Planning Board: Gas station’s environmental study is ‘inadequate’
A new gas station and convenience store proposed for Route 48 in Southold has hit a hurdle in securing building approvals.
The Southold Town Planning Board voted Monday to declare the application’s draft environmental impact study, or DEIS, as “inadequate for public review.”
The controversial proposal calls for conversion of an existing 3,480-square-foot building, currently occupied by an RV sales and servicing business, into a convenience store and gas station with 12 fueling stations, two canopies and nearly 30 parking spaces, according to town documents.
During the Planning Board’s work session Monday, town planning director Heather Lanza said the draft study contains several deficiencies and doesn’t include a “visual impact analysis” to show how the gas station’s canopies will affect the corridor’s appearance.
Town planner Mark Terry also said the study fails address certain underground environmental impacts and how noise will affect some neighbors.
The applicant’s attorney, Charles Cuddy, noted that his client has agreed to change his plans from a 24-hour operation to a 5 a.m.- to-midnight business.
In August 2015, the Planning Board held a public hearing to discuss the proposal and several residents said they feared the gas station will affect their quality of life, attract crime and increase traffic, among other concerns.
Photo: Southold Town Planning Board vice president James Rich, left, and board member Martin Sidor at Monday’s meeting. (Credit: Jen Nuzzo)
