No heaven for this 7-Eleven
Resistance mounts against convenience store in Mattituck
12 comments below
LeRoy Heyliger with a petition protesting the proposed conversion of the Citgo station into a 7-Eleven at Main Road and Factory Avenue in Mattituck.
"It's worse than Starbucks," claimed Neudeck, 24, a clerk at Handy Pantry in Mattituck. "I'd rather drink hospital coffee."
Mind you, he may be a bit biased - the Handy Pantry is just a few hundred feet down Main Road from the proposed site of a new 7-Eleven. The store would replace the Citgo station on the corner of Main Road and Factory Avenue in Mattituck, south of the Mattituck Plaza.
And Handy Pantry is just one of several businesses in the hamlet circulating a petition against the convenience store.
"We feel a 7-Eleven, 24-hour, seven-day-a-week store on Main Road and Factory Avenue would be detrimental to the community, as it would increase traffic ... and would not benefit the community in any way," the petition says.
Mattituck resident Art Tillman has been distributing and collecting petition signatures for almost two weeks. The Citgo station's parent company, Gama Deer Park Inc., applied to convert the structure into a 7-Eleven, and the Planning Board has been studying site plans.
Now, it goes back to the Planning Board.
"It's possible the applicant may choose to expand in a conforming way, and that would be a whole different situation," said ZBA member Leslie Weisman. "We try to be fair and democratic with the process."
But to LeRoy Heyliger, the whole situation isn't fair. A deacon at Unity Baptist Church on Factory Avenue since 1955, Mr. Heyliger passed around petitions at Sunday's service. He said his main concern is increased traffic, making a busy residential street without sidewalks even more dangerous.
"Pedestrians come out of The Cottages at Mattituck, they walk to the movies and shop at Waldbaum's," he said. "There are women pushing baby carriages down the middle of the street ... We have not addressed these problems."
Mr. Heyliger also said a 24-hour convenience store would become an all-night hangout for the teenagers who already gather nightly at Mattituck Plaza, increasing the need for monitoring underage drinking.
Michael Avella, owner of Love Lane Kitchen, agreed that a 7-Eleven would turn into a late-night nuisance and he, too, encouraged his customers to sign the petition.
"But it is a convenience store, after all," he said, adding that with CVS, McDonald's and Starbucks already in place on Main Road, "floodgates" for more franchise already have been opened.
"There's no going back," he said.
And that's OK with Nicole Cundiff, an 18-year-old waitress at Love Lane Kitchen. She said it's about time Mattituck had a 24-hour convenience store for night owls like herself.
"What if you want a soda or coffee after midnight?" she asked. "Driving to Cutchogue is a pain in the butt," she said, referring to the 7-Eleven closest to Mattituck.
Ms. Weisman said that town government can't prevent a convenience store from being built on that site simply because it's a franchise.
"By state law, we can't control what goes in there, but we can control size," she said, adding that the ZBA did take into account the concerns of the people living in the residential areas on Factory Avenue.
Though the petition has amplified these concerns, Michael Bourguignon, co-owner of Mattituck Village Market on Love Lane, said he doesn't think it will stop the store from eventually moving in.
"Do I want it there? Not really," he said. "Do I think it could hurt business? Possibly. But competition is competition."
eschultz@timesreview.com
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12 comments found
"Thank Heaven For 7-11" : 2/18/2009
I feel that 7-11 would be an asset to the area. Sometimes you need to run out in the middle of the night for milk, medicine, coffee etc. I think if 7-11 has hundreds of stores on L.I. and the Handy Pantry has just a few, 7-11 must be doing something write. I love the smell of their coffee as you enter the store. I welcome 7-11 to the community and would be happy to sign a petition FOR 7-11. Thank heave for 7-11!!!
711 Mattituck : 2/10/2009
Its about time the town did something good for the residents. I lived in the town for over 7 years and this is the first time, I feel that my elected officialls did something good for me and the town for a change. I love 711 coffee and their C store items. why should i drive 5 miles for my coffee at 1 am?? Thank you Thank you for having 711 on Factory Ave.
7/11 : 2/6/2009
I am neither for nor against the 7/11 at Mattituck Plaza. But I wonder how the traffic is expected to flow in and out of this oddly placed location. Turning into and out of this from Factory Avenue seems unworkable - and I doubt entrance/exit will be from Route25?
711 or J-walking mothera : 2/6/2009
Batman and Robin,Starsky and Hutch, Whitney and Bobby, and now 7-11 and Citco! Not since the black and white cookie has there been such a brilliant proposition. I'm a life long resident of the community, and would be happier than the day we got electricity to have a 711 in the area. I mean gas and coffee, GAS AND COFFEE 24-7! Rather than using valuable time filing petitions against a revenue generating business, I think we should address the issue of young mothers pushing baby carriages down the middle of the road! Or even instructional video distribution discussing the many intricacies of crossing a street safely. Besides anyone who's anyone knows that the coffee at Handy Pandy is worse than drinking toilet water, I mean the best thing I got there was a handy.
: 2/6/2009
7-11 coffee is delicious, I'm excited for the 7-11 also. That spot is a perfect location for it as well.
Citgo station & 711 : 2/6/2009
I am a principle partner in GAMA, the owner of the proerpty where Citgo Station is located, I want to thank you for being fair in your article reflecting both views the pros and cons of having 24x7 C store in Mattituck.
7-11 : 2/6/2009
Its not like 7-11 will draw that much business away from waldbaums which is not a mom and pop store anyway. I being a nightowl myself sometimes make several trips a night to the 7-11 in cutchogue. I dont see what the big deal is. There was a gas station there before. I expect the peak hours of the 7-11 to be early in the morning lunch time and late at night. the late night traffic wont affect anybody and those other times are peak times anyway and there are several cheaper locations in the direct vicinity with cheaper prices that i'd expect people to go to first since it would be cheaper. If your worried about the kids having a place to hang out give them someplace to hang out in the first place. Its not like they have any other options. Rudys was the old hotspot then it died patty b's was awful. what is left in the town for kids to "hang out" at. nothing really. build the 7-11 so i can get my slurpies when im in mattituck.
Nope : 2/5/2009
So, what you are saying is that it would be a good idea to have a 7-11, I don't know, say every 4 miles along Main Road between Riverhead and Greenport. Yea, that sounds brilliant. Now, if we could only add a few more Walgreens or CVS, we would have it made.
No support from me : 2/5/2009
No that's Cutchogues mark. I think Mattituck has everything else they need. Why Not drive the extra Miles to get coffee. No need for another 7-11its so close anyways. Lazy People you don't need everything so convenient. What about Cutchogue people, they can't have a cvs and a movie theater they have to ride all the way to Mattituck. Do that same thing for the 7-11. Drive the extra miles no need for Mattituck to turn into a Riverhead.
7/11 : 2/5/2009
I SUPPORT a 7/11 in Mattituck. It's about time, and their coffee IS better than Starbucks and most local stores. if we can have a 7/11 in Southold, Cutchogue and Riverhead, why not Mattituck? I think the proposed location is perfect for it. Traffic is already an issue, especially in the summer, I don't see why 7/11 itself would so drastically increase this issue. Sidewalks should be in place anyhow for the safety of those who walk, not just because a 7/11 will open up. What if one of my kids are sick late at night...what else would be open for meds? Certainly not Riteaid or CVS.
Well... : 2/5/2009
I actually *do* like 7-11's coffee quite a bit. The Handy Pantry on the other hand, is a place that my family and I will NEVER shop at. You can criticize 7-11 all you want, but the Handy Pantry is akin to a backwoods store deep in Kentucky. Yuck. Personally, I don't think we need another 7-11 on the North Fork. I enjoy driving right past the Handy Pantry on my way to 7-11 when I need something later in the day.
7=11 : 2/5/2009
i think a 7-11 would be good for matituck starbucks crazy prices they have 3 dollars for a small coffee that crazy
