Jul 28, 2017 9:55 AM

A plan to demolish and redevelop a retail courtyard off the south side of Jobs Lane has been filed with Southampton Village officials.

The pre-application filed by East End Holding LLC, owners of 38-42 Jobs Lane, seeks permission to demolish the cluster of buildings in the courtyard and replace them with a pair of buildings along the Jobs Lane sidewalk, according to attorney Gil Flanagan, who represents the applicant. The new structures would be two stories and nearly twice the square footage of the existing buildings, combined, but would require no variances.

The attorney also noted that the plans additionally call for updated septic systems and an additional six parking spaces behind the buildings. The rear of the buildings would be a second entrance to the stores.

Stressing that the application is still in its preliminary stages, Mr. Flanagan said that within “the next month or two” he will be ready to go in front of the Southampton Village Planning Board to seek permission to demolish the buildings in the courtyard.

The complex currently houses Juja Active, Vilebrequin, Sea Green Designs, Pop Up Collective and Percy’s Shoes. The retail spaces measure a combined 4,700 square feet, Mr. Flanagan said. The applicant is seeking permission to demolish the buildings and replace them with two buildings, each two stories, totaling 9,500 square feet. Five retail spaces would remain, though some would be larger.

Currently, year-round retailers Juja Active and Vilebrequin have storefronts directly on Jobs Lane, while Sea Green Designs is back and center in the courtyard—and still has visibility from the street. Summer tenants Pop Up Collective and Percy’s Shoes are on the sides of the courtyard, with no visibility from the street. The courtyard also does not have a directory sign indicating to visitors that there are additional stores in the courtyard.

Mr. Flanagan said the layout of the proposed redevelopment would help bring more foot traffic to the otherwise hidden stores in the courtyard. “We worked out a design that doesn’t need any variances, which I think is important,” Mr. Flanagan added.

Roy Stevenson, chairman of the village’s Planning Board, declined to comment on the plans because it is still a pre-application and therefore isn’t officially in front of his board yet.

Shannon Willey, owner of Sea Green Designs, said on Monday that the news about the redevelopment plans is “bittersweet.” She explained that while foot traffic can be a challenge in the courtyard, she loves the charm of the rusty red brick walkway and the large gray water fountain in the center.

Ms. Willey’s said most of the courtyard is pop-up shops, so she had a selection of storefronts to choose from when she moved in during the fall of 2012. She selected hers because the sign on the front of her store is visible from Jobs Lane—unlike the two pop-up stores on the sides of the courtyard.

“We love the space, we love the atmosphere of the courtyard,” said Ms. Willey, noting that her lease is up in March. “It’s a really beautiful building, and it’s a really beautiful place, which is really conducive to the home furniture, given the layout and all of the elements that were already here.”

But she also pointed out that the brickwork in the courtyard is uneven and causes visitors to trip—especially in the winter months, when the ground is covered with ice.

“It might be easier to start from scratch,” said Ms. Willey, who used to operate her business on Hampton Road. “That’s at least how I’m rationalizing it.”

While no one officially informed Ms. Willey of the news about the project that has the potential to affect her business, she said she had a feeling something was up: Throughout the past year she noticed insurance agents taking pictures of the courtyard and a number of visits from surveyors.

Mr. Flanagan said that once the application formally goes in front of the Planning Board in about two months, letters will be sent to property owners, a poster will be put up at the property, and a notice will be published in The Press.

“We’re still in the process of finalizing the plans,” he said in a recent interview.

Mr. Flanagan added that updating the septic systems is an important part of the project, as the buildings are operating on the original system. He said he didn’t know how old the septic systems are, though he noted that they are at least as old as the buildings, which were built sometime in the 1970s. “We’ll have to dig it up to find out,” he said.

Ms. Willey, who was not familiar with the plans, said she wasn’t surprised to hear that the septic system would be part of the project, as she has heard about neighboring businesses in the courtyard having issues with their systems in the past.

Mayor Michael Irving recently reviewed the plans and said that to him it appears the proposal would help bring people into the stores. “In general, retail operations, they are a lot more successful when they get that foot traffic,” said Mr. Irving, whose wife, Ellen, runs Dazzelle, a women’s retailer just west of the courtyard on Jobs Lane.

Mr. Irving, who was elected to replace longtime Mayor Mark Epley in June, also noted that he was happy to see the new plans would give owners more storage space for extra inventory.