St. James King Kullen expansion approved

The Smithtown Town Board has approved a zoning change that will permit expansion of a King Kullen supermarket in St. James.

King Kullen wants to add a 4,000-square-foot extension to the 30,000-square-foot store on Lake Avenue. As part of the expansion, the Bethpage-based grocery store chain plans to purchase a single-family home on Washington Avenue and seek rezoning of the property.

The proposed expansion has faced criticism from residents, who expressed concern at public hearings about increased traffic . Before construction can begin, King Kullen must obtain approval of a site plan from the town board.

Store representatives have said the expansion will widen aisles in the store, improve the layout of the produce section and provide better service to customers. The expansion is not intended to increase the number of people using the store, King Kullen has said.