Super Stop & Shop coming to Oceanside

Plans to develop a 24-hour Super Stop & Shop on the former Camp DeBaun site in Oceanside are in the works, after Town of Hempstead officials approved a design for a project that some residents said would raise traffic and quality-of-life issues in their quiet neighborhood.

Last February, the town board approved a site plan submitted by the Engel Burman Group to build a 60,000-square-foot Super Stop & Shop on the six-and-a-half-acre property on Atlantic Avenue. The plan includes 300 parking spaces and a "state-of-the-art" supermarket that town officials said would fit in aesthetically with the residential surroundings. The project is expected to be completed next February.

A number of residents of nearby Waverly Avenue say they are opposed to the project, but town officials said they have little control over its development, since the property is already zoned for commercial purposes and no variances were required.

Given the concerns about the supermarket's impact on homes in the area, especially on Waverly, town officials said they requested design changes so the store would complement the residential community — changes that the developer included in the approved site plan.

"One of my biggest concerns was, how is it going to impact the area in general ... is it in keeping with the community?" said Town Councilman Anthony Santino. "Everyone was sad to see Camp DeBaun go. Eventually something was going to go in there. We're requiring the development to have more of a residential exterior effect to make it fit in with the community."

That means a "softer" look, Santino explained, adding that the development would differ from the design of most Super Stop & Shops. The new store would include arched roofing, "significant" landscaping and 6-foot vinyl fencing, among other designs that the developer agreed to at the Town's request.

"This particular Stop & Shop has been designed to blend in with the neighborhood ...," said Steven Krieger, a principal at Engel Burman. "It includes peaked roofs instead of the typical stucco, and looks more like a home. This is really a state-of-the-art store."