Wehrheim discusses town projects with Smithtown chamber

Smithtown Supervisor Ed Wehrheim (R) made a special appearance at the Smithtown Chamber of Commerce meeting Sept. 29 to speak about the existing and new improvements the town will be making.

According to Wehrheim, approximately $10 million has been spent in St. James to renovate the business district on Lake Avenue and there are plans to add sewers to the area.

“Once we sewer the business district we can really start to dig in and do some really great downtown revitalization projects, and more importantly it’s going to clean up the environment,” he said.

All three of the business districts, including Nesconset, are currently operating off antiquated septic systems, which can be harmful to the environment.

Lake Avenue has been completely repaved with new curbs, sidewalks and decorative crosswalks, according to the supervisor. The abandoned Irish Viking bar has also been bought out as the town plans to add off-street parking as well as a small park in the newly acquired space.

“It’s going to be a beautiful park when it’s completed,” the supervisor said. “The construction is underway, but I am not sure of a completion date yet. I hope it will be finished by early spring. It will be a great amenity for the St. James community.”

A number of new businesses have made their way into Smithtown over the years including the Blue Bean Cafe, Sweetwaters coffee and tea shop and Douglas Elliman Real Estate. He added before the pandemic Stop & Shop renovated its store at a cost of nearly $11 million.

“The point I want to make is that the efforts we are putting into this business district are bearing fruit,” Wehrheim said. “Throughout COVID, our vacancy rates in the business district of Smithtown were lower than any other municipality in Suffolk County.”

The Hilltop Motel, which the supervisor said was operating untoward activities such as prostitution and drug sales, is now gone, and in its place on Jericho Turnpike are 98 55-and-older apartments which are 100% occupied with 19 people on the waiting list. The complex has plans to expand even further.

“When we first took office, we talked about picking up blighted sites, and that has so far been very successful,” Wehrheim said.