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On the record, the new boutique grocery store making its way to Miller Place is called the Market at Miller Place.
Not too far off the record though is the slip during Tuesday’s Brookhaven Town Board public hearing on the project, where Town Supervisor Dan Panico noted that the plans looked very familiar to a Trader Joe’s.
Later — after the town board approved two important measures that pave the way for plans to move forward on the 13,500-square-foot market to move forward — a source at the town confirmed the suspicion that the store is indeed a Trader Joe’s.
Set to be located next door to Walgreen’s on the south side of Route 25A, the new food market would be Suffolk County’s third Trader Joe’s and Long Island’s eighth. It’s also the trendy grocery chain’s easternmost venture yet on Long Island.
At the outset of the afternoon public hearing, town Clerk Kevin LaValle referred to the application for the project as “very mysterious.” Then, at the 12-minute mark of the hearing, LaValle chuckled after Panico noted that the project resembled a Trader Joe’s.
“We did not say anything along those lines,” an architect on the project said while smiling and leaning into a microphone.
We found 5 spots for lease to solve Trader Joe’s Long Island service gap
Panico hints on Facebook
Panico hopped on Facebook on Tuesday to provide an update on the proposed grocery, while noting it bares “resemblance to Trader Joe’s.”
Trader Joe’s is an increasingly popular grocery chain, beloved for its distinctive products, budget-friendly prices and friendly, welcoming vibe. Though it is notoriously secretive about new store applications.
Trader Joe’s has not responded to an inquiry from Greater Long Island regarding the proposed Miller Place store.
Councilwoman Jane Bonner, the project’s sponsor on the board, did not return a phone call for comment on Tuesday. Though a staffer in her office noted that the councilwoman would not discuss whether the project is a Trader Joe’s.
The board on Tuesday unanimously approved the site plan for the project, as well as a “land division” measure that creates a separate lot specifically for Trader Joe’s.
To alleviate potential traffic concerns on Route 25A, the project would connect the Trader Joe’s parking lot to the Walgreen’s and McDonald’s parking lots, creating an alternative access point via Miller Place Road. The route would run behind all three businesses, as well as the former Ging’s Nursery.
The nearest Trader Joe’s to the proposed Miller Place location is nine miles away in Lake Grove, near the Smith Haven Mall.
What about the South Shore and East End?
This still leaves a Trader Joe’s coverage gap on Suffolk’s South Shore and Long Island’s five East End towns, as Greater Long Island reported this week.
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