Westhampton Beach plans to halt Main Street development during sewer review

The Village of Westhampton Beach will halt new development in its downtown business district as it looks to expand its sewer system.

Village trustees will vote Thursday to indefinitely pause approvals of site plans and building permits within a half-mile stretch that includes the commercial strip on Main Street and housing complexes farther south.

Village officials say the pause is needed to accurately gauge sewage flow from properties in the area it currently serves before expanding capacity. A larger sewer system would allow for more housing, restaurants and other businesses.

Westhampton Beach has spent much of the past decade working to add sewers to its business district as part of a broader revitalization effort. The village has received millions of dollars in grants for the project, and the first property was connected to sewers in 2023. The village passed a law in 2022 requiring businesses and housing complexes on and around Main Street to connect first. All but one property in that area have connected or applied to connect to the sewers, officials said. 

Adding sewer connections could reduce the nitrogen load in Moniebogue Bay by 24% annually, according to a 2017 study prepared by the village's consultant for the project.

“The basic underlying reason for all this is environmental,” Mayor Ralph Urban said in an interview. “The Main Street of the village is located directly next to a canal, which leads right into the bays.”

The sewer system is connected to a treatment plant owned by Suffolk County at the Francis S. Gabreski Airport, which the village paid to expand in exchange for connecting. 

The village has agreed to measure sewage flow for at least two summers, when businesses see an influx of visitors and wastewater volumes peak, Urban said. That requires a pause on new development and changing existing businesses to those that generate more wastewater — such as converting a clothing store into a cafe.

Ultimately, the village wants to expand the sewer system beyond the Main Street area — first to other commercial areas and ultimately the whole village, Urban said.

Over the past year, the village has sent letters to property owners who did not connect, warning of potential fines. Officials say that only one property has not committed to hooking into the system.

Last month, the village filed a lawsuit in Suffolk Supreme Court against Dune Road Realty LLC, the owner of the Margarita Grille property on Main Street. By failing to connect to the sewer system, the restaurant is preventing the village from measuring overall flow, the lawsuit alleges.

The restaurant operates at peak capacity during the summer, leading to untreated sewage leaking into the village’s groundwater and into Moniebogue Bay, the lawsuit states.

“In season, they have to have their septic system pumped out a couple of times a week in order to keep it from overflowing,” Urban said. Holding out “doesn’t make sense to me, environmentally or financially,” he added.

According to the lawsuit, the village informed the restaurant that it was required to connect to sewers in August 2024 and was served with a written notice a year later. The restaurant did not respond to a demand letter the village sent in December.

The village is asking a judge to shut down Margarita Grille until the property connects to the sewer system. It is also asking the judge to impose a civil penalty of $100 per day dating back to Nov. 4, 2025.

Dune Road Realty LLC did not respond to the village’s court filing. A representative for the business did not respond to requests for comment.

Village Attorney Stephen Angel said the village will withdraw similar lawsuits against two other property owners — one after the owner agreed to connect and another after officials determined the property was not in the existing sewer service area.