By:  Progress for Westhampton Beach

This week the Southampton Press printed a misleading story about the Best Yet Market, the hard work of both the planning board and the building department.  It requires correction — below is the quote from the Press, the matters in red were misleading:

“The long-anticipated opening of a new Best Market supermarket in Westhampton Beach, tentatively planned for April, is most likely going to be pushed back two months—if not longer—due to delays in the planning process.

Or Raitses, the vice president of the Bethpage-based supermarket chain, said this week that officials are waiting for the Westhampton Beach Village Planning Board to approve requested modifications to a decade-old site plan for the property. That document was filed in 2006 by the now-bankrupt Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company in New Jersey, which had operated the old Waldbaum’s from the same location prior to its closing this past fall.”  

Southampton Press, Feb. 25, 2016, page A3

When Best Yet Market was the successful bidder for the dilapidated Waldbaums on Sunset Avenue, village officials invited the owner to meet and advised him that there was an approved plan on file and that work could start immediately for complete renovation of the building combined with the old National along with the reconfiguration of the parking lot.

The new owner reviewed the plan and later decided to make substantial changes.  The new plans from Best Yet were only filed  for the February 11, 2016 meeting.  The members of the Planning Board have run meetings late and worked hard to move this revised application along.  The architectural review board (ARB) reviewed the application and has made its recommendations to the Planning Board.  The Planning Board has also agreed to provide for phased work.  Right now there is some haggling over a performance bond; that is an important protection for the village and  its residents — even more important for a job to be done in phases.  

The  Press article suggests that the Planning Board has been the cause for delays of an application filed in 2006.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  Not only does village government work, it works hard.