondo wrote. “No need for another building in our small town!”

Greg Wayrich felt similarly. “It’s nonsense to build new there,” he said. “Fix the existing? Fine. The new build? No.”

“When this shopping center was proposed years ago, we were shown beautiful landscaping with rows of blooming trees by the drive-up window. What we got was pitiful,” Marie Kinneary added. “We would like some native plants.”

Others agreed with Kinneary, though Panico said there are now plans to add vegetation.

“We need a push for more trees in parking lots in the Town of Brookhaven,” Eleanore Montefusco said.

“They need to design the site to provide pedestrian connectivity from the sidewalks to the front doors, at minimum,” Christina Charvat wrote. “Drivers become pedestrians once they’ve arrived, too.”

Panico said that for his first time meeting with representatives of the Florida-based group, he was pleased with their responses.

“Overall, I found them to be very genuine and very welcoming. I was generally very pleased with their willingness to take input and listen to the community,” he said. “I gave them a very broad overview of the initial concerns, issues and feedback from the social media post, and I encouraged their attorneys and them to take a look at it.

“A lot of the people who commented are local people, and having the input and feedback from local people is what they should endeavor to do.”

The councilman added that from what he’s heard from the Brookhaven Town planning staff, members of the corporation are identified as responsible property owners, which he said is good to hear.

“It would be nice to see more of this type of work done on empty storefronts on Main Street. Eastport is a fine example of a Main Street that has come back to life and with stores that are destinations and provide products that get you to destinations, i.e. the bike shop,” Jay Scott said of the renderings Panico shared with his Facebook post. “This is much better and much needed.”