Soloviev Group plans 40-room resort and spa at Peconic Bay Vineyards

The Soloviev Group, owners of the recently reopened Peconic Bay Winery in Cutchogue, have announced plans for a 40-room resort with a spa and retail operations on the property.

Guests would be able to participate in the winemaking process on the 53-acre vineyard and winery, which would also feature an outdoor pool with bungalows, a restaurant and shops selling local products such as cheese that complement the wine. The company plans to apply for “separate use” for the spa and restaurant so that the community can use them as well, owner Stacey Soloviev added. 

“I want to build a small boutique hotel on the winery that really showcases the wine region and [makes] everybody be part of the process,” she said. “It’s just going to be a very peaceful and quiet place to come in and be in nature.”

Architect Glen Coben of Glen & Company Architecture said he’s been working closely with Ms. Soloviev to design a hotel that’s sensitive to the land.

“It continues to be a wonderful collaboration where we’re protecting not only the farmland, but also protecting the vistas and I think that’s an important thing from a design standpoint and a site-planning standpoint,” he said. 

The site will treat its own wastewater, for instance, and the building process will consider the most environmentally-sensitive farming and construction processes, he said. 

“I love the term terroir … I think that’s an important thing for Stacey, who is raising her family out on the North Fork, that from a legacy standpoint, the terroir is the essence of the project,” he said. “Wine is of the earth and I think this project is starting its journey from the earth, so the buildings are meant to be as respectful to the land as we possibly can.”  

The hotel is among several resort or hotel proposals in Southold, including the Enclaves Hotel and Restaurant in Southold, the Mattituck Hotel on Main Road and planned renovations with multiple new bars and restaurants at the Silver Sands Motel.

There has been significant community pushback against The Enclaves Hotel and Restaurant, which is currently before the town Zoning Board of Appeals. Dozens of community members have condemned the proposal in letters to the town and at a public hearing last week, raising concerns about traffic, community character and the environment, among other things. 

“This project is just too big. It’s going to increase issues that we already have and open the door to drastic and permanent changes to the surrounding community and will likely induce more out-of-scale development in the future of this town,” said Marina DeLuca, an environmentalist living in East Marion, at the Oct. 14 Enclaves hearing. 

Ms. Soloviev, who signed a letter in support of The Enclaves, said she anticipates similar community pushback with her project in Cutchogue. 

“People get very emotional and people are very invested in the community. But I am too, you know, I have children here, I live here and I have businesses here and I also have a lot of farmland here. And for me, it’s running a successful business and also preserving farmland, but it has to go hand in hand,” she said. 

Ms. Soloviev, who also owns nearby Santa’s Christmas Tree Farm, said she’s had preliminary meetings with the town, but has not submitted anything official yet. “We’re still working on the schematics,” she said.  Town Supervisor Scott Russell declined comment on the project.

Mr. Coben said he hopes the application process will go smoothly. There is no set timeline for the project yet. 

“We’ve done work in small towns and what I love about the process is that we’re talking to people who live there who care about it,” he said. “I’m going to assume that they care as much about the land as the owner cares about the land.”