Room To Grow

If ever there was a project that best demonstrated the vision of Westhampton Beach Village Board members in all the work they’ve accomplished — redesigning the village’s Main Street, and setting up a planned $17 million sewer project ready to be completed next year — it’s the proposed boutique hotel planned at the intersection of Main Street and Mitchell Road.

The long-abandoned building, which was once a North Fork Bank, was targeted early on in Mayor Maria Moore’s tenure in her effort to beautify Main Street. But in order to get a private investor interested in the dilapidated building, the sewer project had to come first. The project will allow for more and greater business uses in the village, which are currently limited by its outdated septic systems.

The project, set to begin next fall, will connect the village’s Main Street business district and a handful of residential properties to the sewage treatment plant at Francis S. Gabreski Airport. Ms. Moore and other village officials hope the project, along with the nearly complete Main Street beautification and renovation project, will prompt a renaissance in the village, making it destination for day-trippers and tourists, thus bumping up the business economy.

Enter Ettore and Lucille Mancini, who own the property at 43 Main Street, and have been working on the boutique hotel project for just under two years. The couple plans to renovate the 8,000-square-foot building, creating 10 rooms ranging from single rooms to suites.

The couple said recently that while they might be willing to install their own septic system, the village’s sewer plan would be the better option. They envision a boutique hotel where artists performing at the nearby Performing Arts Center could stay, as well as other visitors to the village — as a result, increasing foot traffic on Main Street. They recognized the need for a hotel in the area.

The project is currently under review by the Planning Board and will face scrutiny by the Architectural Review Board as well, in addition to the Suffolk County Health Department (a review that will be aided by the pending sewer project).

Village officials are excited about the project, hoping to get rid of an old eyesore on Main Street and, at the same time, meeting the need for more lodging. Last month, Ms. Moore said that a hotel was very much needed and would be a terrific anchor for Main Street.

Village Trustee Brian Tymann said he expects “Westhampton Beach to move up on the destination list — and will need even more options for shorter-term stays.”

The mayor and Village Board faced some tough criticism as the Main Street project unfolded this fall. But as residents begin to see the fruits of that labor, as well as positive developments like the planned hotel that could result from the sewer project, they should embrace the changing landscape and look forward to a more vibrant business district that will benefit the area as a whole.