E. Patchogue Walmart Decision Coming Early 2012

A decision on a proposed East Patchogue Walmart is finally set for early 2012.

At Monday’s Town of Brookhaven Planning meeting at , it was announced that the next board meeting and public comment session on the will take place on Jan. 9.

Written comments will be accepted until Jan. 19.

Jack Krieger, a Town of Brookhaven spokesman, said that following the close of the public hearing, the Town has 45 days to prepare the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS). The FEIS must them be accepted by a majority vote.

During the meeting itself, a new Draft Environmental Impact Study (DEIS) on the proposed Hospital Road-located store was received by the Town of Brookhaven Planning Board for review. Krieger said the study should be posted on the Town of Brookhaven’s website around Dec. 2.

Philip Serghini, a Walmart spokesman, said that the store will bring jobs to the area should it go through.

“This proposal has been pending since 2008 so we hope we’re finally close to bringing needed jobs to the area, as well as the unbeatable prices Walmart offers to working families,” Serghini said.

However the store is facing much from local businesses and residents.

“I will probably lose 50 percent of my business. It’s not good,” Raj Bajaj, owner of Patchogue’s , .

During his campaign to be re-elected Town Supervisor, Mark Lesko said that the proposed Hospital Road location is inappropriate for Walmart due to the street’s small bridge.

“To rebuild the Hospital Road bridge, you’re basically talking about a $20 million project, and that’s not going to happen,” Lesko said at a . “I think there are more appropriate places if Walmart wants to come to that area- the Bellport Outlets, or maybe the old Brookhaven Cinema site.”

Walmart officials released a statement in June stating that it significantly reduced the size of the proposed store to under 100,000 square feet in order to reduce the traffic impact. Walmart had originally planned to build a 108,000 square-foot store, but it was forced to reassess to the smaller size after Brookhaven Town . Walmart also stated that it was working with the Town on widening the bridge and that the property owner had contributed $357,730 toward that effort.