Controversial Tuckahoe Center Change Of Zone Request Withdrawn

SOUTHAMPTON, NY — After years of heated public debate dating back many years, a controversial change of zone application for the proposed Tuckahoe Center, which would have included a shopping center and supermarket on seven acres at Magee Street and County Road 39 in Southampton, has been withdrawn, according to Southampton Town officials.

The Town of Southampton received a letter from Southampton Venture LLC withdrawing the petition for changes of zone for properties located on the south side of County Road 39 and the east side of Magee Street, asking for a zone change from HB, or highway business, to R-10, or residential, to shopping center business on three separate parcels, a release from Southampton Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman's office said Tuesday.

Attorney John M. Wagner of Hauppauge-based law firm Certilman Balin, sent the letter asking to withdraw the change of zone request.

The application proposed the development of a shopping center at the location, including a 38,000 square foot supermarket, 11,500 square feet of supporting retail and a 3,000-square-foot bank. The developer has said the proposal would have meant rehabilitating "unsightly and neglected properties", including a motel, that currently exist on the site.

The plan, pitched by developer Robert Morrow in 2010, has been revised several times, with public hearings dating back years where concerned residents questioned the impacts of additional traffic on an already congested County Road 39.

Southampton Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman discussed the development with Patch Tuesday. "I was hoping this was coming," he said, adding that the Southampton town board would otherwise have had to make a decision by the end of the month.

Schneiderman said he's been meeting with Morrow to air concerns centering chiefly on traffic.

"Changing traffic patterns, particularly on Magee Street, are probably my biggest concern," especially in the afternoons with heavy traffic on County Road 39, Schneiderman said.

Schneiderman said he's suggested alternatives for the site, specifically, the idea of an assisted living facility, which he believes is a "viable economic use," one the community would support.

"I was pleased to see the application was withdrawn. The town board vote was not going to be favorable and I think the developer understood that. I'm certainly willing to work with the owners at come up with a better use of that property with community support," the supervisor said.

If an assisted living facility is embraced as a future plan, Schneiderman said details would need to be worked out, including number of residents per acre and sewage treatment alternatives.

Wagner did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Morrow has long said the proposal would mean an infusion of jobs into the economy and provide retail opportunities for year-round residents and return customers.

The first version of the plan back in 2010 called for a planned development district that would include not only the supermarket and retail space but also a performance stage, green space, restaurants and affordable apartments.

Patch file photo of a previous hearing on the proposed Tuckahoe Center plan in prior years.