Neighbors Oppose Proposed New Retail Building in Cutchogue

CUTCHOGUE, NY — A crowd of residents turned out at Town Hall Monday to voice their opposition to a proposal for Main Road in Cutchogue they say will resemble a "strip mall" and shatter the hamlet's traditionally quaint and peaceful quality of life.

The public hearing was held for Terp Retail, whose proposed site plan calls for the demolition of an existing 2,108 square foot building and the construction of an 81' by 68', or 5,537 square foot building with five retail stores where there exists a plus or minus 10,000 square foot retail building on 1.35 acres in the hamlet business zoning district.

Attorney Pat Moore represented Terp, and said two of the retail spaces would hopefully be occupied by the pharmacy and dentist already at the site; the total of new retail units would then only be three, she said.

The new building would comply with town code required 15 foot setbacks. The current building, she said, is only two feet from the property line.

Moore brought up the hamlet study, and said the project was in conformity with wishes expressed in that study, including the wish to promote the continued walkability of the Cutchogue hamlet and also, to include traditional and compatible building design, including dormers, to complement existing properties.

Moore said the parking lot in back of the parcel, a municipal lot, was actually Terp property; Terp, she said, leased the parking lot for $1 per year to the town, a "community benefit" she said would continue until the lease expires in 2023 and "possibly beyond."

Moore also said that "phase two" of the project was always in the plan. Should the Heritage at Cutchogue condominium complex move forward, she said the new stores created on Main Road in the Terp building would add needed services to the hamlet center.

Members of the Old Town Arts & Crafts Guild, located just east of the Terp property, turned out in force to reject the proposal.

Preserve the heart of Cutchogue

Adelaide Amend, vice president of the board of directors of "the Guild" said members were appearing to register their concerns about development of the property in the "heart of Cutchogue"and repercussions to the Guild.

She said Southold Town is in the process of finalizing its comprehensive plan and said preservation of community character and small town charm were key. Development, she said, "should proceed at a relatively small scale" to preserve community character, maintain a high quality of life, and protect groundwater and surface water.

When asked if the project would meet those goals, she said, "The answer is a resounding 'no'."

The planning board, Amend said, wrote a letter to the town's zoning board of appeals on march 23 stating that it supported a variance because the building would support community character, and would not impede pedestrian flow.

"The planning board owes our community more than a terse form letter," she said, adding that there's no way the planning board could have concluded that the extension of the existing Terp building supports Cutchogue's community character.

The project, she said, is not "harmonious" in that it removes an existing small retail building and replaces it with five retail stores that all have the same design, span 180 feet, and have "no diversity" and are characterized by "overall monotony" that "lacks character."

The new building, she said, would resemble a "mini mall."

Cutchogue, she continued, is predominantly "scenic and rural. It is simply antithetical to the nature and character of the Cutchogue community to be greeted by a massive strip mall type complex" as individuals enter the hamlet.

Located at the intersection of Main Road and New Suffolk Road, the development, she said, "stands in the heart of Cutchogue."

Cutchogue, she added, has long maintained its small town charm by repurposing older buildings rather than tearing down and building new.

Marion Wipf, treasurer for the Guild, said she was "greatly troubled and deeply disappointed" by plans she said would destroy community character. She also discussed size of the proposed structure.

"Construction was so out of character when it was built in 1985 that to peddle this as a justification for making it even more gigantic 30 years later is simply retrograde thinking," she said.

Wipf discussed a design feature, a solid brick wall with an "excessively high roof line" on the east side of the building, right next to the Guild, "that will stare westbound travelers in the face," a "blemish on Cutchogue's landscape."

If there are no plans for the second floor, Wipf said, perhaps that floor could be eliminated to lower the roof; as the plans stand, the 5,573 square foot, 30-foot tall building with a solid, blank eastern wall " will impede visibility of the Guild to those heading east and block the Guild's light and air," she said.

The Guild, she said, is sited in a building with a 35 foot setback, with signage for its gallery ad shop.

With the proposed extension ending a "mere 12 feet" from the Guild, visibility of the Guild and its signage will be "seriously impeded," discouraging customers and potentially causing sales to "plummet, jeopardizing the existence of the Guild," she said.

Cutchogue resident and member of the Guild's board of directors Paula Hepner said a 12-month traffic study needs to be commenced to see how much parking is actually needed before any decisions can be made; traffic congestion must also be considered, she said.

Traffic concerns expressed

Traffic, traffic safety and pedestrian safety were all key points of the comprehensive plan, she said.

As for the lease with the town for the parking lot, Hepner said the town has also spent several hundred thousand dollars to pave the lot, and Terp received tax benefits. "It's not just a gift in generosity," she said.

The lot is used by Guild participants, post office overflow, commercial deliveries and trash pickup, as parking for day trippers who use the Jitney and public transportation, and parking for the hamlet, she said. As the North Fork becomes an increasingly popular destination, the town should be looking to expand parking for those availing themselves of public transportation options, not cutting spaces, she said.

Currently, there are 70 spaces.

If the new project is developed, 72 will be needed to accommodate the new stores, not counting municipal uses and if the upstairs units are rented, she said.

"The municipal lot will be effectively converted to private use, seven years before the end of the lease," Hepner said. "The message will be that the municipal lot was simply expendable."

Also, she said, the artists and customers who visit the Guild cannot be sited outside the building; if the Guild was forced to do so and use its "miniscule" parking lot, the traffic and bottleneck would be "insufferable," with traffic at a standstill on Main Road, she said.

Bob Kuhne, president of the Old Town Arts & Crafts Guild, said the expense related to moving the Guild's sign should be paid by the applicant.

He said the site plan "remains silent" on how the five new stores will advertise and said the current 23-foot sign should be reconfigured to add all new businesses, with no new signage created.

Kuhne also cited concerns about water quality and waste management.

And stockpiling of soil, as well as exhaust fumes from idling cement trucks and demolition vehicles, will deter artists from exhibiting at the Guild, he said.

"The Guild does not want to stand in the way" of Terp's increase profitability, he said. "But the Guild does not want to become a casualty in this process."

Terp said he urged the board to send the application back for creation of a building "more appropriate in size and in keeping with the character and design of the community."

He also asked if the reconstruction of a portion of the existing roof, to connect with the extension, would require the building department to commence investigation about whether or not any aspects of the existing structure, built in 1985, should be brought into compliance with the current building code.

Cutchogue resident Nancy Muller said the hope would be to preserve the individual buildings that give character. "Once we take the charm out of a little town it doesn't ever come back," she said. "Mattituck is an unfortunate example of that."

Love Lane, she said, was not bulldozed when the rest of the hamlet developed. "As a result, people go to Love Lane. It's extremely charming. People don't go to Tanger because it's charming. They don't congregate, spend time. They go there because there's a deal to be had, and leave right away."

She noted that the library, Cutchogue diner, and hardware store, whose owner worked to integrate the design with the town, are good examples of preserving community character.

"Please say no," Lauren Grant of New Suffolk said.

Should Heritage at Cutchogue move forward, traffic woes will increase; the hamlet already has a supermarket, a 7-Eleven, stores and sundries, she said. "We don't need more stores."

She added, "Please say 'no' to Mr. Terp."

Barbara Schnitzler of New Suffolk said the property owner had the right to develop his parcel.

"The problem with this proposal is it's just too big," she said. "The townwide goal is to protect the character of the town. It's up to you to decide if this proposal for Main Road is the right fit for our community."

Linda Auriemma of New Suffolk said the first part of the building, which already exists, "was a mistake. And now they want to expand upon that? It's mind-boggling to me. Please, make this right."

She added, "Tourists don't come to the North Fork to look at a Tanger mall type view. They're here to see small, quaint little towns and village. By expanding this, we'll be ruining Cutchogue."

Pat McIntyre of New Suffolk reminded that New York State Route 25 is listed as a state scenic byway, the North Fork trail, and is an important part of the area's tourism. She also cited two fatalities on Route 25 and said traffic and pedestrian safety issues are key.

Benja Schwartz of Cutchogue said while Terp's attorney presented the lease of the parking lot for $1 as a "gift to the town, that's not what happened."

Instead, he said, lot came about after Terp sued the town over a park on the west side of the property; Terp, he said, wanted to the park to revert back to parking. "It was only in connection with settlement of that suit" that the parking was offered, he said. The park was reduced to one third of its original size, he said.

In addition, Schwartz said, the parking lot is currently being leased to the town and at least one corner of the proposed projects sits on that parcel. "We shouldn't be here today. This application should have been denied when first reviewed by the building department," he said.

Schwartz said the building department didn't "know about the lease", he said he found it in the town's laser fiche system.

"I would ask that this board consider dismissing this application," Schwartz said.

Nancy Sawastynowicz said she's afraid to go to the hamlet now as it stands, for fear of being "run over" with all the traffic. "Now, to add this shopping mall, it's so out of character. It doesn't fit. Like OJ Simpson."

She added that the application wasn't even complete, with question seven not filled out. "I would like you to take a serious look and say 'no.'"

The board closed the meeting.

In April, concerned neighbors on Main Road in Cutchogue turned out for a Southold Town Zoning Board of Appeals hearing with similar concerns.