Riverside 7-Eleven gas station revised plan draws opposition at planning board hearing

Southampton Town Planning Board members closed a public hearing Thursday night on a long-pending proposal to build a 7-Eleven convenience store and gas station at the Riverside traffic circle, but left the written comment period open for 30 days because of continued public interest in the application.

The application by 9 and 11 Flanders LLC seeks site plan and special exception approval to redevelop properties at 9, 11 and 39 Flanders Road. The plan calls for demolition of existing structures, construction of a roughly 3,000-square-foot convenience store, six fuel dispensers with 12 fueling positions, two 20,000-gallon underground fuel storage tanks, new signs, landscaping, drainage, grading and ADA improvements.

The site is on the southeast side of the Riverside traffic circle. The former gas station property at 9 and 11 Flanders Road has been in the same family since 1965, according to the applicant’s attorney, Matthew Ingber of Certilman Balin Adler & Hyman.

The applicant has already obtained Zoning Board of Appeals variances for the project. Ingber said the ZBA granted variances Jan. 15, primarily for signage, the location and number of parking spaces, and the gas station’s proximity to the nearby A.M.E. Zion Church and the Peconic River. He said earlier changes to the plan, including the addition of 39 Flanders Road, eliminated several variances that had previously been needed.

Ingber told the board the project has undergone extensive environmental review by the town, the town’s traffic consultant and the Central Pine Barrens Commission. He said the applicant revised the plan during the review process, most significantly by adding the adjoining parcel at 39 Flanders Road in 2025. That increased the project site to 56,192 square feet and allowed the gas station to be located entirely on the Highway Business-zoned portion of the property, he said.

Project engineer Chris Tartaglia of High Point Engineering said the plan would remove four existing curb cuts and replace them with one driveway on Flanders Road and one on Riverleigh Avenue. The Riverleigh Avenue driveway would be limited to right-in, right-out traffic, as required by Suffolk County, he said. The Flanders Road driveway would be more than 240 feet from the traffic circle and is proposed for full turning movements, subject to state Department of Transportation review.

Tartaglia said the underground tanks would be double-walled fiberglass tanks with electronic leak monitoring, tied to a 24-hour central monitoring system. He said the site plan includes more than 35% landscaped area, a stormwater system designed for a three-inch rainfall, dark-sky compliant lighting and on-site delivery and fuel truck circulation.

But residents and civic representatives who spoke at the hearing said the project is the wrong use for one of Riverside’s most visible and congested intersections.

Several speakers said traffic on Flanders Road and Riverleigh Avenue is already severe, especially during morning, midday and afternoon peak periods and during the summer and fall seasons. They also raised concerns about pedestrians crossing near the circle, bus stops, nearby businesses and the possibility of delivery trucks or customers worsening existing safety problems.

Beverly Perkowski, a Lake Avenue resident, said traffic in the area is “horrendous” during peak hours and questioned whether the traffic study reflected real conditions. “You cannot get in and out of that area,” she said.

Other residents said the traffic circle already has two gas stations and that another gas station and convenience store would not advance Riverside’s revitalization goals.

Nancy Doyle, a Pine Court resident, said she supports redevelopment of the blighted property but not another gas station. “I would much rather see this town support some small local businesses, not another franchise business or gas station,” she said.

Kathleen Kruel, co-chair of the Northampton Riverside Flanders Citizens Advisory Committee, said the area needs cleanup and investment, but not a 24-hour convenience store that could add to existing traffic and public safety concerns.

Sean McLean, speaking on behalf of the Flanders, Riverside and Northampton Community Association, said the civic group supports the property owner’s right to develop the site but opposes the variances and approvals needed for the combined gas station and convenience store. He said the proposal is inconsistent with the community’s long-term vision for the Riverside hamlet center.

The proposed 7-Eleven and gas station has drawn opposition since it was first publicly presented in 2021. Residents and civic leaders have repeatedly argued that the project conflicts with the Riverside Revitalization Action Plan, which envisioned a more walkable mixed-use hamlet center around the traffic circle.

Traffic engineer Nicholas Tortorella of Stonefield Engineering responded to the public comments, saying the traffic study reviewed morning, midday and evening peak periods. He said gas stations largely serve drivers already on the road rather than creating a new destination, and he noted that the project had been reviewed by the applicant’s traffic engineer, the town’s consultant AKRF, Suffolk County and the state DOT.

Tortorella also said the applicant is proposing pedestrian-actuated flashing warning beacons at crosswalks at the roundabout, in coordination with Suffolk County Department of Public Works.

He acknowledged existing congestion and pedestrian safety concerns at the circle, but said the redevelopment plan is designed to minimize impacts by placing driveways as far from the circle as possible and keeping deliveries on site.

Planning Board members asked a few questions, including whether a mid-block pedestrian crossing closer to the bus stop and McDonald’s had been considered. Tortorella said he would not recommend a mid-block crossing on the state roadway and did not believe the state DOT would support one.

No decision was made Thursday night. The board voted to close the public hearing while keeping the written record open for 30 days.  Written comments should be submitted by Friday, Sept. 11 by email to Planning Board secretary Kristin Dougherty at kdougherty@southamptontownny.gov. The case number, PB-2026-0578 should be included on correspondence.

Editor’s note: This story has been amended post-publication to add the name and email address for the submission of written comments.