Eastport project facing a critical vote

A $5-million bank, pharmacy and office-space development in Eastport that some residents say could jeopardize the character of the hamlet is scheduled for a critical vote Tuesday.

The Brookhaven Town Board is considering a zone change that would clear the way for Hauppauge-based developer Northwind Group to build Commons at Eastport on a 4.4-acre parcel at the northwest corner of Montauk Highway and Union Avenue.

Councilman Daniel Panico, who represents the area, supports the project and believes it will pass.

"It creates jobs and provides an increased tax base for the school district," Panico said. "This makes sense."

The developer has said the project would create 27 full-time construction jobs, 90 full-time operational jobs, and $90,000 in annual tax revenue -- two-thirds of which would go to the Eastport-South Manor school district.

But neighbors who questioned the merits of the project at a public hearing in August remain skeptical. Jim Gleason, a member of the East Moriches Property Owners Association, said the sour economy could cause the developer to flip the property before it is built. The town should temper its approval with conditions that would prevent a more intense development, he said.

"What these conditions end up being makes the difference," Gleason said, and the town board needs to "protect the residents in the immediate area."

The project consists of 14,000 square feet of office space, a 14,673-square-foot pharmacy, a 3,800-square-foot bank, and an 18,000-square-foot village green.

David Sloan, an attorney for the developer, said the development is a "much-needed" project that will fill a void of office space in the area. Northwind is also building a 52-unit condo development, in Eastport Meadows, nearby, town officials said.

Tuesday night's town board meeting is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. at Brookhaven Town Hall, 1 Independence Hill in Farmingville.