The former Casola Well Drillers property on Montauk Highway in Mastic is being cleared for a new full-service catering hall, a project local leaders say shows how the Forge River Watershed Sewer Project is starting to unlock economic development along the corridor.
“The former Casola Well Drillers located on Montauk Highway in Mastic was recently demolished to make way for a brand-new, full-service catering hall,” Brookhaven Town Councilwoman Karen Dunne-Kesnig reported. “The owners anticipate construction to begin sometime in 2026.”
Suffolk Legislator Jim Mazzarella, a key advocate for the sewer project, said the development is the type of investment the new wastewater infrastructure was built to support.
“This is exactly what we want the sewer district to attract,” Mazzarella said. He called it “a positive move toward bringing economic development and renewal to our downtown.” New construction along Montauk Highway is a meaningful marker because it reflects the payoff of decades of work to bring modern sewers to an area that long relied on cesspools, the legislator noted.
The Forge River Watershed Sewer Project, a $228 million initiative, is designed to improve the quality of local waterways and protect Long Island’s aquifer by moving wastewater from septic systems into a new treatment and recharge basin. Officials marked an early milestone as the first homes in Mastic flushed into the new network, which is based near Brookhaven Calabro Airport.
Mazzarella said the sewer investment is intended to do more than protect the environment. By allowing new construction and expanded uses on previously constrained parcels, he said it can help reshape the look and feel of Montauk Highway.
“We always talk about improving the highway corridor,” he said. “It’s businesses like this that lend to the beautification and the streetscape because they’re going to spend money on landscaping and beautifying their brand-new buildings. That’s what generates the revitalization.”
Across the street, another sewer-enabled project is also taking shape. Greek Bites Grill and Cafe, currently operating in Moriches at the former Carvel stand, is planning a new building near Sign Design, adding to what Mazzarella described as some of the first ground-up projects positioned to benefit from the sewer district.
County leaders have also set aside funding to help smaller businesses connect. Mazzarella previously secured $1 million to defray commercial hookup costs, with grants of up to $15,000 aimed at businesses with 25 employees or fewer. He said properties along Montauk Highway, including the new catering facility, may be eligible for assistance as the county rolls out the program.
The moment carries extra weight because sewering in the Forge River watershed has been discussed for generations. Supporters describe the new system as the manifestation of roughly 50 years of planning and advocacy aimed at reducing nitrogen pollution and restoring local waters. For residents, it signals a new chapter in the economic revitalization of the area.
Mazzarella said the momentum is continuing, with plans to discuss extending sewer service farther south at the Mastic Beach Property Owners Association meeting on Feb. 5, as leaders look to keep investment and jobs moving into the community.