The owner of Rothmann's Restaurant, Anthony Sbarro, is re-visiting the plan to purchase East Norwich property from Terrance Force, the owner of the East Norwich Inn, and create an upscale shopping center at the crossroads of Route 106 and 25A. While the project is "as of right" with the zoning regulations for the site, the proposal would need a parking variance and some set-back variances. The site has enough room for parking for a shopping center but not for the restaurant.

East Norwich Civic Association President Matt Meng, who met with Anthony Sbarro of Rothmann's, said the owner is interested in meeting with the civic association members to get their support. They do not want to proceed without the community being in favor of the proposal.

The Chas. Rothmann Steakhouse was originally owned by Anthony Scotto and Anthony Sbarro, but Mr. Scotto is no longer a partner in the business, said Mr. Meng. Mr. Sbarro leases the property from Mr. Force. If Mr. Sbarro buys the property he buys back his own lease. "He wants to keep Rothmann's. It is a local landmark and he is making money there and he is very comfortable with it," said Mr. Meng.

When asked if Rothmann's would be open for lunch, Mr. Sbarro assured Mr. Meng that they would not. Mr. Meng suggested that since the shopping center will bring customers to the area, why not be open. Mr. Sbarro's response was that they cater to a niche dinner crowd with a special menu. He added that if people came for lunch, they would not be back for dinner.

Mr. Sbarro said they would have in any contract a stipulation that they would not be open in midday. Mr. Meng commented, "That doesn't mean they wouldn't be open at 5 p.m. when the businesses are still open, so there would be some overlap." Rothmann's is also open for Sunday Brunch from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Mr. Meng talked about the proposal at the April 16 meeting of the Oyster Bay Civic Association at the Italian-American Club on Summit Street. The proposal had been discussed last year but when property owner Terrance Force learned that Mr. Sbarro planned to take down the East Norwich Inn, he decided not to go along with the proposal. He was concerned that his longtime employees would lose their jobs.

Mr. Meng said the proposal, again, is for Mr. Sbarro to buy the entire site, and build an upscale mini-Americana shopping center there. They would leave Rothmann's as it is, and take down the hotel and the former bank building and the small cottage. They would put in four or five businesses located flush with the westerly side of the property. Although the proposal is for two-story buildings, the top floor would be a façade. The buildings would carry on the visual theme of Rothmann's. There is parking for 265 spots but that is where they need a zoning variance.

Mr. Meng said, "This is an 'as of right' development. Anthony Sbarro reached out to us and wants input. He is willing to have a meeting and make a presentation on May 7, (it will be on or before May 22) but the date is not set in stone. It is a reasonable project. It uses 35 percent of the area and it could use 60 percent of it." But, Mr. Meng added, "We are going to miss the hotel." Mr. Meng said according to Mr. Sbarro, "The owner is asking too much for the land so all they can put in is a shopping mall versus a hotel."

In discussing the proposal, Mr. Meng said he asked if they could bury the overhead electrical lines as a way to improve the property and added that the community will be getting some added irrigation for the East Norwich medians, a longtime project of the Committee for the Beautification of East Norwich.

As a local resident, Mr. Meng said, the Sbarros, who live in Mill Neck, appreciate the fact that the East Norwich area is the entrance into the larger community and understands that it needs to be prettied up.

Oyster Bay Civic Association President Bill Von Novak asked what the time table was for the development. "It will take from a year to a year and a half before they get a shovel in the ground," said Mr. Meng. "He wants to get the community behind him before he goes ahead. I don't know if he'll even buy the property if the community is not for the plan. He hasn't purchased the property as yet."

OBCA board member Rob Brusca explained they are shy 75 parking spaces and so need to go to the town to ask for a variance. "It is the most heavily traveled area locally on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. Although there are 250 spaces it could be troublesome. Rothmann's is 15,000 sq. ft. But," he added, "The developer is courteous and willing to listen to the community. They say the restaurant will not be open when the retail businesses are, but most retail businesses are open until 9 p.m. on the weekends. So, that is when we run into a problem."

Mr. Meng said, "We asked them to hold the project to code."

As to traffic, Mr. Sbarro said he would follow the NYS DOT guidelines although, said Mr. Meng, it might mean the community might lose some of the land of its green medians to create stacking lanes.

At the meeting, OBCA board member Judy Barnett asked if it was true that IHOP was being sold. No one had an answer. Shoppers could visit IHOP for lunch. There are also tables set up in the Messina Market in the East Norwich Commons.

Summing up the proposal, Mr. Meng said, "There is a lot of trust initially. I will say Mr. Sbarro has reached out to myself as a civic leader and said he has no interest in even buying the property unless the citizens are on board. He probably understands - with his broad experience - that even as an as-right development it could take five years if the community didn't want it. But he has chosen to embrace the community he would have had to battle with and now can put that energy and money into giving the community what it wishes."