Brookhaven planning board puts off decision on East Patchogue Walmart

Brookhaven's planning board on Monday made no decision on a proposed East Patchogue Walmart, instead leaving the agenda item on the calendar for at least a few more weeks to review written comments.

"It's going to be a little while before we sit and put all the information together," said planning board chairman Vincent Pascale after the meeting. "Quite honestly, I don't see anything happening for four to six weeks."

He said the board received more than 75 written comments from residents and some from the New York State Department of Transportation.

East Patchogue resident and Affiliated Brookhaven Civic Organization member Annette Kattau, who attended the planning meeting, said she is opposed to the big-box retailer moving into her neighborhood.

"It's not a good place for Walmart," she said. "And I'm very concerned, and have been for a long time, about our mom and pop shops."

Walmart wants to build an East Patchogue store despite Suffolk County's earlier disapproval and residential opposition. If built, the 98,000-square-foot store would sit at the northeast corner of Hospital Road and Sunrise Highway, near Brookhaven Memorial Hospital Medical Center.

County officials have said that 11.6 acres of vegetation must be cleared for the development.

Walmart originally filed a site application in August 2008. Suffolk County's Planning Commission rejected the national retailer's application last December.

However, the Brookhaven planning board can vote to approve construction with five votes instead of its normal four, town officials said.

Hauppauge attorney David Sloane, who represents Walmart, has said the retailer would add 100 construction jobs and another 250 part-time and full-time positions once the store is built.

John Harter, a Hauppauge engineer representing Walmart, said the retailer was willing to invest $1.25 million to revamp two traffic lights and construct another to ease traffic.