Stop & Shop Testimony to Continue July 7

The Board of Adjustment will next hear testimony regarding the proposed expansion of Stop & Shop during a special meeting July 7.

The board spent three minutes during Monday evening's meeting discussing the issue of the next special meeting dedicated to the supermarket expansion. Howard Geneslaw, the attorney for the supermarket, agreed to the date.

"We will continue the application begun at the previous special meeting on July 7th," board chairman William Heinbokel said.

The next meeting will continue discussion of the issue at hand - not the proposed expansion - but the variances needed for the construction to proceed. The BOA will decide if the terms of the expansion meet a new standard of what is allowed in the present zone for the supermarket or if a variance is needed to allow the function. The board's decision will determine if the final approval is a matter for the BOA or the planning board.

The next meeting will include witnesses in opposition to the supermarket's determination on the type of variances needed, public comment on the variance issue and board discussion. With the BOA routinely not accepting new witnesses following 10 p.m. and setting a deadline for how late a meeting runs, it is possible the matter will not be voted on during the July 7 meeting.

The supermarket expansion issue has gained opposition in some quarters with former Councilman Janis Weinstein retaining an attorney to oppose the plan. Weinstein has declined to comment on why she is opposing the proposal.

The supermarket is proposing an expansion of the existing facility, which would include more parking, a new sign, new outdoor display areas, an addition to the building and the moving of food prep areas from the main sales floor to the basement, which the supermarket company says will increase sales space. Opposition appears to be centered around the basement food prep areas and the outdoor display areas.

The July 7 meeting will be the fourth to involve the supermarket expansion. The first and third were scheduling with the second being a BOA dealing exclusively with Stop & Shop.