Loading...
The URL can be used to link to this page
Your browser does not support the video tag.
Home
My WebLink
About
3_Land Use & Zoning_Final 5-15-2019 CLEAN
SoutholdTownComprehensivePlanUpdate Thisdocumentwasprepared,inpart,fortheNewYorkStateDepartmentof StatewithfundsprovidedunderTitle11oftheEnvironmentalProtection Fund. Chapter3 LandUse&Zoning Final March15,2017 UpdatedMay15,2019 LandUse&Zoning i TableofContentsNEEDSUPDATING Introduction LandUse-current Zoning-current ResidentialBuildoutAnalysis PopulationDensity Commercial&IndustrialBuildoutAnalysis DevelopmentRateTrends MethodologyforBuildoutEstimates Goals–Town-wide HamletSpecificDescriptionsandGoals Cutchogue EastMarion FishersIsland GreenportWest Laurel Mattituck NewSuffolk Orient Peconic SoutholdHamlet 3LandUse&Zoning SoutholdTownComprehensivePlanUpdate 3-1 INTRODUCTION Landusepatterns,togetherwithzoningregulations,arekeyaspectsofhowacommunity functionsanddevelops.Byexaminingcurrentlanduseandzoningregulations,wecandetermine whatisworkingwellandwhatmayneedtochangetoensurethatfuturegrowthissustainable andthatthehighqualityoflifeinSoutholdTowncontinuestobeapriority. ThischapterprovidesanoverviewoflanduseandzoninginSoutholdTownandpresentsbroad goalsforfuturelanduseandzoningtoachievethevisioninthisplan.Itdescribescurrentland useandzoningregulationstosetthestagefordiscussionofhowfuturedevelopmentwouldbe possibleunderthecurrentregulations,alsocalleda“buildoutanalysis.”Thedevelopmenttrends affectingtheTownandtheirinfluenceonlanduseandzoningdecision-makingarediscussed. Finally,TheTown’soverallgoalsandobjectivesarelisted,witheachhamletreceivingan individualtreatmentoftheirparticulargoalsandobjectives. EXISTINGCONDITIONS LandUse OneofthedefiningfeaturesofthecharacterofSoutholdisitsagriculture,whichhelpskeepthe Town’seconomydiversifiedandstrong.In2015,agricultureencompassedover10,000acres,or 30percentofthetotalland,anumberthathasdecreasedonlyslightlysince2000,whenitwas 10,500acres.Nearlyhalf,ormorethan4,700acres,ofSouthold’sagriculturallandsareinfact protectedfromconversiontootheruses.Inthisway,agriculturewillremainavitalpartofthe cultureandcharacteroftheTown,evenasagriculturalpracticeschangeandevolve. Table3-1 describestheapproximateacreagefoundin10keylandusecategories. TABLE3-1.LANDUSEINSOUTHOLDTOWN LandUse Acres % Residential 10,886 33 Agriculture 10,008 30 Recreation&OpenSpace 4,488 14 Vacant 3008 9 Transportation 2,404 7 Institutional 1,360 4 Commercial 629 1.8 Industrial 216 0.6 Utilities 236 0.7 WasteHandling 115 0.3 TotalAcres 33,350 Notes:Acreagedoesnotincludethe2,100acresofunderwater landinthejurisdictionoftheTown. Thistablerepresentsthebestavailabledataonlanduseatone pointintime,andassuchisanestimatethatchangesovertime ratherthanastaticnumber. 3LandUse&Zoning SoutholdTownComprehensivePlanUpdate 3-2 ThelargestlandusecategoryinSoutholdisresidential,primarilyinsingle-familyhomesat relativelylowdensities,andSouthold’scharacterisinfluencedgreatlybythenatureofthis residentialstock.ResidentialusesinSoutholdcover10,900acres,or33percentoftheland,a7 percentincreasesince2000,whenthatnumberwas10,164acres. Thereare13,818housingunitsaccordingtotheTown’scountfromFebruary2019.Theaverage densityofhomestown-wideis0.4housingunitsperacre(orover2acresforeveryhouse); however,thisaveragedensitydoesnotreflectthetruedensityofanygivenneighborhood. Pocketsofmuchhigherdensityexistineveryhamlet,asdolargeblocksofopenspaceand farmland. “Density”describesthedistributionofhomesandpeoplethroughoutaspecificgeographicarea, butanotheraspecttoconsiderthataffectsthepopulationishowthesehomesareused.Most homesintheTownarelivedinyear-round,butasignificantpercentageareconsideredseasonal. Thisseasonalusevariesgreatlyinfrequency,withpeopleusingtheirseasonalhomeevery weekendyear-round,orforsixmonthsoutoftheyear,orsometimesonlyforafewweekendsin thesummer,withmanyothervariations.Homeowners,bothyear-roundandseasonal,mayalso renttheirhomesforaddedincome. ThesecondlargestlandusecategoryinSoutholdisAgriculture,with30percentoftheland,or justover10,000acres.Thehighpercentageoftownlandinagriculturereflectsacultural heritagethatisvaluedandrepresentsadistinguishingaspectoftheNorthForkofLongIsland. PreservationoftheruralcharacteroftheTownhasbeenandcontinuestobeagoalofSouthold’s visionforitsfuture. ThethirdlargestlandusecategoryisRecreationandOpenSpaceat4,488acres,or13percentof theland,asignificantincreasefrom1,275acresin2000.Thiscategoryincludesparks, playgrounds,playingfields,andopenspacecreatedbynewsubdivisions.Theincreaseoverthe pastnearly20yearscanbeattributedtothecitizensofSoutholdTownmakinglandpreservation apriority,mostnotablybytheenactmentoftheCommunityPreservationFundin1998,a dedicatedfundingsourceforpreservingland.OpenspaceandtheTown’snaturalbeautyare importantaspectsoftheTown’scharacter.Thetopicsoflandpreservationandrecreationare discussedinfurtherdetailinChapter10,“LandPreservation,”andChapter13,“Parks& Recreation.” Vacantland,whichisneitherdevelopednorinagriculturaluse,accountsfor9percentofthe land,or3,008acresscatteredthroughouttheTown.Transportationuses,includingroads,related drainageareas,andtherailroad,coverover2,400acres,or7percentofthetotallandarea. Institutionaluses,includingcemeteries,schools,andgovernment-ownedlandcoverabout1,360 acres,or4percentofthetotal.Thisnumberishigherthanmightbeexpectedduetoafew significantfederalgovernmentholdingsincludingthe816-acrePlumIsland. Thereisasmallpercentageoflandincommercialuseat629acres,or2percentofthetotal. Grocerystores,shops,restaurants,offices,servicebusinesses,andothertypicalcommercial developmentoccurshere,allatasmallscaleinkeepingwiththesmall-towncharacterof Southold.AneconomicanalysisconductedforChapter7,“EconomicDevelopment,”foundthat 3LandUse&Zoning SoutholdTownComprehensivePlanUpdate 3-3 someretailneedsofthepopulationarenotbeingmetbythestoresinSouthold.Accordingto mostresidents,however,theyprefergoingtonearbyRiverhead,aregionalhubofbigboxstores, tohavinglarge-scaleretailstoresinSouthold. Theamountoflandinindustrialusesissmall,at216acres,orlessthan1percentofthetotal. Thegrowththathasoccurredinindustrialusesoverthepastfewyearshasbeencounteredby someattrition,butindustrialusesremainimportantforemploymentopportunitiesandthe Town’staxbase. Zoning TheTown’slanduseregulationscontainthezoningcodewiththezoningdistricts,andalllandin theTownhasbeenassignedazoningdistrict.Azoningdistrictdescribeshowmuchandwhat typeofdevelopmentmayoccurontheland.Somezoningdistrictsrestricttheusesthatare allowedtoonlyafew,whileothersallowawidevarietyofuses.Forexample,theResidential-40 districtisprimarilyforresidentialusesandlittleelse,andtheHamletBusinessdistrictallowsfor alonglistofusesincludingresidential,commercial,oramixofboth. InSouthold,thereare19zoningdistricts(see Table3-2).Eachhasitsownsetofrulesthatcan befoundindetailintheSoutholdTownCode(http://ecode360.com/SO0452). DistrictName Abbr.Description Acres* Agricultural-Conservation A-C AgricultureandResidential 8,668 Residential80 R-80 LowDensityResidentialandAgriculture 5,002 Residential40 R-40 LowDensityResidential 6,062 Residential120 R-120 LowDensityResidentialandAgriculture 686 Residential200 R-200 LowDensityResidentialandAgriculture 343 Residential400 R-400 LowDensityResidentialandAgriculture 1,064 HamletDensity HD HighDensityResidential 154 AffordableHousing AHD HighDensityResidential(ModerateIncome)72 ResortResidential RR Resorts/Hotels/Motels/VacationCondo’s 83 ResidentialOffice RO ResidentialandBusinessOffices 86 HamletBusiness HB Commercial/Offices/HighDensityResidential 148 LimitedBusiness LB Commercial(limited)/Offices/LowDensity Residential 102 GeneralBusiness B Commercial/Offices/SomeResidential 154 MarineI MI Marinasandrelatedbusinesses(lessintenseuses)17 MarineII MII Marinasandrelated,Hotels,Ferries(moreintense)111 LightIndustrial Park/PlannedOfficePark LIO IndustrialPark/OfficePark 79 LightIndustrial LI LightIndustrialuses 161 PlumIslandResearch PIR PlumIslandonly–researchandeducation 155 PlumIslandConservation PIC PlumIslandonly–educationandconservation 437 3LandUse&Zoning SoutholdTownComprehensivePlanUpdate 3-4 *Landsusedfortransportation(roads,drainage),wetlands,protectedopenspace,andunderwaterlandsarenot includedinthezoningdistricttotalacreages,exceptR-400includesprotectedlands.Industrialzonesexcludeland protectedfromdevelopment. Residentialdistrictsmakeupover94percentofthezoninginSouthold,incontrastwithonly4 percentincommercialandindustrialzoning. Currentlanduseandzoningareonlypartofthepicturewhenitcomestoassessinghowland mightbedevelopedinthefuture.Additionalfactorsthataffecttheland’spotentialfor developmentincludewhetheraparcelcanbesubdividedorwhetherthereareenvironmental constraintsfordevelopment(e.g.,floodplainsorwetlands).Thesefactorshavebeenevaluated usingtheTown’sGeographicInformationSystem(GIS)todemonstratethefuturedevelopment potentialinSouthold. BUILDOUTANALYSIS Abuildoutanalysisusesthecurrentzoning,parcelsize,andotherfactorstoestimatehowmuch moredevelopmentcouldoccurifallthepropertythatcouldbewasdevelopedtothefullest potentialallowedbyzoning.Itisimportanttonotethatabuildoutestimateistheoreticalinthat theactualfuturebuildoutmaynotreachthenumbersintheestimate.Therefore,thebuildout analysismustbeconsideredcarefullytofullyunderstandtheimplications. Inassessingthebuildoutpotential,bothresidentialandcommercial/industrialbuildoutwere considered.Themajorityofthelandavailablefornewdevelopmentiszonedresidential,sothe majorityoffuturedevelopmentwilllikelybenewhomes.Inaddition,althoughthetotalland areazonedforcommercialandindustrialusesisonlyasmallfractionofthetotallandarea(2.5 percent),thepotentialimpactsofthedevelopmentofthatlandcouldbesignificant.Mostofthe commerciallyzonedlandishighlyvisiblealongmainroads,andcommercialuseshavethe potentialtogeneratemoretrafficthanresidentialuses.Therefore,evaluatingallfuture developmentpotentialisimportant. MethodologyforBuildoutEstimates Thetheoreticalbuildoutcalculationsexcludelandthatisprotected,isnotbuildableforvarious reasons,andaccountsforthespaceneededfornewroads.Thebuildoutscenarioestimatefor residentialunitswascalculatedbyaddingthebuildablesingleandseparatelotstogetherwiththe estimatednumberoflotsfromlandthatcouldbesubdividedintheresidentialzoningdistricts. Thefullbuild-outscenarioestimateforcommercialandindustrialuseswascalculatedusingthe maximumlotcoveragepermittedbyTownCodeforeachzoningdistrict(B,HB,LB,LI,LIO, MII,RR)multipliedbytheamountofbuildableandavailablelandinthosezoningdistricts. HistoricPreservation HP Usessuitableforadaptivere-useofhistoric buildings (Floatingzoneaddedin2017) 0 TABLE 3-2.ZONINGDISTRICTSANDAREACOVERED 3LandUse&Zoning SoutholdTownComprehensivePlanUpdate 3-5 HowBuildoutAffectsPopulationDensity AnotherwaytounderstandthedevelopmentdensityofourTownandtherelativeimpactsofan increaseinthatdensityistocomparethepeoplepersquaremile,otherwiseknownaspopulation density,withthatofotherlocations.Figure3-1 comparesthepopulationdensityinSouthold withthoseofotherplacesonLongIsland(asofthe2010Census).Figure3-1 alsoincludesthe “saturationpopulation”forSouthold,whichisanotherwaytodescribethetheoreticalbuildout population.Thesenumbersincludetheseasonalpopulations. FIGURE3-1.PEOPLEPERSQUAREMILECOMPARISON Thefullbuild-outscenarioforresidentialdevelopmentisunlikelytooccurgiventheTown’s ongoinglandpreservationprogramthatissupportedbytheCommunityPreservationFundand supplementedbyotherlandpreservationprogramsatthecounty,state,andfederallevels.The Townremainscommittedtopreservingasmuchlandaspossibleasdemonstratedinthegoalsof Chapter10,“LandPreservation.”Thefullresidentialbuildoutisunlikelygivenourstrong agriculturalindustry,whichisdiverseandadaptable,andoccupiesmuchofthelandavailablefor development. Whenconsideringpotentialfutureimpactsofadditionalresidentialdevelopmentinthefuture,it isimportanttounderstandthatnearly40percentofallhomescurrentlyinSoutholdTownare consideredseasonal,meaningtheirownersdonotliveinthemfulltime.Theproportionof seasonaltoyear-roundhomesislikelytoincrease. ResidentialBuildout Fortheresidentialbuildout,thereareover8,357acresavailableforfutureresidential development.Over75percentofthislandwouldhavetobesubdividedintonewhouselots beforenewhomescouldbebuiltthere.Theoretically,ifallofthatlandweresubdividedtoits 3LandUse&Zoning SoutholdTownComprehensivePlanUpdate 3-6 fullestpotential,another2,538houselotswouldresult.Subdivisionofalloftheavailablelandis unlikelytohappenforseveralreasonsdiscussedinmoredetailbelow.Ofnotewithregardto residentialsubdivisionsisthestipulationthatanyparcelof7acresormoreisrequiredto preserve60percentasopenspace.Whilethisdoesnotaffectthenumberofnewhouselots created,itdoesaffecttheamountoflandthatcouldbedeveloped. Theremaininglandareainresidentialzoningthatisavailablefordevelopment,2,048acres, existsasindividualvacantbuildinglotsthatcannotbefurthersubdivided.Theyarescattered throughouttheTown,someasvacantlotsinexistingneighborhoods,othersinsubdivisionsthat haveneverbeendeveloped.Thereareapproximately1,840oftheselotsinSoutholdTown.The amountoflandthatisinsinglelotsversustheamountthatisabletobesubdividedineach hamletissummarizedbelowin Figure3-2. Figure3-2.Landavailablefordevelopment(zonedresidential) Byaddingthepotentialnewlotsfromsubdivisionstotheexistinglots,thepotentialforanother 4,378single-familyhomestobebuiltinSoutholdiscreated.Nearlyhalf(1,840)ofthosenew homeswouldbeonbuildinglotsthatalreadyexist,whiletheremaining(2,538)wouldhavetobe createdthroughthesubdivisionprocessbeforetheycouldbedeveloped.Theamountoffuture residentialunitspossibleineachhamletisshownin Figure3-3.With13,818housingunits alreadyexisting,another4,378homesrepresentsa32percentincreaseinthenumberofhomesin SoutholdTown(notincludingtheVillageofGreenport). 0 500 1,000 1,500 2,000 2,500 AmountofLandAvailableforResidential Development LandAbletobeSubdivided(acres)Landinsingle&separateparcels(acres) 3LandUse&Zoning SoutholdTownComprehensivePlanUpdate 3-7 Figure3-3.Numberoffutureresidentialunitspossibleineach hamlet Commercial&IndustrialBuildout Thecommercialandindustrialbuild-outscenariocalculatesthepotentialsquarefeetof commercialorindustrialdevelopmentascomparedwiththeexistingdevelopment.Figure3-4 providestheamountofexistingversustotalfuturepotentialsquarefootageofcommercialand industrialdevelopmentbyhamlet.Thefuturepotentialincludestheexisting.Asseeninthe figure,severalhamletshavethepotentialtodrasticallyincreasetheamountofcommercialand/or industrialsquarefootageofbuildingarea.Thereareconstraintsonfuturedevelopment,one beingtheSuffolkCountyDepartmentofHealthregulationsontheamountofdevelopmentasit relatestotheamountofsewagepermitted. 0100200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 #ofPotentialFutureResidentialUnitsbyHamlet #futureresidentialunitsfromsubdivision #futureresidentialunitsfromexistingsingleparcels 3LandUse&Zoning SoutholdTownComprehensivePlanUpdate 3-8 Figure3-4.AmountofExistingandPotentialFutureCommercial& IndustrialDevelopmentin SoutholdTown,byHamlet Cutchoguehasthehighestamountofpotentialgrowth,whichismainlyduetoaverylargearea ofundevelopedindustriallandonthenorthsideofSuffolkCountyRoute48,boundedbyDepot andCoxLanes,andOregonRoad,aswellasasignificantamountofundevelopedlandzoned HamletBusiness.Thesecond-highestgrowthpotentialisinSouthold,duetotheexistenceof over71acresofHamletBusiness-zonedland,muchofwhichiscurrentlyinresidentialuseor underdeveloped.InMattituck/Laurel,thepotentialgrowthareasaremainlyintheGeneral BusinesszonestowardsLaurelalongNewYorkStateRoute25. Itisusefultonotethatcommercialdevelopmentcurrentlyisabout24percentoftheoverall potential,leavingasignificantamountofgrowthpotentialintheyearstocome.Duetothe Town’sgeographyasapeninsulaanditsroleasatouristdestination,futurecommercial developmentwillbedifficulttopredictandwillnotnecessarilyfollowthetrendsseeninother partsofLongIsland. DevelopmentRateTrends Therateofdevelopmentisanadditionalfactortoconsiderwhencontemplatingthebuildout scenario.TheU.S.Censusprovidesthetotalnumberofhousingunitsevery10years,providinga longviewoftherateofresidentialdevelopment.Ifwelookattheincreaseinthenumberof housingunitseachdecadebeginningin1980,wecancalculatetherateofdevelopmentduring 0 500,000 1,000,000 1,500,000 2,000,000 2,500,000 3,000,000 3,500,000 AmountofCommercial&IndustrialDevelopment. Existing&PotentialFutureBuildout ExistingCommercialDev(sq.ft)PotentialFutureCommercialDevEstimate(sq.ft.) 3LandUse&Zoning SoutholdTownComprehensivePlanUpdate 3-9 thattime.Table3-3 describesthenumbersandpercentincreaseinhousingunitsduringthose censusintervals. TABLE3-3. HOUSINGUNITSCOUNTEDDURING THE1980,1990,2000&2010U.S.CENSUS UnitedStates CensusYear # Housing Units** Changein #of Housing Units %Increase 1980 9,845 1990 11,845 2,000 20 2000 12,694 845 7 2010 14,186*1,491 11 *NotethisnumberisslightlydifferentthanthatforTowndataforexisting residentialdwellingunits. **ExcludingGreenportVillage. From1980to1990,about2,000housingunitswereadded,845between1990and2000,and 1,491between2000and2010.Theaveragerateofincreaseinhousingunitsevery10years duringthosethirtyyearswas13percent.Fromourowndata,weknowthatinthe10years between2009and2018,291homeswereadded,whichisalowerrateofdevelopmentthanin previousdecades. InadditiontothedatafromtheU.S.Census,SoutholdTownhascloselytrackeditsoverallland developmentascomparedwithlandpreservationsince2004,withagoaltopreservingasmuch landaspossible,particularlyonlargertractsinthetargetzonesofAC,R-80,andR-40zoning districts,wherethemajorityoftheTown’sfarmlandislocated.AccordingtotheTown’s Trackingreport,from2004to2018thetotalamountoflandthatwasdevelopedwas519acres, with2,218acrespreserved.Duringthatsametimefrom2004to2018,168newhouselotswere createdbysubdivisionsinthetargetzones.Thatnumberwouldlikelyhavebeenmuchhigher haditnotbeenforlandpreservationeffortsbytheTownandotherentities.Chapter10,“Land Preservation,”containsmoredetailabouttheseefforts. Therateofdevelopmentcanalsobemeasuredbythenumberofbuildingpermitsissuedfornew constructioneachyear.Thetrendshowsthattherateisrisingfromalowpointof13in2009, withnumbersupalmost50percentin2018fromtheyearbefore(see Figure3-5). 3LandUse&Zoning SoutholdTownComprehensivePlanUpdate 3-10 FIGURE3-5:RATEOFDEVELOPMENTINSOUTHOLD* *Measuredbybuildingpermitsfornewresidentialconstructionperyear. Therateofdevelopmentdatashowthatthetheoreticalbuildoutscenariowouldtakemanyyears toaccomplish.Anotherconsiderationisthatmuchofthelandavailablefordevelopmentisin agriculturaluse.Ofthe6,310acresthatcouldbesubdividedintomorelots,5,200or82percent areinagriculturaluse.Since1995,theamountofagriculturallandhasremainedsteadyatabout 10,000acres,whichdemonstratestheindustry’sabilitytoadaptovertimeandremainviable. Thecontinuedrobustnessoftheagriculturalsectorwillslowtheconversionoflandfrom agriculturetoresidentialdevelopment.Inaddition,continuedlandpreservationwillmeanless availablelandfordevelopment.Withthesetwofactorsinplace,theactualbuildoutwilllikelybe lowerthanthenumbersidentifiedinthebuildoutanalysis.Chapter9,“Agriculture,”andChapter 10,“LandPreservation,”coverthesetopicsinmoredetail. Therateofcommercialandindustrialdevelopmentisnoteasilytrackedduetoalackofavailable data.Whileknowingthepasttrendswouldbehelpful,theywouldnotnecessarilypredictthe future.Thegrowthpotentialidentifiedinthebuildoutanalysisisthebestindicatorofwhatis possibleovertime.Analyzingittoidentifypotentialfutureimpactsandtoinformfuturezoning andlanduseplanningisagoodstartingpoint.Forexample,thetransportationanalyses performedfortheplantookintoaccountthecommercial/industrialbuildoutfiguresasawayto estimatefuturetrafficinthearea. HandlingFutureDevelopment 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 20052006200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018 #ResidentialBuildingPermitsfornewconstruction 3LandUse&Zoning SoutholdTownComprehensivePlanUpdate 3-11 Althoughfutureactualbuildoutisexpectedtobemuchlowerthanthetheoreticalbuildout, especiallyintermsofresidentialdevelopment,therewillbesignificantgrowthovertime.The Townmusttakestepstoensureitispreparedtohandletheincreasedpressureonitsresources. ThelanduseregulationsandzoningastheyaretodayhaveservedtheTownwell;however,most oftheregulationsare30yearsold.Theymustbecloselyevaluatedtoensurethatthebalance betweenqualityoflifeandeconomicprosperityismaintained.Inaddition,economicand demographicchangesmustbeanticipated,andthelanduseregulationsupdatedappropriatelyto reflectthosechanges. BelowarebroadgoalsthatwillhelptheTownprepareforthechallengesahead.Subsequent chaptersinthisplandealwiththesegoalsinmoredetailandincludeacloserlookattheTown’s economy,agriculture,housing,environment,waterqualityandquantity,landpreservation, recreation,naturalhazards,humanservices,transportationandinfrastructure. 3LandUse&Zoning SoutholdTownComprehensivePlanUpdate 3-12 GOALS:TOWN-WIDE Thissectioncontainsgoalsthatapplytown-wide.Mostofthetown-widegoalsarealso applicabletoindividualhamlets.Thefirst10goalsarebroad.Eachhasanentirechapterinthis plandedicatedtothattopicwithspecificgoalsandobjectives.Goals11through13havespecific objectivesthatrelatedirectlytolanduseandzoning. 1.ECONOMICPROSPERITY Facilitatethegrowthofexistingbusinesses,andencouragenewbusinesses—including agriculture,aquaculture,healthcare,renewableenergy,tourism,lightindustrial, retail/service-basedandthemaritime-relatedindustry—forstableandsustainable employment.Balanceeconomicprosperitywithmaintainingahighqualityoflife,the environment,andtheuniquecharacterofthecommunities. ThistopicandrelatedgoalsandobjectivesarecoveredinmoredetailinChapter7, “EconomicDevelopment.” 2.ENABLETHECREATIONOFATTAINABLEHOMES ThereisahousingcrisisinSoutholdTown.Thepricesofmosthomes,topurchaseorrent, haveincreasedbeyondtheabilityofmanyresidentstopay.TheTownmusttakestepsto facilitatethecreationofattainablehousinginSouthold. ThistopicandrelatedgoalsandobjectivesarecoveredinmoredetailinChapter7, “EconomicDevelopment,”andChapter8,“Housing.” 3.RETAINANDADVANCETHEBUSINESSOFAGRICULTURE Agriculturalusesoccuron30percentofthelandareainSoutholdTown,areimportanttothe economy,andrepresentvitalelementsofthecommunity’scharacter. ThistopicandrelatedgoalsandobjectivesarecoveredinmoredetailinChapter9, “Agriculture.” 4.CONTINUETOPRESERVEFARMLANDANDOPENSPACE Southold’scharacteriscreatedinlargepartbyitsopenspaces,includingfarmland,natural lands,andparks,andprotectingtheseassetshaslongbeenagoaloftheTown.Land preservationprioritiesincluderetaininglargeblocksofuninterruptedfarmland,and preservingenvironmentallysensitivelandsandwoodland.Landsforrecreationandpublic gatheringarealsoimportant. ThistopicandrelatedgoalsandobjectivesarecoveredinmoredetailinChapter10,“Land Preservation.” 3LandUse&Zoning SoutholdTownComprehensivePlanUpdate 3-13 5.PROTECTANDENHANCETHENATURALRESOURCESAND ENVIRONMENTOFTHETOWN TheimportanceofmanagingandpreservingSouthold’snaturalresourceswhilepromoting responsibleuserexperiencesisparamountinmaintainingthequalityoflifewithintheTown. a.Protectgroundwaterandsurfacewaterqualityandquantity. b.Protectland-basednaturalresourcesincludingagriculturalsoilsandnaturalhabitat forwildlife. ThistopicandrelatedgoalsandobjectivesarecoveredinmoredetailinChapter6,“Natural Resources&Environment.” 6.CONTINUETOPROVIDEQUALITYPARKSANDRECREATION OPPORTUNITIESINTHETOWN Southoldoffersadiversityofrecreationalopportunities,frompublictenniscourtsand playingfields,tonaturetrailsandbeaches.TheTownalsoprovidesarecreationprogram withawell-roundedofferingofclassesandworkshops. Southoldplanstocontinueofferingavarietyofrecreationalexperiencesandprogramsto meetthediverseneedsofthecommunity,andtomaintainitsexistingparklands,openspaces, beaches,andrecreationalfacilities.Additionalrecreationallandmaybeobtainedwhere feasibleandnecessary. ThistopicandrelatedgoalsandobjectivesarecoveredinmoredetailinChapter13,“Parks &Recreation.” 7.PROTECTTHECHARACTEROFTHETOWN Southoldretainsmuchofitssmall-towncharm.Manyfactorscontributetoqualityoflife; theseincludetheTown’sscenic,cultural,andnaturalresources. ThistopicandrelatedgoalsandobjectivesarecoveredinmoredetailinChapter5, “CommunityCharacter.” 8.IMPROVETRAFFICCONGESTIONANDSAFETYANDENSURE INFRASTRUCTURESUPPORTSTHERESIDENTSANDBUSINESSES OFTHETOWN Trafficcongestionandpedestriansafetyarepriorityissuesforresidents.Increasesintourism havemeantanincreaseintrafficinSouthold.Speeding,whetheritbethroughahamlet centerordownaquietsidestreet,isacomplaintheardfromresidentsalloverTown. a.Findsolutionstothetrafficproblemsexperiencedduringthesummerandfallbusy seasons. 3LandUse&Zoning SoutholdTownComprehensivePlanUpdate 3-14 b.IncreaseopportunitiestotraveltoandfromSoutholdwithoutacar,including expandedtrainandbusservice. c.Protectthesafetyofpedestriansbyfindingwaystocalmtraffic,especiallywhere roadssuchasStateRoute25passthroughareaswithaconcentrationofpedestrian activity,suchashamletcenters. Infrastructurereferstothestreet,parking,andutilitynetworksthatservetheresidentsand businessesintheTown. •EnsuretheinfrastructuresupportstheresidentsandbusinessesofSoutholdTown. ThistopicandrelatedgoalsandobjectivesarecoveredinmoredetailinChapter4, “Transportation&Infrastructure” 9.CONTINUETOPROVIDEQUALITYHUMANSERVICES Tomeettheneedsofitscitizens,theTownshouldcontinuetofunditsricharrayofprograms andresourcesforpeopleaswellasseektoimprovetheirlivesthroughadditionalresources. ThistopicandrelatedgoalsandobjectivesarecoveredinmoredetailintheChapter7, EconomicDevelopment,”andChapter8,“Housing.” 10.PREPARETHETOWNFORNATURALHAZARDS SoutholdTownissubjecttonaturalhazards,includinghurricanes,flooding,andsealevel rise,whichcanimperilhumanlives,propertyandtheenvironment.Planningandpreparing fornaturalhazards,includingthepreparationofacoastalresiliencyplan,willhelpsavelives andproperty.Thistopicandrelatedgoalsandobjectivesarecoveredinmoredetailin Chapter12,“NaturalHazards.” 11.TOWNCODEUPDATE RevisetheTownCode,particularlytheZoningChapterandotherLand-Use-relatedchapters, tobeeasiertouse;improveclarity;eliminateinconsistencies;andupdateobsoletewording whereneeded.RefertootherchaptersofthisComprehensivePlanforadditional recommendationsregardingupdatingtheTownCode. ThefollowingareobjectivesthatwillhelpachievethegoalofupdatingtheTownCodeto makeiteasiertouse,withmoreclarityandconsistency.Otherobjectivesmaybeadded duringtheimplementationphaseoftheupdate. OBJECTIVES: a.AddatabletotheZoningChapterlistingallthepermittedusesintheleftcolumn, andeachzoningdistrictacrossthetop. 3LandUse&Zoning SoutholdTownComprehensivePlanUpdate 3-15 b.Re-writeeachzoningdistricttoeliminatetheneedtorefertootherzoning districtsforthecompletelistofuses. c.EliminateinconsistenciesandcontradictionswithintheTownCode.The followingaretwoexamples: i.Farmstandrulesarelistedintwoplaceswithdifferentstandards. ii.Exteriorlightingrulesarelistedintwoplaceswithdifferentstandards. d.Definitions. i.Ensuredefinitionsareconsistentamongchapters. ii.DefinealluseslistedunderPermitted,SpecialException,AccessoryUses intheZoningChapter. e.Changeobsoleteterminologytomoreeasilyrecognizableterms. i.Example:Substitute“carwash”for“automobilelaundry.” f.Revisethecodetoprovidemoreclarityaboutthedevelopmentprocess,including butnotlimitedtothefollowing: i.SitePlanApplicabilitySectiontoprovidemoreclarityonwhenasiteplan isrequired. ii.Landscapingrequirementsoncommercialandindustrialsites. iii.Parkingschedule. iv.SpecialExceptionUses. v.ResidentialSitePlans. ResponsibleParties:PlanningBoard Funding:Grants 12:ZONINGREVIEW&UPDATE—TOWN-WIDE Ensurethattheexistingzoningisappropriatelylocated,usesareoftheappropriatescale andintensityforthelocation,andallareconsistentwiththeothergoalsofthisplan. Zoningmustachieveabalancebetweenthebuiltandnaturalenvironment,andbetween commercialandresidentialuses,whileallowingforthestrengtheningoftheeconomy. TheeconomyanddemographicsofSoutholdandtheregionhavechangedsignificantly since1989whenmostofthecurrentzoningwasputinplace.Sincethen,incremental changestothosezoningdistrictshavehelpedthecodeadapt,howeveramorethorough andcomprehensivelookatthezoningiswarrantedtoensureitachievesbalance,supports economicdevelopmentintheappropriatelocationsattheappropriatescale,andprotects qualityoflife. ThisgoalrelatestoChapter5,“CommunityCharacter,”andChapter7,“Economic Development,”aswellastogoalsfrompreviousplansincludingtheHamlet Stakeholders’workfrom2005to2009,andthepublicinputfrommeetingsonLandUse 3LandUse&Zoning SoutholdTownComprehensivePlanUpdate 3-16 heldin2014and2015,duringwhichpeopleattendingthemeetingsexpressedconcern aboutthedistributionandusesinsomeofthecurrentzoningdistricts. Followingisalistofobjectivesthatwillhelpachievethisgoal.Otherobjectivesmaybe addedduringtheimplementationphaseoftheupdate. Whilenoparcel-specificzonechangesareproposedintheseobjectives,thetypesof zoningandcircumstancesthatmaybeconsideredforfuturechangesareidentified.Any changestospecificzoningorparcelswouldhappenafterthisplanisadopted,duringthe implementationphaseoftheplan.Allpotentialchangeswouldonlybecontemplated afterconsiderableanalysesandpublicdiscussionareconducted. OBJECTIVES: A.COMMERCIALANDINDUSTRIALZONINGDISTRICTS 1.HAMLETCENTERSZONINGUPDATE i.Strengthenthehamletcentersthroughinnovative,mixed-usezoningwith considerationgiventodesignstandards. ThisobjectiveisrelatedtoissuesdiscussedinChapter5,“Community Character,”andChapter7,“EconomicDevelopment.”Eachhamletcenterhas alevelofeconomicactivitythatistiedtogetherwithauniquecharacterthat theresidentsofeachhamlethaveexpressedastrongdesiretomaintain. Introducingamoreflexibletypeofzoningbasedondesignstandardsinthe hamletcenterscouldhelpretaincommunitycharacterbetterthanthatcurrently inplace,whilealsoencouragingbusinessestoexpandorlocateinthehamlet centersbymakingiteasiertodoso. Currentzoningruleshavestrictrequirementsforbuildingsetbacksthatmust beappliedthesamewaytoallparcelsregardlessofsizeorshape.Parcelsin thehamletcentersaretypicallysmall,andsomearenarrowinwidth,making theirdevelopmentchallengingwiththis“one-size-fits-all”approach.New businessessuchasretailstoresthatcouldbringmuch-neededfoottraffictoa hamletcenteraredrawnawayfromthehamletcentersinsearchofparcelsthat areeasiertodevelop. Changingthecodeinthehamletcenterstoallowformoreflexibilityinuseand designcouldretainandattractthrivingbusinessesthatgenerateandsupport foottrafficinthehamletcenters,andinturnleadtoastrongerlocaleconomy. Relyingmoreondesignstandardsandlessontraditionalbulkschedule 3LandUse&Zoning SoutholdTownComprehensivePlanUpdate 3-17 requirementswillintroduceflexibilityinzoningbyusingscale,form,and functiontodeterminethesizeandlocationofnewcommercialbuildings. Analysesrequiredtoinvestigatedesignstandardsinthehamletcenters: 1)Inventory,reviewandanalyzecandidateparcelsforthefollowing: a.Size b.Shape c.Currentuse d.Surroundinguses 2)Comparisonmodelsofpotentialimpactsofproposedchangestothecode: a.Intensityofdevelopment b.Traffic c.Buildingsizes,lotcoverage d.Sanitaryflow e.Taxbaseanalysis 3)Modeleachhamletcenterforoverallsizeandotheradjacentzoningand uses. 4)Parkingassessmentsforeachhamletcenter. ii.Providefordifferentlevelsofintensityforcertainusesinthehamlet centersbasedontheavailableinfrastructure. Findingasolutiontotheone-size-fits-allzoninginthehamletcenterswasa frequentconcernamongtheHamletStakeholdersandthepublicduringinput meetingsaboutthisplan.Itisimportanttorecognizethateachhamletisunique inscaleandsupportinginfrastructureandadjustthecodetoaccountforthose differences.Thisapproachwillhelpprotectthecommunitycharacterofthe hamlets. Aseachhamletcenterhasadifferentlevelofsupportinginfrastructurethat defineswhatlevelofbuild-outcouldorshouldoccur,infrastructureinitiatives shouldbeevaluatedonanindividualhamletbasis.Inadditiontostormwater, publicwatersupply,electricityandnaturalgasservice,andcommunications networks,”infrastructure”includesamenitieslikeparking.Someofthe hamletshavemunicipalparkinglots,andsomehaveverylittlepublicparking. Mosthamletshavepublicwateravailable,butnotallofthemdo.Forthose areasthathavelessinfrastructure,someusesallowedinthehamletcenters maybetoointenseandresultinanerosionofthequalityoflifeforresidents. Currentlythezoningdoesnotidentifytheappropriatelevelofinfrastructure formostuses. 3LandUse&Zoning SoutholdTownComprehensivePlanUpdate 3-18 Ananalysisoftheappropriatelevelofinfrastructurerequiredforthevarious useswouldprovideguidanceonwherethecodemightbeamendedtoaccount forthedifferencesamonghamletcenters.Onceidentified,conditionsor performancerequirementscouldbeaddedtosomeofthemoreintenseusesto ensuretheyarelocatedonlyinplacesthatcansupportthem.Forexample,a laundromatisapermitteduseintheHamletBusinesszoneandsuchause likelyconsumesalargeamountofwater.Therequirementthatalaundromatbe permittedonlyifpublicwaterisavailablecouldbeaddedtothecode. Analysesrequired: 1)Examineeachpermitteduseinthehamletcentersforimpacts, includingtraffic,parking,wateruse,noise,andlighting. 2)Inventorytheinfrastructureineachhamletcenter. 3)Identifythosepermittedusesthathaveimpactslargeenoughtorequire certainlevelsofinfrastructure(landarea,publicwater,etc.). iii.Assessthecodeforparkingrequirementsinrelationtopublicparkingin hamletcenterstoensurethereisenoughandthatitisatascaleandsize thatisappropriateforeachhamlet. Publicparkinginhamletcenters,whetheronpublicstreets,orinmunicipal parkinglots,benefitstheTown’seconomybyprovidingamplespaceforthe vehiclesofcustomersoflocalbusinesses. 1)CreateaMunicipalParkingFundformaintenanceandacquisitionof publicparkingfacilities,whereappropriate. •Analyzethefeasibilityofafeeinlieuofparkingprovided onsiteforcommercialsiteplans. 2)Consideradding“Parking”asapermittedprincipaluseinthehamlet centerstopromotefutureprivatedevelopmentofparkingfacilities. 2.BUSINESSCORRIDORSOUTSIDEHAMLETCENTERSZONINGUPDATE i.Createanewzoningdistrictforcommercialandindustrialusesalongthe majorroadsoutsidethehamletcenters. TheparcelsalongthemajorroadsofStateRoute25andCountyRoute48that arelocatedoutsidethehamletcenterscontainavarietyofzoningdistrictsand uses.Locatingcertaincommercialusesoutsideofhamletcenterscanhavea dampeningeffectonthevitalityofthosehamletcenters.Thedampeningeffect occurswhenbusinessesthatwouldhavegeneratedfoottrafficinahamlet center(e.g.,retail,restaurants)choosetolocatefaroutsidethehamletcenter 3LandUse&Zoning SoutholdTownComprehensivePlanUpdate 3-19 wherelandislessexpensive.Thisdrawscustomerstolocationsreachableonly bycar,leavingemptysidewalksandemptystorefrontsinthehamletcenter. Thezoningintheseoutlyingareasmustbeanalyzedtoensurethatthey encourageusesthataresuitableforbeinglocatedoutsidethehamletcenters anddiscourageusesthatarebestlocatedinthehamletcenters. Focusingretaildevelopmentinthehamletcentershasbeenarecurringgoalin theTown’splansandstudiesthroughoutitsplanninghistory.Pastplanning documents,includingthe2007-08HamletStakeholdersInitiatives,identified theneedtoaddressthisissue.ThisobjectivealsorelatestogoalsinChapter5, “CommunityCharacter,”andChapter7,“EconomicDevelopment.” Onesolutiontothisissuewouldbetocreateanewzoningdistrictforthose commercialparcelsoutsidethehamletcenters.Thisnewdistrictwouldinclude arangeofexistingusesthatwouldbesuitableforlocationoutsidethehamlet centersandwouldexcludetheusesthatareneededinthehamletcenters. Permittedusescouldincludeservicebusinesses,contractors’yards,and offices,amongothers.Thisgoalcouldpotentiallybeachievedbycreating morethanonenewzoningdistrict,oraemployingacombinationofexisting andnewzoningdistricts. Analysesrequired: Toidentifywhichparcelswouldbeconsideredforanewzoningdistrict,and whichpermitteduseswouldbeincludedinthenewzoningdistrict(s),the followinganalysesmustbeconducted: 1)Inventory,reviewandanalyzeparcelsthatcouldbecandidatesforthis newzoningdistrict,generallythosealongStateRoute25andCounty Route48,outsidethehamletcenters.Considerthefollowing: Size Currentuse Surroundinguses Potentialimpactsofproposedpermittedusesversusimpactsof currentuses(permittedandexisting) •Traffic •Noise •Light 2)Createmodelstoanalyzepotentialeffectsofdifferentuses: •Lotcoverages/buildingsizes,setbackrequirements,landscape coverage—comparisonofoldandnewzones •Parkingrequirements •Taxbaseanalysis 3LandUse&Zoning SoutholdTownComprehensivePlanUpdate 3-20 ii.Revisitthebulkscheduleandparkingrequirementsforcommercialand industrialzoningdistricts Thebulkscheduleisatablethatliststheparametersforeachzoningdistrict suchastheminimumlotsize,thelotcoverage(theamountoflandabuilding cancover),thedistancefromthepropertylineabuildingmustbelocated (knownassetbacks),andtheamountoflandscapingthatmustbeplacedona parcel.Thesizeofnewbuildingsandparkinglotsiscontrolled,inpart,bythe bulkscheduleofthezoningcode.Theoretically,thebulkschedulesetslimits ontheamountofdevelopmenttopreventoverbuildingonanyoneparcel. Ithasbecomeapparentthatthebulkschedule’sparameterscouldusean overhaultoimproveboththeirusefulnessinpreventingovercrowdingof commercialsitesandtheclaritywithwhichtheyareadministered.Parking requirementsarelinkedtotheoutcomeofcommercialdevelopmentprojects, andthetownregulationsforparkingrequireasimilaroverhaulandanalysis. a)Oneparameteristhe“minimumlotsizeperuse”,whichstatesthe minimumsizeaparcelmustbeforeachuse.Anexampleofthisis theGeneralBusiness(B)zoningdistrict,whichhasaminimumlot sizeperuseof30,000squarefeet.Twopermittedusessuchasa restaurantandaretailstorewouldrequireaparcelofatleast 60,000squarefeetforbothtobeallowedononelot.Aclarification inthecodeofhowtoapplytheminimumlotsizeperuseis needed.CurrentlytheTownreliesona2004interpretationbythe ZoningBoardofAppealsknownas“theMalondecision.”This interpretationstatedthattheminimumlotsizeperuseinthebulk schedulefortheGeneralBusiness(“B”)Zoneappliedtoeach building,ratherthaneachbusinessinthatbuilding.Intheexample above,therestaurantandtheretailstorecouldbothbelocatedona parcelof30,000squarefeetratherthan60,000squarefeetifthey werebothinthesamebuilding. Aninterpretationsuchasthisisoftenanindicationthatthe wordingofthezoningcodeneedstobeclarifiedeithertomatch theinterpretation,orchangedtoreflecttheintentofthelegislative body(theTownBoard). b)Re-evaluatetheminimumlotsize,setbacks,andmaximumlot coverageinthebulkscheduleoftheTownCodeforall commercialandindustrialzoningdistricts. Addressingthelargerissueoftheeffectivenessofthebulk schedule,theintentofwhichistoregulatethesizeandimpactof 3LandUse&Zoning SoutholdTownComprehensivePlanUpdate 3-21 usesonasite,isanotherimportantreviewthatmustbedonefor theentirebulkschedule. 3.TRANSITIONALZONINGUPDATE—Evaluate,identify,andimprove transitionalzoningareaswherenecessaryandfeasible. Transitionalzoningareasarethosethatshiftfromacommercial/industrialzoning districttoaresidentialzoningdistrict.Ideally,azoningdistrictwouldexistbetween thetwothatwouldallowforalower-impactcommercialusethatcouldbenexttoa residencewithoutinterferingwiththeresidents’qualityoflife.Anexampleof transitionalzoningincurrentSoutholdTownCodeistheResidentialOfficezoning district,typicallylocatedontheoutskirtsofahamletcenter.Thiszoningdistrict allowsonlylow-impactusessuchasaprofessionaloffice,therebyprovidinga transitionbetweentheHamletBusinesszoningofthehamletcenterandthe residentialzoningoutsidethehamletcenter. Insomecases,veryolddevelopmentpatternsexistwhereitisnotpossibletocreate anidealtransition;however,theremaybeplacesintownwherethetransitionzoning canbeimproved. i.Evaluatetheusesallowedinexistingtransitionzoningdistricts(Limited Business,ResidentialOffice)todeterminewhethertheyrequireanyupdates toensuretheyfunctionastransitionzones.Optionally,consideranew transitionalzoningdistrict. ii.Identifyareaswithtransitionsfromcommercial/industrialtoresidentialthat lacktransitionalzoningtodeterminewhetheritcanbeadded. iii.Evaluateareaswithtransitionalzoningortransitionalusestodetermine whethersomeotherzoneismoreappropriategiventhecurrentpatternofland use. Analysesrequired: 1)Identifyallareasoftransitioninzoningdistrictsanduses. 2)Identifycurrentuseofallinvolvedparcels. 3)Existingandpotentialnewtransitionzoningdistricts: •Identifyusesandtheirimpacts i.Traffic ii.Noise iii.Buildingsizeandscale •Evaluateandmodelminimumlotsize,maximumlotcoverage, andsetbackandparkingrequirements. 3LandUse&Zoning SoutholdTownComprehensivePlanUpdate 3-22 4.MARINEZONINGUPDATE Evaluatetheusesandbulkscheduleofthemarinezoningdistricts(MI&MII)to ensuretheycontinuetosupportthegoalsoftheTown. Themarinezoningdistrictsprovideameansofaccesstothewaterthroughboth publicandprivatefacilities.Thesezoningdistrictswerecreatedtoensurethereis amplepublicaccesstothewater,whilebalancingtheneedtoprotectthefragile environmentoftheshorelinesandwaterbodies.ConsulttheLocalWaterfront RevitalizationProgramdocument,incorporatedbyreferenceintothisplan,for specificrecommendations,andconductnewanalysesoftheexistingmarinezoning, permittedusesandthebulkschedule. 5.SPLIT-ZONEDPARCELS Split-zonedparcelsarethosethatarelocatedinmorethanonezoningdistrict.An examplewouldbeaparcelthatispartiallyintheBzoneandpartiallyintheR-40 zone.Currently,theTownCodeprovideslittleguidanceonhowtoapplythebulk scheduleinthecaseofsplit-zones. i.ClarifytheTownCodewithrespecttosplit-zonedparcelsandhowthebulk scheduleisapplied. ii.Considerre-zoningtoreduceoreliminatesplit-zonedparcelswhere appropriate. Analysesrequired 1)Identifyallparcelswithsplit-zoning. •Determinetheamountofeachzoningdistrict,andwhetherit conformstothebulkschedule. 2)Identifyallusesonsplit-zonedparcelsandwhethertheyare conforming. 6.LIGHTINDUSTRIALZONINGDISTRICTS WiththepotentialfortraditionallightindustrialusesinSoutholddwindling,consider revisingthesezoningdistricts,especiallythoseclosetohamletcenters,to accommodatenewusesormixeduses.Example:artistlive-workdevelopmentthat providesartisthousing,studioworkspace,andgalleryspace. B.RESIDENTIALZONINGDISTRICTS 1.WATERQUALITY 3LandUse&Zoning SoutholdTownComprehensivePlanUpdate 3-23 Findwaystomitigatetheimpactstogroundwaterfromnewresidentialdevelopment andsubdivisions,includingquantityandqualityofdrinkingwaterandsurfacewater quality.ThistopicisexploredfullyintheWaterResourcessectionofChapter6, “NaturalResources&Environment.” 2.SIZEOFFUTUREHOMES i.Revisitthelotcoverageinthebulkscheduleforresidentialdistricts, especiallyasitrelatestolargerlotsizesandthoselocatedwithinSpecial FloodHazardAreas. Currentlya5-acrelotwouldallowforahomeofupto80,000squarefeeton twofloors.Whilethatmightseemextraordinary,theSouthForkhasseen extremelylargehomes,andhastakenmeasurestoaddressthesituation.One solutioncouldbetorevisethelotcoveragepercentagesothatthereisasliding scalewherelargerlotshavealowerpercentageoflotcoverage.InSpecial FloodHazardAreas,thelotcoveragecouldbeloweredevenmoretolimitthe amountofpotentialdamagefromflooding. ii.Revisitthesetbacksandmaximumbuildingheight,especiallyonnon- conforminglots,toensurethatneighboringhomesarenotadversely affectedbynewhouses. Setbacksaretheminimumdistanceabuildingmustbefromthepropertyline. Non-conforminglotsarelotsthataresmallerthantheminimumlotsizeinthe zoningdistrict.Someareverysmall,andifthebuildingistooclosetothe propertylineand/ortootall,itcanblocksunlighttoaneighboringhomeand beoutofproportionandcharacterwiththerestoftheneighborhood. 3.TRANSIENTRENTALS In2014,newtypesoftransientrentalswereintroducedintothearea,facilitatedby websitessuchasAirBnB,VRBO,andHomeaway.com.Manyhomesarebeing purchasedbyinvestorsandusedsolelyforthispurpose,leadingtoanerosionof communityandtranquilityofresidentialneighborhoods,andreducingtheavailable inventoryofhomesavailableforyear-roundrental.Thiscanalsobeconsidereda commercialuseinresidentialzone:itreducestheviabilityofcommercialbedand breakfastoperationsandlocalhotels. Limittransientrentalstopreservethequalityandtranquilityofresidential neighborhoods. 4.AGRICULTURE 3LandUse&Zoning SoutholdTownComprehensivePlanUpdate 3-24 TheresidentialzoningdistrictsareidenticaltotheAgriculturalConservation(AC) zoningdistrictintheirlistofpermitteduses.Assuch,agricultureispermittedinmost residentialzones,andhousesarepermittedintheACzone.Generally,agricultureand residencespeacefullycoexist. Astheagriculturalindustryevolves,however,somusttheTownCodeevolveto recognizethevarietyofnewbusinessmodelsbeingusedinagriculture.Thegoalisto provideabalancebetweensupportingagricultureandensuringneighborhoodsare protectedfromlargeadverseimpacts.Thiscanbeachievedbyassessingthe appropriatescaleandintensityrelativetotheproximitytoresidences,particularlyof retailandsimilarusesthatcandrawlargenumbersofpeopleandtheavailabilityof necessaryinfrastructuresuchason-siteparkingandaccesstomajorroads,and ensuringtheTownCodeisrevisedtoaddresstheseissues. ThistopicandrelatedgoalsandobjectivesarecoveredinmoredetailinChapter9, “Agriculture.” 5.COMMERCIALUSESINRESIDENTIALDISTRICTS(PRE-EXISTING NON-CONFORMINGUSES) Auseisconsideredpre-existingnon-conformingifitexistedataspecificlocation priortothecurrentzoning,andisnotapermitteduseinthatzoningdistrict.Theyare createdwhenthezoningischangedonaparcelthathasanexistinguseonitthatis notallowedinthenewzoningdistrict.Insomecases,theusesthatsurroundaparcel withapre-existingnon-conformingusemayhavechangedtosuchanextentthata differentzoningdistrictthatallowstheexistingusemightbeappropriate. Reviewallparcelswithpre-existingnon-conformingusestodeterminewhethera zoningchangetomaketheuseconformingisappropriate. ResponsibleParties:PlanningBoard,TownBoard Funding:Grantstofundtheanalysesnecessaryforeachobjective. 3LandUse&Zoning SoutholdTownComprehensivePlanUpdate 3-25 C.NEWZONINGDISTRICTS Newzoningdistrictsmaybecreatedwhereexistingzoningdistrictsdonotachievethe goalsofthisplan. PlumIsland In2013,theSoutholdTownBoardcreatedtwonewzoningdistrictsforthepurposesof applyingzoningtoPlumIslandforthefirsttimeinitshistory.Thesedistrictsarethe PlumIslandConservationDistrict,andthePlumIslandResearchDistrict.ThePlum IslandPlanningStudyofJuly2013supportsthesenewzoningdistrictsandisonfilewith theSoutholdTownClerk. HistoricPreservation In2015,theSoutholdTownBoardcreatedanewzoningdistrict,tobelandedonparcels withhistoricallysignificantbuildingstoencouragetheadaptivere-useofthebuildingsto preservecommunitycharacter.Thiswaspromptedbyanumberofchurchconsolidations, causingiconicchurchbuildingstobeputupforsaleandfacepossibledemolition. 13.CONTINUETOENFORCETHETOWNCODE LanduseregulationscontributetoprotectingSouthold’scommunitycharacterandquality oflife.Mostpeoplecomplywiththoseregulationsvoluntarily;however,occasional remindersarenecessary.Duringeverypublicmeetingconductedaspartofthis comprehensiveplanupdate,thetopicofcodeenforcementwasraised. SoutholdTownwillcontinuetoenhanceitsabilitytoenforceitsregulations. 3LandUse&Zoning SoutholdTownComprehensivePlanUpdate 3-26 HAMLETGOALS Nextfollowsadiscussionforeachhamlet,includingasummaryoflanduseandzoning.The hamletsareCutchogue,EastMarion,FishersIsland,GreenportWest,Laurel,Mattituck,New Suffolk,Orient,Peconic,andSouthold.Foreaseofreference,theorderofhamletsinthissection isalphabetical.Amapillustratingtheirlocationsisincludedas Figure3-6. Includedinthesehamlet-specificdiscussionsarethelong-termgoalsidentifiedinthe2007-08 HamletStakeholderInitiatives,aswellascurrentissuesidentifiedbythepublicoverthecourse ofthemanymeetingsthathavebeenheldforthisplan.Reviewingeachhamletseparatelywill showthattherearesimilaritiesamongallthehamlets,butthateachhamlethasitsownindividual character.Theuniquenatureofeachhamletwillneedtobeconsideredinfuturezoningandland usedecisions. Figure3-6.HamletMap(tobeaddedlater) 3LandUse&Zoning SoutholdTownComprehensivePlanUpdate 3-27 CUTCHOGUE CutchoguehamletislocatedinthewesternhalfoftheTownandstretchesfromtheLongIsland SoundacrosstheentirewidthtothePeconicBays.ItisborderedonthewestbyMattituck,onthe eastbyPeconic,andNewSuffolkonthesouth.Cutchogueistheoneofthelargestofthe10 hamletswith6,322acres. NearlyhalfofthelandinCutchogue—3,125acres—isagricultural,ausethatgreatlyinfluences thecommunitycharacterofthehamlet.Itshistoricbuildingsalsolendasenseofplace,withthe library,VillageGreen,andsurroundinghistoricbuildingsformingthecenterofthehistoric hamlet. ResidentiallandusescovernearlyathirdofthelandinCutchogue,withthemajoritybeing singlefamilyhomeslocatedsouthofStateRoute25. Transportationisthethirdlargestlandusecategoryat387acresor6percentofthetotal.In 2007,theCutchogueHamletStakeholdersidentifiedtrafficasthehamlet’smostpressingissue. TrafficcongestiononStateRoute25,trafficsafetyatintersections,andpedestriansafety, particularlyalongStateRoute25,werealllistedasissuesofconcern. Thehamletincludes372acresoflandcategorizedasrecreationandopenspace.Suchuses includetwogolfcourses—asmallpubliccourseandalargeprivateone—aswellasparcelssuch astheDownsFarmPreserve. MostcommercialusesarelocatedalongStateRoute25,withafewscatteredalongCounty Route48.Thesecommercialareasincludethehamletcenter,whichcontainsthepostoffice, restaurants,andvariousshopsandservices.Thehamletcenterisnotableinthatthereisa significantamountofHamletBusiness-zonedlandthatiscurrentlyundeveloped,soitsgrowth potentialishigherthanthatofotherSoutholdhamletcenters.Inaddition,despitehavingoneof thebusiercommercialareasintheTown,Cutchogue’shamletcenterhasretainedalotofits historiccharacterandsmall-towncharmduetothere-useofmanyofitshistoricbuildingsby businesseslikebanksandpublicuseslikelibraries. Cutchoguehasasecondcommercialareathatisdisconnectedfromthehamletcenter.Locatedon StateRoute25,itcontainsatypicalsmallshoppingcenteranchoredbyalargegrocerystore, withotherbusinessesstretchedalongthemainroadinbothdirections. CutchoguecontainsthelargestindustrialareaintheTown,anindustrialparklocatedinthearea northofCountyRoute48betweenDepotandCoxLanes.Thisarearepresentssignificantgrowth potentialfortheTown’staxbaseduetotherelativelylargeamountofundevelopedlandinthe park.Thelandusecategoryofwastehandlingencompasses78acres,whichincludestheTown- ownedtransferandrecyclingstation. AcompletelistoflandusesandcorrespondingacresandpercentagesinCutchoguearein Table 3-4. 3LandUse&Zoning SoutholdTownComprehensivePlanUpdate 3-28 TABLE3-4.LANDUSEINCUTCHOGUE LandUse Acres % Agriculture 3,125 49.4 Residential 1,792 28.3 Transportation 387 6.1 Vacant 373 5.9 Recreation&OpenSpace 372 5.9 Commercial 88 1.4 WasteHandling&Mgt 78 1.2 Institutional 64 1.0 Industrial 38 0.6 Utilities 3 0.0 TotalAcres 6,322 ZONINGINCUTCHOGUE InCutchogue,12ofthe19zoningdistrictsarerepresented,withtheAgriculturalConservation districtcovering3,765acres,or60percentoftheland,andtheResidential40and80covering mostoftherestoftheland.CutchogueisoneofonlytwohamletstocontainLightIndustrial Officezoning,whichislocatedintheindustrialparknorthofCountyRoute48,betweenCox LaneandDepotLane.ThereissignificantHamletBusiness-zonedlandthatremains undevelopedalongGriffingandNorthStreets.Commercialbuildoutofthislandwillexpandthe focusoftheHamletCenterBusinessDistrict. Table3-13 showszoninginthehamletsofSoutholdTownandisattheendofthischapter. BUILDOUTANALYSISFORCUTCHOGUE ThetheoreticalbuildoutpotentialforCutchoguecanbeestimatedbylookingatthecurrentland availablefordevelopmentandthezoning. Thereareapproximately1,783acresoflandavailablefordevelopmentinCutchogue.Ofthose, 1,496acrescouldbefurthersubdivided.Theoretically,ifallweresubdividedtotheirfullyield, anadditional640residentialbuildinglotswouldbecreated.Theremaining286acresofland alreadyexistas239individualresidentialbuildinglots.Addedtogethertheyrepresentthe theoreticalbuildoutpotentialforCutchogueof879additionalhousingunits. Only27percent,ofthosepossibleadditionalhousingunitswouldbeonhouselotsthatalready exist,whiletheotherpotentialhouselotswouldhavetobecreatedthroughthesubdivision process. 3LandUse&Zoning SoutholdTownComprehensivePlanUpdate 3-29 CommercialandindustrialdevelopmentinCutchogueisat13percentofthepotentialamount thatwouldbeallowedunderthecurrentzoning.Atalittleover400,000squarefeet,Cutchogue hasthefourthlargestamountofexistingcommercial/industrialbuildingareaintheTown.Under currentzoning,ifallofthelandthatiszonedforthisuseweredevelopedtoitsfullpotential,the resultcouldbeeighttimestheexistingamountofcommercialbuildingarea.Thislargeamount ofpotentialfuturecommercial/industrialdevelopmentismostlyduetothelargeundeveloped parcelsintheindustrialparknorthofCountyRoute48.Figure3-4 illustratestheamountof existingandpotentialfuturecommercialandindustrialdevelopmentinSoutholdTown,by hamlet. Thesebuildoutnumbersareestimatesbasedonthebestavailabledata.Manyfactorsinfluence howmuchlandwillbesubdivided,andhowmanyhomeswillactuallybeconstructedinthe future.Thesefactorsincludetheongoinglandpreservationprogram,aswellasthefactthat whilemuchofthelandthatistheoreticallyavailableforresidentialdevelopmentduetoits zoning,itisalreadybeingactivelyusedforagricultureinCutchogueandmightneverbe convertedtohomesites.Seethebuildoutanalysisdiscussioninthefirstsectionofthischapter formorediscussiononthistopic. Figures: LandUseMapforCutchogue ZoningMapforCutchogue GOALS/ISSUESFORCUTCHOGUE PreservingfarmlandandfarmingareimportantforthefutureofCutchogue,asarehistoric preservation,andmakingsurenewcommercialdevelopmentisatascaleconsistentwiththe small-towncharacterofthehamletcenter.Residentsidentifiedtrafficasoneoftheirmain concerns,especiallytrafficsafety. 1.Preservefarmlandandthebusinessofagriculture.Thisgoalisaddressedinmore detailinChapter7,“EconomicDevelopment,”Chapter9,“Agriculture,”andChapter 10,“LandPreservation.” 2.Ensurefuturecommercialdevelopmentinthehamletcenterisatascaleconsistent withthehistorichamlet’scharacter.Thisgoalcanbemetthroughtheimplementation ofGoal12ofthischapter,whichcallsforatown-widereviewandanupdateofthe zoningcode,andbycreatingdesignstandardsasidentifiedinthegoalsofChapter5, “CommunityCharacter.” 3.Ensurefuturedevelopmentinandnearthehamletcenterreflectsawalkable communitybyincludingpedestrianinfrastructure.ThisissueisaddressedinChapter 4,“Transportation&Infrastructure,”whichcontainsagoaltoadoptaComplete Streetspolicythatwouldincludeimprovingpedestrianinfrastructure. 3LandUse&Zoning SoutholdTownComprehensivePlanUpdate 3-30 4.Improvetrafficsafetyandcongestioninthehamletthroughtrafficcalmingandother measures.DetailsfromtheHamletStakeholders’recommendationsareincludedin Chapter4,“Transportation&Infrastructure.” 3LandUse&Zoning SoutholdTownComprehensivePlanUpdate 3-31 EASTMARION ThehamletofEastMarionislocatedintheeasternhalfoftheTown.Itisborderedonthewest byGreenportWestandontheeastbyOrient.TothenorthistheLongIslandSound,andtothe southisOrientHarbor.EastMarionisoneofthesmallerhamlets,with1,412acres. Mostofthe1,412acresoflandinEastMarionisinresidentialuseat589acresor41percent, andmostaresingle-familyresidences.ThehistorichomesalongStateRoute25,togetherwith thevariousenclavesofhomesalongbothLongIslandSoundandthePeconicBay,withtheir beachesandopenspacesareamajorpartofEastMarion’suniquecharacter.EastMarionisa popularvacationhomedestinationwithover50percentofits863housescharacterizedas seasonalinthe2010Census. Thenextlargestcategoryoflanduseisrecreationandopenspaceat19percent.Mostofthe269 acresinthiscategoryareconsidered“openspace,”orlandthatmuststayfreeofbuildingsand otherdevelopment.ParklandsuchastheRuthOlivaPreserveatDamPondPreserve,andthe openspacesinPebbleBeachFarmssubdivisionfallintothiscategory.Activerecreationareas suchasOldSchoolhouseParkarealsointhiscategory. EastMarionhasasmallbutactivefarmingcommunity,whichaddstoitsruralcharacter.There are157acresinagriculturaluseinEastMarion,or10percentoftheland.Streetsandrelated transportationusescoverabout8percentoftheland.ThereisnotrainstationinEastMarion,but therearebothpublicandprivatebusservicesinthehamlet. TheverysmallbusinessdistrictinEastMarion,thesmallestoftheTown,isanimportantpartof thecharacterofthehamlet.Residentsgenerallypreferitstaysmall.Thehamletcenterconsistsof asmallretailgeneralstore,thepostoffice,thefiredepartment,andseveralbed-and-breakfast businesses. AcompletelistoflandusesandcorrespondingacresandpercentagesinEastMarionarein Table3-5. TABLE3-5.LANDUSEINEASTMARION LandUse Acres % Residential 589 41.7 Recreation&OpenSpace 269 19.0 Vacant 247 17.5 Agriculture 157 11.1 Transportation 113 8.0 Commercial 29 0.7 Institutional 4 0.3 Utilities 4 0.0 TotalAcres 1,412 3LandUse&Zoning SoutholdTownComprehensivePlanUpdate 3-32 ZONINGINEASTMARION ThezoninginEastMarionisalmostentirelyresidential.Only6ofthe19zoningdistrictsare represented,withtheR-40districtcovering773acres,andtheR-80at607acres.Thereisavery smallamount,oneacre,ofcommerciallyzonedlandinthehamletcenter—thepostoffice property,theparcelnext-door,andasmallpartofthefirehouseparcel.Theothercommercial zoningincludes4acresof“ResortResidential,”anacreofwhichisdevelopedasahotel,andthe remainderasresidential.ThesinglelargestcommercialpropertyinEastMarionistheformer oysterfactorypropertyattheendofShipyardLane,whichcontainsanestimated15acresof buildableMarineII(MII)-zonedland. Table3-13 showszoninginthehamletsofSoutholdTownandisattheendofthischapter. BUILDOUTANALYSISFOREASTMARION ThetheoreticalbuildoutpotentialforEastMarioncanbeestimatedbylookingatthecurrentland availablefordevelopmentandthezoning. Thereareapproximately287acresoflandavailablefordevelopmentinEastMarion.Ofthose, 20parcelsconsistingof145acrescouldbefurthersubdivided.Theoretically,ifallwere subdividedtotheirfullyield,anadditional73buildinglotswouldbecreated.Theremaining141 acresoflandalreadyexistas174individualvacanthouselots.Addedtogethertheyrepresentthe theoreticalbuildoutpotentialforEastMarionof287additionalhousingunits. Themajority,or61percent,ofthosepossibleadditionalhousingunitswouldbeonhouselots thatalreadyexist,whiletheotherpotentialhouselotswouldhavetobecreatedthroughthe subdivisionprocess. CommercialandindustrialdevelopmentinEastMarionisat8percentofthepotentialamount thatwouldbeallowedunderthecurrentzoning.Atalittleover22,000squarefeet,EastMarion hasthesecondlowestamountofexistingcommercial/industrialbuildingareaintheTown. Undercurrentzoning,ifallofthelandthatiszonedfortheseusesweredevelopedtoitsfull potential,theresultcouldbe12timestheexistingamountofcommercialbuildingarea.Thisis mainlyattributedtothelargeMarineII-zonedparcelattheendofShipyardLane.Figure3-4 illustratestheamountofexistingandpotentialfuturecommercialandindustrialdevelopmentin SoutholdTown,byhamlet. Thesebuildoutnumbersareestimatesbasedonthebestavailabledata.Manyfactorsinfluence howmuchlandwillbesubdivided,andhowmanyhomeswillactuallybeconstructedinthe future.Thesefactorsincludetheeconomyandtheongoinglandpreservationprogram.Seethe buildoutanalysisdiscussioninthefirstsectionofthischapterformorediscussiononthistopic. 3LandUse&Zoning SoutholdTownComprehensivePlanUpdate 3-33 GOALS/ISSUESFOREASTMARION EastMarionresidentsvaluetheruralqualityoflifeinthehamlet,includingitsphysicalbeauty, itsshorelinesandopenspaces,anditsnightskies.Alsoimportantiskeepingthecommunity peaceful,friendly,andquiet—aplacewherefamiliescanremainforgenerations. 1.PreservetheexistingopenspacesinEastMarion.Thistopiciscoveredinmoredetailin Chapter10,“LandPreservation.” 2.Preservetheruralqualityoflife.ThisissueiscoveredinmoredepthintheChapter5, “CommunityCharacter,”aswellasinGoal12ofthischapter,whichcallsforareviewof theTownCodetoensurezoningandotherlanduseregulationsaccuratelyreflectthe qualityoflifeineachhamlet. 3.ImprovetrafficcongestionandtrafficandpedestriansafetyonStateRoute25,especially inthehamletcenter.ThistopiciscoveredinmoredetailinChapter4,“Transportation& Infrastructure.” 4.Limitfuturecommercialdevelopmenttomatchtheverysmallscaleofthehamletcenter. EastMarionresidentsaregenerallysatisfiedwiththeverysmallamountofcommercial activityintheirhamletcenterandhaveexpressedareluctanceforthattogrow.They generallyuseGreenportVillageandpointsfartherwesttoservetheirneedsforgoodsand services.ThisissueisreflectedinGoal12ofthischapter,whichcallsforareviewofthe TownCodetoensurezoningandotherlanduseregulationsaccuratelyreflecttheneeds ofeachhamlet. 5.Developaplanformanagingthedeerpopulation.TheTownhasbeencarryingoutaplan todoso,andthisissueismorefullydiscussedinChapter6,“NaturalResources& Environment.” Figures: LandUseMap ZoningMap 3LandUse&Zoning SoutholdTownComprehensivePlanUpdate 3-34 FISHERSISLAND FishersIslandhamletisalong,narrowislandlocatedattheeasterntipofSoutholdTown,about 12milesnortheastofOrientPoint,and4milesfromthecoastofConnecticut.Itissurroundedby LongIslandSoundtothewest,FishersIslandSoundonthenorth,andBlockIslandSoundtothe south.FishersIslandis3,200acresinsizeandabout7milesinlength. VisitingFishersIslandislikegoingbackintime.Thepaceisslower,thereislittletraffic,and exceptforthebustleofactivitynearthedockwhentheferrylands,theislandisrelativelyquiet andpeaceful.Asanisland,itschallengesaredifferentthanthosefacingtherestofthehamlets. OverathirdofFishersIsland’sacreageisdevelopedwithresidentiallanduses,mostofwhich aresingle-familyhomes.Approximately80percentofthose554homesareseasonal.Thisis muchhigherthanthetown-wideaverageof36percent,anddemonstratesoneofthebiggest problemsfacingFishersIsland,thecontinuingdeclineofitsyear-roundpopulation.Thedensity ofhousingontheislandis0.25housingunitsperacre,orabouthalfofthedensityintheTown overall. AnotherprominentfeatureoflanduseonFishersIslandisitsrecreationandopenspace,which coversnearly20percentoftheland.Therearetwogolfcourses,andconsiderableareasof naturallandprotectedbytheHenryL.FergusonMuseumthatholdsFishersIsland’sonlyLand Trust.Another26percentofthelandremainsundeveloped,yetistechnicallyavailablefor developmentinthefuture.Thereisnolandinagriculturaluse,thoughthereisactiveaquaculture conductedinthewateronandaroundFishersIsland. Commercialusesarespreadoutinseveralisolatedpocketsofcommercialandindustrialzoning onthewestendoftheisland,mostlocatedoutsidethesmallhamletcenter.Thehamletcenter consistsofseveralshops,amuseum,andamunicipalbuildingthatincludesthepostoffice. AcompletelistoflandusesandcorrespondingacresandpercentagesonFishersIslandarein Table3-6. TABLE3-6.LANDUSEONFISHERSISLAND LandUse Acres % Residential 940 36.3 Vacant 669 25.9 Recreation&OpenSpace 471 18.2 Transportation 329 12.7 Institutional 95 3.7 WasteHandling&Mgt 28 1.1 Industrial 24 0.9 Commercial 22 0.9 Utilities 7 0.3 TotalAcres 2,586 3LandUse&Zoning SoutholdTownComprehensivePlanUpdate 3-35 ZONINGONFISHERSISLAND ThezoningonFishersIslandisuniqueinthatitistheonlyplaceinSoutholdTownthathas Residential120(R-120)zoning,otherwiseknownas“3-acre”zoning,whichcoversnearly70 percentoftheisland.Nineofthe19zoningdistrictsappear,withtheR-120,R-80,andR-40 districtscovering2,262ofFishers’3,200acres.Thecommercialzoningisspreadoutintosix areaswiththetwolargestareasbeingthe18acresofGeneralBusiness(B)zoneneartheferry, andthe13acresofLimitedBusiness(LB)zonealongCrescentandFoxAvenues. Table3-13 illustratesthezoninginthehamletsofSoutholdTownandisattheendofthis chapter. BUILDOUTANALYSISFORFISHERSISLAND ThetheoreticalbuildoutpotentialforFishersIslandcanbeestimatedbylookingatthecurrent landavailablefordevelopmentandthezoning. Thereareapproximately679acresoflandavailablefordevelopmentinFishersIsland.Ofthose, 328acrescouldbefurthersubdivided.ThisisnotcountingtheFishersIslandClubgolfcourse. Theoretically,ifallweresubdividedtotheirfullyield,anadditional57buildinglotswouldbe created.Theremaining351acresoflandalreadyexistas177individualvacanthouselots. AddedtogethertheyrepresentthetheoreticalbuildoutpotentialforFishersIsland:234additional housingunits. Themajority,76percent,ofthosepossibleadditionalhousingunitswouldbeonhouselotsthat alreadyexist,whiletheotherpotentialhouselotswouldhavetobecreatedthroughthe subdivisionprocess. CommercialandindustrialdevelopmentonFishersIslandisat36percentofthepotential amountthatwouldbeallowedunderthecurrentzoning.Atalittleover100,000squarefeet, FishersIslandhasthefifthlowestamountofexistingcommercial/industrialbuildingareainthe Town.Undercurrentzoning,ifallofthelandthatiszonedforthisusewasdevelopedtoitsfull potential,theresultcouldbethreetimestheexistingamountofcommercialbuildingarea. Figure3-4 illustratestheamountofexistingandpotentialfuturecommercialandindustrial developmentinSoutholdTown,byhamlet. Thesebuildoutnumbersareestimatesbasedonthebestavailabledata.Manyfactorsinfluence howmuchlandwillbesubdivided,andhowmanyhomeswillactuallybeconstructedinthe future.Thesefactorsincludetheeconomyandthefactthatmuchofthelandthatcanbefurther subdividediscurrentlycontrolledbytheFishersIslandDevelopmentCorporation(FIDCO).See thebuildoutanalysisdiscussioninthefirstsectionofthischapterformorediscussiononthis topic. 3LandUse&Zoning SoutholdTownComprehensivePlanUpdate 3-36 GOALS/ISSUESFORFISHERSISLAND TheresidentsofFishersIslandwishtomaintaintheisland’squiet,rurallifestyleandstrong communitynetworksthatdefineitscharacter.Maintainingandgrowingtheyear-round populationandeconomyarecrucialaspectsofthisvision,asareprotectingitsnaturalresources andlimitingtourismtoasustainablelevel. 1.Facilitateastablepopulationofyear-roundresidentsontheisland.Theyear-round populationisdwindling,inpartduetolackofjobsandlackofaffordablehomes. a.Createnewhousingatapricethatisattainableforyear-roundresidents.This topiciscoveredinmoredetailinChapter8,“Housing.” b.Createqualityjobs;and c.Createormaintainefficient,affordablecommutingoptionstothemainland. 2.Strengthenanddiversifytheeconomicbaseoftheislandtoprovidethegoodsand servicesnecessaryforayear-roundpopulation,aswellastocreatequalitylocal employment. a.ExaminethezoningonFishersIslandtoidentifychangestailoredtotheisland’s uniquedemographicandeconomicchallenges.ThisissueisaddressedinGoal12 ofthischapter,whichcallsforanexaminationofzoningtown-wide.Fishers Island’schallengesaresharedtosomedegreebyallthehamlets;however,dueto thesmallsizeandisolationoftheisland,thesechallengesareintensifiedand probablyrequireuniquesolutions. TheimplementationofthisgoalforFishersIslandhasaheadstartoverother hamletsbecauseofallthehardworkdonebytheLandUsecommitteeofFishers Islandcitizenswhoidentifiedwherezoningcouldbemodifiedtobetter accomplishthegoalsoftheisland.Thisworkwillalsocomplementandcanbe usedinconjunctionwiththeIslandCommunityBoard’splanstocreateanaction planfortheIsland. 3.Ensuretheinfrastructureontheislandisingoodrepair,andusedinasustainablemanner. ThistopiciscoveredinmoredetailinChapter4,“Transportation&Infrastructure.”. Figures: LandUseMap ZoningMap 3LandUse&Zoning SoutholdTownComprehensivePlanUpdate 3-37 3LandUse&Zoning SoutholdTownComprehensivePlanUpdate 3-38 GREENPORTWEST ThehamletofGreenportWestislocatedintheeasternhalfoftheTown’smainland,inthearea justoutsideofandsurroundingtheincorporatedVillageofGreenport.GreenportWestis borderedonthewestbythehamletofSoutholdandArshamomaquePond,andontheeastby EastMarion.TothenorthistheLongIslandSound,andtothesouthisGreenportVillage,Pipes Cove,andGreenportHarbor.ThisareaoftheNorthForknarrowssignificantly,andisnearly completelyseparatedfromtherestoftheNorthForkbyArshamomaquePond.Vehicle connectionsareviaanarrowstripoflandalongCountyRoute48andabridgeonStateRoute25. GreenportWestis2,477acresinsize.ThenamecomesfromtheU.S.Censusandcanbe confusinggiventhatthislandareaislocatedbotheastandwestoftheVillageofGreenport.The hamletofGreenportWestisconsideredseparatefromtheVillageinthatthelandwithinthe boundariesoftheVillagearesubjecttotherulesandregulationsoftheincorporatedVillage, whilethelandoutsidetheVillageboundariesissubjecttotheregulationsoftheTownof Southold.TheirregularshapeoftheVillageboundaryisthereasonfortheirregularshapeofthe GreenportWesthamlet. GreenportWestisprimarilyaresidentialhamlet,withnearlyathirdofitslandinresidential uses.Severaldistinctresidentialneighborhoodslocatedalongthevariouswaterbodies characterizethishamlet.Thereare1,837homes,atadensityof0.7housingunitsperacre.This istheonlyhamletwithlifecarefacilitiesincludingSanSimeonbytheSound,anon-profit nursinghome,andPeconicLanding,alargeprivateretirementcommunity. Thehamletisunusualinthetypeanddistributionofitsopenspace.Thepreservedlandoccurs primarilyinalargeblockofwhatisknownasMoore’sDrain,andisacomplexofwoodlandand wetlands.Thereisalsoagolfcourseandacountypark. ThecommercialcenterforGreenportWestistheVillageofGreenport,whichcontainsagrocery store,pharmacy,postoffice,restaurants,andothershops.Commerciallanduseoutsidethe Villagecoversabout7percent,whichisasignificantlygreaterpercentagethantown-wideor otherhamlets.SomeofthiscanbeattributedtothefactthatGreenportWestcontainsseveral marinasandmotels,morethananyotherhamlet. GreenportWesthasasmallamountofagriculturalland,coveringalittleover5percent,andis muchlowerthanmostotherhamletsandtheTownoverall. GREENPORTVILLAGE TheincorporatedVillageofGreenporthasitsowngovernmentandisoutsidethepurviewof SoutholdTownplanning.However,thevillageisanimportantneighborandpartnerforthe Town.Therearesharedservices,suchaspolice,andsomemunicipalsewerconnections.In addition,thevillagecontainsagrocerystore,library,andothershopsandservicesthatarea benefittotheeasternmosthamletsofGreenport,EastMarion,andOrient.GreenportVillageis surroundedonthreesidesbythehamletofGreenportWest,andonthesouthbyPipesCoveand GreenportHarbor.Itis744acresinsize. 3LandUse&Zoning SoutholdTownComprehensivePlanUpdate 3-39 AcompletelistoflandusesandtheamountfoundinGreenportWestcanbefoundin Table3-7. TABLE3-7.LANDUSEINGREENPORTWEST LandUse Acres % Residential 697 28.1 Recreation&OpenSpace 627 25.3 Vacant 390 15.7 Transportation 194 7.8 Institutional 184 7.4 Commercial 179 7.2 Agriculture 130 5.3 Industrial 27 1.1 Utilities 10 0.4 WasteHandling&Mgt 9 0.4 TotalAcres 2,447 ZONINGINGREENPORTWEST ThezoninginGreenportWest,likethatofalltheotherhamlets,ismostlyresidential.Elevenof the19zoningdistrictsappearhere,withResidential80(R-80)andR-40coveringthemostland at1,767acres.ThishamlethasthemostHamletDensity(HD)zonedlandinSoutholdTownat 169acres,mostofwhichisinthePeconicLandingdevelopment.Itisoneofthreehamletsto containtheAffordableHousingDistrict(AHD)zoningat48acres,locatedintheCedarfieldsand PheasantRundevelopmentsoffMooresLane. GreenportWestistheonlyotherhamletotherthanCutchoguetocontainLightIndustrialOffice (LIO)zoning,whichstretchesalongthesouthsideofStateRoute25fromjustwestofChapel LanetoMooresLane.Muchofthatlandcontainsextensivewetlandsand62ofthe95acresof LIOzonedlandhassincebeenprotectedfromfuturedevelopment.Mostofthelandinthatzone thatcouldbedevelopedhasbeen,withthebulkofthatdevelopmentoccurringeastofSilvermere Road. Table3-13 illustratesthezoninginthehamletsofSoutholdTownandisattheendofthis chapter. BUILDOUTANALYSISFORGREENPORTWEST ThetheoreticalbuildoutpotentialforGreenportWestcanbeestimatedbylookingatthecurrent landavailablefordevelopmentandthezoning. Thereareapproximately407acresoflandavailablefordevelopmentinGreenportWest.Of those,231acrescouldbefurthersubdivided.Theoretically,ifallweresubdividedtotheirfull yield,anadditional98buildinglotswouldbecreated.Theremaining176acresoflandalready 3LandUse&Zoning SoutholdTownComprehensivePlanUpdate 3-40 existas213individualvacanthouselots.Addedtogethertheyrepresentthetheoreticalbuildout potentialforGreenportWestof311additionalhousingunits. Nearly70percent,ofthosepossibleadditionalhousingunitswouldbeonhouselotsthatalready exist,whiletheotherpotentialhousewouldhavetobecreatedthroughthesubdivisionprocess. CommercialandindustrialdevelopmentinGreenportWestisat32percentofthepotential amountthatwouldbeallowedunderthecurrentzoning.Atover450,000squarefeet,Greenport Westhasthethirdlargestamountofexistingcommercial/industrialbuildingareaintheTown. Undercurrentzoning,ifallthelandthatiszonedfortheuseweredevelopedtoitsfullpotential, theresultcouldbethreetimestheexistingamountofcommercialbuildingarea.See Figure3-4 illustratestheamountofexistingandpotentialfuturecommercialandindustrialdevelopmentin SoutholdTown,byhamlet. Thesebuildoutnumbersareestimatesbasedonthebestavailabledata.Manyfactorsinfluence howmuchlandwillbesubdivided,andhowmanyhomeswillactuallybeconstructedinthe future.Thesefactorsincludetheeconomyandtheongoinglandpreservationprogram.Seethe buildoutanalysisdiscussioninthefirstsectionofthischapterformorediscussiononthistopic. GOALS/ISSUESFORGREENPORTWEST DuringtheHamletStudyandsubsequentHamletStakeholdermeetings,residentsofthehamlet ofGreenportWestexpressedavisionthatincludedpreservingremainingopenspacesand wetlands,andenhancingscenicareas,aswellasthecharacteroftheexistingneighborhoods. Theyalsosupportednewhousingopportunitiesfortheworkforce,aswellasanimprovedpublic transportationsystem. 1.Preserveremainingopenspaceandnaturalareas.Thistopiciscoveredinmoredetailin Chapter10,“LandPreservation.” 2.Homesthatareaffordabletoyear-roundresidentsareimportant.Accomplishthecreation ofmoreaffordablehomes,andensuretheyarespreadthroughouttheTowninequal measure.ThistopiciscoveredinmoredetailinChapter8,“Housing.” 3.ImprovetheStateRoute25ScenicCorridorinGreenportbyenforcingcurrentcodes regardingsignage,outdoorstorage,andsimilar.Goal13ofthischapteraddressescode enforcementandtheneedtocontinuetoimproveittown-wide. 4.Maintainandimprovethecommunitycharacterthroughthecontinuationofthe ArchitecturalReviewCommitteeforallcommercialdevelopment.Formoreonthistopic, seeChapter5,“CommunityCharacter.” 3LandUse&Zoning SoutholdTownComprehensivePlanUpdate 3-41 5.Improvepedestrianandtrafficsafety,especiallyattheintersectionofCountyRoute48 andStateRoute25,andonCountyRoute48attheSoundviewInn.Thistopicis discussedinmoredetailinChapter4,“Transportation&Infrastructure.” 6.Protectthequalityoflifebyminimizinglightpollution.Lightpollutionisaddressedin moredetailinChapter5,“CommunityCharacter,”andChapter6,“NaturalResources& Environment.” Figures: LandUseMap ZoningMap 3LandUse&Zoning SoutholdTownComprehensivePlanUpdate 3-42 MATTITUCK/LAUREL MattituckandLaurelarethegatewaytoSoutholdTownfromthewest,andareimportantin establishingtheoverallfirstimpressionofthecharacteroftheTown.Thetwohamletsare addressedtogetherinthisplanforthepurposesofgeneratingstatistics,primarilyduetothe boundarybetweenthembeingdifficulttopinpoint.Changestoschooldistrictsovertimehave causedofficialboundarylinestodifferfromthoserecognizedbylong-timeresidents.In addition,asmallportionofLaurelislocatedinRiverheadTown.Thetwohamletswillbe referredtoas“Mattituck/Laurel”whendiscussingstatistics,yetwillalsobetreatedastwo distinctplaceswithregardtotheircharacterandscale. MattituckislocatedinthewesternhalfoftheTown’smainland,andstretchesfromtheLong IslandSoundacrosstheentirewidthoftheNorthForktothePeconicBays.Itisborderedonthe northwestbyRiverheadTown,thesouthwestbyLaurel,andtheeastbyCutchogue.Tothenorth isLongIslandSound,andthesouthisGreatPeconicBay.Laurelislocatedinthesouthwestern endoftheTown,borderedbyRiverheadTownonthewest,Mattituckonthenorthandeast,and theGreatPeconicBayonthesouth.Mattituck/Laurelcontain7,569acresofland. Mattituck/LaurelcontainnearlyasmuchagriculturallandasCutchogueatalmost3,000acres,or 40percentofitslandarea.ThewideexpansesofagriculturallandthatcanbeseenalongState Route25andCountyRoute48establishinlargepartthecharacterofthisarea.Another identifyingfeatureistheMattituckCreek,asignificantbodyofwaterthatistwomileslong.The creek’sextensiveprotectedshorelinecreatesmanyopportunitiesforwaterfrontaccessandits headwaterscanbeviewedbymotoriststravellingonCountyRoute48.Atitsmouthisapublic beachwithwide,openviewsoftheLongIslandSound. Residentialusescoverover30percentofthelandinMattituck/Laurelandarealmostentirely single-familyresidences.Thereare3,151housingunitsinMattituck/Laurelatanoveralldensity of0.4housingunitsperacre,slightlylessdensethantheoveralltowndensityof0.5.Asisthe caseinallofthehamlets,theoveralldensitydoesnotreflectthetruedensityofanygiven neighborhood.InMattituck/Laurel,therearebothpocketsofveryhigh-densityneighborhoodsas wellaslargeblocksofundevelopedland,someagriculturalsomepreservednaturalwoodlands liketheLaurelLakePreserve. Althoughonly2percentofthelandareaofMattituck/Laurelisconsideredcommercial, MattituckcontainsoneofthelargestandmostdiversecommercialcentersintheTown,witha bustlinghamletcenterandasecond,largerbusinessdistricttothewestofthehamletcenter. Together,thesecommercialcentersarethewesternpartoftheTown’sprimarycommercialhub. LaurelcontainsasmallhamletcenterlocatedjustoffStateRoute25,composedofjustafew businesses.AnotherlargergroupofbusinessesstretchesalongStateRoute25fromthetrain trestleeast. Mattituckcontainssignificantareasoflightindustrialuses,themostvisiblebeingalongthe railroadtracksnearthehamletcenter. 3LandUse&Zoning SoutholdTownComprehensivePlanUpdate 3-43 AsummaryofthelandusecategoriesinMattituck/Laurelisshownin Table3-8. TABLE3-8.LANDUSEINMATTITUCK/LAUREL LandUse Acres % Agriculture 2,983 39.4 Residential 2,412 31.9 Recreation&OpenSpace 850 11.2 Transportation 529 7.0 Vacant 446 5.9 Commercial 133 1.8 Utilities 98 1.3 Institutional 76 1.0 Industrial 42 0.6 TotalAcres 7,569 ZONINGINMATTITUCK/LAUREL Elevenofthe19zoningdistrictsarerepresentedinMattituckandLaurel,with45percent,or 3,459acreszonedAgriculturalConservationwithR-80andR-40coveringmostoftherestofthe land.MattituckandLaurelcombinedhavethemostGeneralBusinesszonedlandofallhamlets at73acres,andthesecondlargestamountofHamletBusinesszonedlandat43acres.Mostof theHamletBusinesszoningisinMattituckintheLoveLanearea,althoughLaurelhasasmall amountnearStateRoute25onFranklinvilleRoad. Table3-13 showszoninginthehamletsofSoutholdTownandisattheendofthischapter. BUILDOUTANALYSISFORMATTITUCK/LAUREL ThetheoreticalbuildoutpotentialforMattituck/Laurelcanbeestimatedbylookingatthecurrent landavailablefordevelopmentandthezoning. Thereareapproximately2,249acresoflandavailableforresidentialdevelopmentin Mattituck/Laurel.Ofthose,1,939acrescouldbefurthersubdivided.Theoretically,ifallwere subdividedtotheirfullyield,anadditional810buildinglotswouldbecreated.Theremaining 311acresoflandalreadyexistas317individualvacanthouselots.Addedtogetherthey representthetheoreticalbuildoutpotentialforMattituck/Laurelof1,127additionalhousing units. Nearly30percentofthosepossibleadditionalhousingunitswouldbeonhouselotsthatalready exist,whiletheotherpotentialhousewouldhavetobecreatedthroughthesubdivisionprocess. 3LandUse&Zoning SoutholdTownComprehensivePlanUpdate 3-44 CommercialandindustrialdevelopmentinMattituck/Laurelisat35percentofthepotential amountthatwouldbeallowedunderthecurrentzoning.Atover800,000squarefeet, Mattituck/Laurelhasthelargestamountofexistingcommercial/industrialbuildingareainthe Town.Undercurrentzoning,ifallthelandthatiszonedforitwasdevelopedtoitsfullpotential, theresultcouldbethreetimestheexistingamountofcommercialbuildingarea.Figure3-4 illustratestheamountofexistingandpotentialfuturecommercialandindustrialdevelopmentin SoutholdTown,byhamlet. Thesebuildoutnumbersareestimatesbasedonthebestavailabledata.Manyfactorsinfluence howmuchlandwillbesubdivided,andhowmanyhomeswillactuallybeconstructedinthe future.Thesefactorsincludetheongoinglandpreservationprogram,aswellasthefactthat,like Cutchogue,muchofthelandthatistheoreticallyavailableforresidentialdevelopmentduetoits zoningisalreadybeingactivelyusedforagricultureinMattituckandLaurelandmightneverbe convertedtohomes.Seethebuildoutanalysisdiscussioninthefirstsectionofthischapterfor morediscussiononthistopic. GOALS/ISSUESFORMATTITUCK/LAUREL Mattituck/Laurelresidentshaveexpressedavisionthatincludespreservingfarmlandandopen spaces,retainingthecharacterofthehamlets,andimprovingtrafficsafetyandpedestrianaccess inandnearthehamletcenter. 1.Preservefarmlandandthebusinessofagriculture.Thisgoalisaddressedinmoredetailin Chapter7,“EconomicDevelopment,”Chapter9,“Agriculture,”andChapter10,“Land Preservation.” 2.Ensurefuturecommercialdevelopmentinthehamletcenterisatascaleconsistentwith thehamlet’scharacter.Thisgoalcanbemetthroughtheimplementationofthehamlet centersubsectionofGoal12subsectiononhamletcenters,andbycreatingdesign standardsasidentifiedinthegoalsofChapter5,“CommunityCharacter.” 3.Preventretailsprawlandthepotentialcreationathirdretailbusinessareathatwilldetract fromLoveLane,andthenearbyretailshoppingcenter.ThisconcernisaddressedinGoal 12ofthischapter,inthesubsectionentitled“BusinessCorridorsOutsidetheHamlet CentersZoningUpdate.”Oneobjectivethatwouldhelpachievethisgoalwouldbeto directretailusestothehamletcenterswhileprovidingforadditionalusesinthebusiness corridorsoutsideofthehamletcenters. 4.ImprovethepedestriansafetyandwalkabilityofMainRoadfromFactoryAvenueto LoveLaneincludingalinkforsafepedestriancrossingfromLoveLane.Thetown-wide Goal12inthehamletcentersubsectionandChapter4,“Transportation&Infrastructure.” addressthisissue. 3LandUse&Zoning SoutholdTownComprehensivePlanUpdate 3-45 5.UpdatetheusesintheLightIndustrialzonesnearthehamletcentertoadapttoa changingeconomy.ThisissueisreflectedinGoal12ofthischapter,whichcallsfora reviewoftheTownCodetoensurezoningandotherlanduseregulationsaccurately reflecttheneedsofeachhamlet. 6.Affordable,attainablehousingisimportant,andthemostacceptablemodelisconverting anexistinglargehousetoseveralapartments,ratherthanlarge,newdevelopments. Chapter8,“Housing,”addressesthisissueinmoredetail. 7.Createa‘villagegreen’forthehamletcenter.Chapter13,“Parks&Recreation,”also includesthisgoal. Figures: LandUseMap ZoningMap 3LandUse&Zoning SoutholdTownComprehensivePlanUpdate 3-46 NEWSUFFOLK ThecompacthamletofNewSuffolkislocatedonthesouthshoreinthewesternhalfofthe Town’smainland.ItisborderedonthewestandnorthbyCutchogue,onthesouthbyGreat PeconicBay,andontheeastbyCutchogueHarbor.At335acres,NewSuffolkisthesmallest hamlet.RobinsIsland,locatedamileoffthesouthshoreofNewSuffolkintheGreatPeconic Bay,technicallyaddsanother454acrestotheareaofNewSuffolk;however,theislandis protectedfromfuturedevelopmentbyaconservationeasement,andisdiscussedseparatelyinthe statisticsaboutlanduseforthehamlet. NewSuffolk’shamletcenterfeaturesatraditional,rectangularstreetgridpattern,smalllots,and atinyschoolhousewhichcombinetogenerateanairofquietcharm.Thewaterfrontareaalong FirstStreetwasatonetimeanindustrialarea,withsubmarinemanufacturingandotherindustrial uses.Theareawastransformedovertimeandnowboastsapopularsandybeach,aboatramp, andspectacularviewsofCutchogueHarborandthebay.Commercialactivityinthehamletis limitedtoafewshops,restaurants,andsmallmarinas. Landuseinthehamletismostlysingle-familyhomes.Suchresidentialusesaccountfornearly 50percentofthelandarea,with307housingunitsatadensityof0.9housingunitsperacre.This densityisnearlytwiceashighasthetown-wideaverage.Thirty-sevenpercentofthehomesin NewSuffolkareseasonal,aratethatissimilartothetown-widepercentage. ThesmallamountofagriculturallandinNewSuffolkispartofalargerCutchoguefarm.Other thanFishersIsland,NewSuffolkistheonlyhamletbypassedbybothStateRoute25andCounty Route48,althoughsummercrowdsstillmanagetofindtheirwaytoitslovelyviewsandbeach. AsummaryofthelandusecategoriesinNewSuffolkisshownin Table3-9. TABLE3-9.LANDUSEINNEWSUFFOLK LandUse Acres % Residential 161 48 Vacant 60 18 Agriculture 47 14 Transportation 36 10.7 Recreation&OpenSpace 19 6 Commercial 6 2 Industrial 5 1 Institutional 1 0.3 TotalAcres*335 *Notincluding454-acreRobinsIsland 3LandUse&Zoning SoutholdTownComprehensivePlanUpdate 3-47 ZONINGINNEWSUFFOLK Eightofthe19zoningdistrictsarerepresentedinNewSuffolk.TheResidential400(R-400,or “10-acrezoning”)coversthelargestamountoflandarea;thisisduetoRobinsIslandbeing countedaspartofNewSuffolk.ThemainlandofNewSuffolkiszonedinaboutequalparts Residential(mostlyR-40)andAgriculturalConservationonitsoutskirts. ThereisverylittlecommerciallyzonedpropertyinNewSuffolk,withthemajoritylocatedinthe MarineIandMarineIIzonesandbeingmostlydevelopedasmarinasonthewaterfront.Asmall amountofHamletBusinesszonedland,fouracres,islocatedonFirstStreet. Table3-13 showszoninginthehamletsofSoutholdTownandisattheendofthischapter. BUILDOUTANALYSISFORNEWSUFFOLK ThetheoreticalbuildoutpotentialforNewSuffolkcanbeestimatedbylookingatthecurrent landavailablefordevelopmentandthezoning. Thereareapproximately78acresoflandavailableforresidentialdevelopmentinNewSuffolk. Ofthose,29couldbefurthersubdivided.Theoretically,ifallweresubdividedtotheirfullyield, anadditional10buildinglotswouldbecreated.Theremaining49acresoflandalreadyexistas 29individualvacanthouselots.Addedtogethertheyrepresentthetheoreticalbuildoutpotential forNewSuffolkof39additionalhousingunits. Themajority,or74percent,ofthosepossibleadditionalhousingunitswouldbeonhouselots thatalreadyexist,whiletheotherpotentialhouselotswouldhavetobecreatedthroughthe subdivisionprocess. CommercialandindustrialdevelopmentinNewSuffolkisat12percentofthepotentialamount thatwouldbeallowedunderthecurrentzoning.Atalittleover19,000squarefeet,NewSuffolk hasthelowestamountofexistingcommercial/industrialbuildingareaintheTown.Under currentzoning,ifallofthelandthatiszonedforthisuseweredevelopedtoitsfullpotential,the resultcouldbeeighttimestheexistingamountofcommercialbuildingarea.Figure3-4 illustratestheamountofexistingandpotentialfuturecommercialandindustrialdevelopmentin SoutholdTown,byhamlet. Thesebuildoutnumbersareestimatesbasedonthebestavailabledata.Manyfactorsinfluence howmuchlandwillbesubdivided,andhowmanyhomeswillactuallybeconstructedinthe future.Thesefactorsincludetheeconomyandtheongoinglandpreservationprogram.Seethe buildoutanalysisdiscussioninthefirstsectionofthischapterformorediscussiononthistopic. 3LandUse&Zoning SoutholdTownComprehensivePlanUpdate 3-48 GOALS/ISSUESFORNEWSUFFOLK NewSuffolkresidentspreferthattheirhamletstaythewayitis,apeacefulretreatoffthebeaten path.Publicviewsandaccesstothewaterareimportant.Althoughthezoningwouldallowit,the visionforthehamletcenterdoesnotinvolveanyadditionalcommercialactivity,norisitlikely giventheenvironmentalandspaceconstraintsofthesmall,existingparcels. 1.Ensureanyfuturecommercialdevelopmentbeatascaleandintensitythatisinkeeping withthesmallscaleofthehamlet.ThisissueisreflectedinGoal12ofthischapter, whichcallsforareviewoftheTownCodetoensurezoningandotherlanduse regulationsaccuratelyreflecttheneedsofeachhamlet. 2.Improvetrafficsafetyinthehamletthroughtrafficcalmingandothermeasures.Details fromtheHamletStakeholders’recommendationsareincludedinChapter4, “Transportation&Infrastructure.” 3.ImprovetheparkingsituationonFirstStreetandnearthebeach.Thisissueisreflectedin thehamletcenterssubsectionofGoal12ofthischapter,whichcallsforanassessmentof parkingineachhamlet. 4.ProtectthepublicviewsandaccesstothewateralongFirstStreet.Thisispartially addressedinChapter5,“CommunityCharacter.” Figures: LandUseMap ZoningMap 3LandUse&Zoning SoutholdTownComprehensivePlanUpdate 3-49 ORIENT ThehamletofOrientislocatedontheeasternendoftheTown’smainland.Itisborderedonthe westbyEastMarionandisotherwisesurroundedbywater—onitsnorthbytheLongIsland Sound,onitssouthwestbyOrientHarbor,andonitssoutheastbyGardinersBay.Orientis3,163 acresinsize,notincludingtheislandsassociatedwithit.TheseincludePlumIsland,at816 acres,GreaterGullat25,andLesserGullIslandatabout5. Orient’scharacterisdefinedbyitsfarmsanditstraditionalhamletcenterwithnarrowstreets linedwithtreesandhistoricbuildings.Agriculturallandusescoveroverathirdofthehamlet’s landarea. Fewbusinessesexistinthehamletcenter,andverylittleothercommercialactivityelsewherein Orient,lendingtothecharmofthisquiethamlet.Orientisalsoknownforitsextensiveprotected openspaceandparkland,includingOrientBeachStateParkandOrientPointCountyPark. Lessthanaquarterofthelandisinresidentialuse;theseusesarenearlyallsingle-familyhomes. Thereare777housingunits,inanoveralldensityof0.2unitsperacre,arateover50percent lowerthantheoveralltown-widehousingdensity. AcompletelistoflandusesandtheamountfoundinOrientcanbefoundin Table3-10. TABLE3-10.LANDUSEINORIENT LandUse Acres % Agriculture 991 31.3 Recreation&OpenSpace 924 29.2 Residential 746 23.6 Vacant 281 8.9 Transportation 154 4.9 Institutional 38 1.2 Commercial 22 0.7 Industrial 5 0.2 Utilities 1 0.0 TotalAcres*3,163 *Notincluding816-acrePlumIslandandotherislands. ZONINGINORIENT ThezoninginOrientisalmostentirelyresidential.Thereisaverysmallamountofcommercial land,mostlyonornearVillageLane.TheMarineIIzoningislargelycomposedoftheOrient PointmarinaareaofOrientbytheSea,thePlumIslandferryproperty,andtheCrossSound Ferryproperty.PlumIslandzoningdistrictsareincludedbecausePlumIslandisincludedinthe Orienttotals. 3LandUse&Zoning SoutholdTownComprehensivePlanUpdate 3-50 Table3-13 showszoninginthehamletsofSoutholdTownandisattheendofthischapter. BUILDOUTANALYSISFORORIENT ThetheoreticalbuildoutpotentialforOrientcanbeestimatedbylookingatthecurrentland availablefordevelopmentandthezoning. Thereareapproximately667acresoflandavailablefordevelopmentinOrient.Ofthose,444 acresoflandcouldbefurthersubdivided.Theoretically,ifallweresubdividedtotheirfullyield, anadditional158residentialbuildinglotswouldbecreated.Theremaining224acresofland alreadyexistas163individualvacanthouselots.Addedtogethertheyrepresentthetheoretical buildoutpotentialforOrientof321additionalhousingunits. Slightlymorethanhalf,ofthosepossibleadditionalhousingunitswouldbeonhouselotsthat alreadyexist,whiletheotherhalfofthepotentialfuturehouselotswouldhavetobecreated throughthesubdivisionprocess. CommercialandindustrialdevelopmentinOrientisat21percentofthepotentialamountthat wouldbeallowedunderthecurrentzoning.Atover37,000squarefeet,Orienthasthethird lowestamountofexistingcommercial/industrialbuildingareaintheTown.Undercurrent zoning,ifallthelandthatiszonedforthisuseweredevelopedtoitsfullpotential,theresult couldbefivetimestheexistingamountofcommercialbuildingarea.Figure3-4 illustratesthe amountofexistingandpotentialfuturecommercialandindustrialdevelopmentinSouthold Town,byhamlet. Thesebuildoutnumbersareestimatesbasedonthebestavailabledata.Manyfactorsinfluence howmuchlandwillbesubdivided,andhowmanyhomeswillactuallybeconstructedinthe future.Thesefactorsincludetheeconomy,theongoinglandpreservationprogram,andthefact thatmuchofthelandabletobesubdividedfurtherisinactiveagriculturaluse.Seethebuildout analysisdiscussioninthefirstsectionofthischapterformorediscussiononthistopic. GOALS/ISSUESFORORIENT: Maintainingthequiet,ruralcharacterandscenicbeautyofthehamletarehighprioritiesfor Orient. 1.Preserveopenspaceandfarmland.ThisgoalisaddressedinmoredetailinChapter7, “EconomicDevelopment,”Chapter9,“Agriculture,”andChapter10,“Land Preservation.” 2.Protectwaterresourcesfromover-useandcontaminationfromsepticsystems.This goalisaddressedinmoredetailinChapter6,“NaturalResources&Environment.” 3LandUse&Zoning SoutholdTownComprehensivePlanUpdate 3-51 3.Createhomesthatyear-roundresidents,includingyoungpeople,canafford.This topiciscoveredinmoredetailinChapter8,“Housing.” 4.Improvetrafficsafetyandcongestioninthehamletthroughtrafficcalmingandother measures.DetailsfromtheHamletStakeholders’recommendationsareincludedin Chapter4,“Transportation&Infrastructure.” 5.Ensurefuturecommercialdevelopmentinthehamletcenterisinkeepingwithandat ascaleconsistentwiththissmall,historichamlet’scharacter.Thisgoalcanbemet throughtheimplementationofGoal12ofthischapter,whichcallsforareviewofthe TownCodetoensurezoningandotherlanduseregulationsaccuratelyreflectthe needsofeachhamlet,andbycreatingdesignstandardsasidentifiedinthegoalsof Chapter5,“CommunityCharacter.” 6.Ensurefutureresidentialdevelopmentinthehamletisinkeepingwithandatascale consistentwiththehamlet’scharacter.Thisgoalcanbemet,inpart,throughthe implementationofthischapter’sGoal12,whichcontainsasubsectiononupdating regulationsforResidentialUsesincludinghomesizes. 7.ProtecttheintegrityoftheOrient’shistoricdistrict.Thistopiciscoveredinmore detailinChapter5,“CommunityCharacter.” Figures: LandUseMap ZoningMap 3LandUse&Zoning SoutholdTownComprehensivePlanUpdate 3-52 PECONIC ThehamletofPeconicislocatednearthecenteroftheTown’smainland.Itisborderedonthe westbyCutchogueandontheeastbySouthold.TothenorthistheLongIslandSound,andto thesouthisHogNeckBay.Peconicis2,427acresinsize. AgriculturedefinesPeconic,andfarmingactivitiescoveroverhalfofthelandinthehamlet. PeconicisalsoseenastherecreationhuboftheTown.Twolarge,townparksfeaturingplaying fieldsandtenniscourts,theTownRecreationCenter,andtheTownCommunityCenterareall locatedinPeconic. TheverysmallhamletcenterofPeconicislocatedjusttothenorthofthetownparks.Peconic’s isamongthesmallestofthe10hamletcenters,whereonlyafewstorefrontsandbusinessesanda postofficearelocated. Residentiallandusescoverabout564acres,or23percentoftheland,withmostofthehomes locatedeitherneartheLongIslandSoundornearthecreeksandbaystothesoutheast.Thereare 526homesinPeconic,atanoveralldensityof0.2housingunitsperacre.Peconicismuchless denselydevelopedthanotherhamletsandtheTownoverall. AcompletelistoflandusesandtheamountfoundinPeconiccanbefoundin Table3-11. TABLE3-11.LANDUSEINPECONIC LandUse Acres % Agriculture 1,261 52.0 Residential 564 23.2 Recreation&OpenSpace 215 8.9 Vacant 194 8.0 Transportation 136 5.6 Commercial 43 1.8 Industrial 6 0.3 Institutional 5 0.2 Utilities 3 0.1 TotalAcres 2,427 ZONINGINPECONIC ThezoninginPeconicisalmostentirelyresidential.Althoughtheamountofcommerciallyzoned landissmall,itisdiverse,withB,HB,LB,LI,RR,andROuses,allclusterednearPeconicLane andalongCountyRoute48,withasmallamountofBzoninglocatedneartheintersectionof PeconicLaneandStateRoute25. 3LandUse&Zoning SoutholdTownComprehensivePlanUpdate 3-53 Table3-13 showszoninginthehamletsofSoutholdTownandisattheendofthischapter. BUILDOUTANALYSISFORPECONIC ThetheoreticalbuildoutpotentialforPeconiccanbeestimatedbylookingatthecurrentland availablefordevelopmentandthezoning. Thereareapproximately1,015acresoflandavailableforresidentialdevelopmentinPeconic.Of those,900couldbefurthersubdivided.Theoretically,ifallweresubdividedtotheirfullyield,an additional364residentialbuildinglotswouldbecreated.Theremaining115acresofland alreadyexistas92individualvacanthouselots.Addedtogethertheyrepresentthetheoretical buildoutpotentialforPeconicof456additionalhousingunits. Asmallpercentage,or20percent,ofthosepossibleadditionalhousingunitswouldbeonhouse lotsthatalreadyexist,whiletheother80percentofpotentialhouselotswouldhavetobecreated throughthesubdivisionprocess. CommercialandindustrialdevelopmentinPeconicisat24percentofthepotentialamountthat wouldbeallowedunderthecurrentzoning.Atover75,000squarefeet,Peconichasthefourth lowestamountofexistingcommercial/industrialbuildingareaintheTown.Undercurrent zoning,ifallthelandthatiszonedforitwasdevelopedtoitsfullpotential,theresultcouldbe fourtimestheexistingamountofcommercialbuildingarea.Figure3-4 illustratestheamountof existingandpotentialfuturecommercialandindustrialdevelopmentinSoutholdTown,by hamlet. Thesebuildoutnumbersareestimatesbasedonthebestavailabledata.Manyfactorsinfluence howmuchlandwillbesubdivided,andhowmanyhomeswillactuallybeconstructedinthe future.Thesefactorsincludetheeconomy,theongoinglandpreservationprogram,andthefact thatmuchofthelandabletobesubdividedfurtherisinactiveagriculturaluse.Seethebuildout analysisdiscussioninthefirstsectionofthischapterformorediscussiononthistopic. GOALS/ISSUESFORPECONIC AgricultureremainsimportanttoPeconic’scommunitycharacter,andthehamletcenteristhe focusofcommunitylifewiththepostofficeatitsanchor. 1.Continuetopreservefarmlandandagriculture.Thistopicisdiscussedinmoredetailin Chapter9,“Agriculture,”andChapter10,“LandPreservation.” 2.Ensurefuturecommercialdevelopmentinthehamletcenterisinkeepingwiththesmall scaleandtraditionalsettingofPeconic.Thisissueisreflectedinhamletcentersubsection ofGoal12ofthischapter,whichcallsforareviewoftheTownCodetoensurezoning 3LandUse&Zoning SoutholdTownComprehensivePlanUpdate 3-54 andotherlanduseregulationsaccuratelyreflecttheneedsofeachhamlet,aswellasin Chapter5,“CommunityCharacter.” 3.Createhomesthatareaffordableforyear-roundresidents.Thisgoalisaddressedinmore detailinChapter8,“Housing.” 4.Protectwaterresourcesfromover-useandcontaminationfromsepticsystems.Thisgoal isaddressedinmoredetailinChapter6,“NaturalResources&Environment.” Figures: LandUseMap ZoningMap 3LandUse&Zoning SoutholdTownComprehensivePlanUpdate 3-55 SOUTHOLDHAMLET SoutholdhamletistheheartoftheTownandissituatedatthecenteroftheTown’smainland.It isborderedonthesouthwestbyPeconicandonthenortheastbyGreenportWest.Tothe northwestistheLongIslandSound,andtothesouthandsoutheastarevariouswaterbodies, includingtheHogNeck,LittlePeconic,andSoutholdBays.Southoldhamletis5,944acresin size. ResidentialusespredominateinSoutholdhamletwith2,532acres,or42percent,ofitslandin useforthispurpose.AsSoutholdhamletistheoldestdevelopedportionoftheTown,thehistoric characterofitisevidentinthedevelopmentpatternofsmallresidentiallotsandhistorichomes clusteredaroundabustlinghamletcenter.Thereareover3,600housingunitsinSouthold hamlet,andtheoveralldensityofdevelopmentis1.6unitsperacre,aratethreetimesmore denselydevelopedthantheTownoverall. TheSoutholdhamletcentercontainstheseatoflocalgovernment,thelargestcommercial businessdistrictintheTown,andatransportationhubwithbusstopsandatrainstation.There areover130acresoflandincommercialuseinthehamlet,muchofwhichislocatedinthe hamletcenter. AlthoughthereislessagricultureuseinSoutholdhamletthaninCutchogueand Mattituck/Laurel,the1,366acresoffarmlandareveryvisibleandformanimportantaspectof thehamlet’scharacter. Southoldhamlet’spublicbeaches,partoftheRecreationandOpenSpacelandusecategory,and itsmanycreeks,inlets,andbaysarealsodefiningaspectsofthehamlet’scharacter.Thereare outstandingviewsofthesoundandthebayfromthemainthoroughfaresofStateRoute25and CountyRoute48atArshamomaquePondandTownBeach. AcompletelistoflandusesandtheamountfoundinSoutholdhamletcanbefoundin Table3- 12. TABLE3-12.LANDUSEINSOUTHOLDHAMLET LandUse Acres % Residential 2,532 42.6 Agriculture 1,366 23.0 Recreation&OpenSpace 620 10.4 Vacant 608 10.2 Transportation 535 9.0 Commercial 138 2.3 Institutional 85 1.4 Utilities 37 0.6 Industrial 25 0.4 3LandUse&Zoning SoutholdTownComprehensivePlanUpdate 3-56 TotalAcres 5,944 ZONINGINSOUTHOLDHAMLET Southoldhamletisthemostdiversehamletintermsofzoning.Thirteenofthe19zoningdistricts arerepresentedinSoutholdhamlet.ThelargestamountofR-40zoningisfoundhere,asisthe largestamountofHamletBusinesszoning.Residentialzoningdistrictscover97percentofthe land. Commercialzoningisspreadoveralarge,linearareaalongStateRoute25inandaroundthe hamletcenter,withResidentialOfficeandHamletBusinesszoningpredominating.Southoldalso hasthelargestamountofGeneralBusinesszoningat35acres,mostofwhichisfoundalong CountyRoute48,asisthe31-acreLimitedBusinesszoningdistrict. Table3-13 showszoninginthehamletsofSoutholdTownandisattheendofthischapter. BUILDOUTANALYSISFORSOUTHOLDHAMLET ThetheoreticalbuildoutpotentialforSoutholdhamletcanbeestimatedbylookingatthecurrent landavailablefordevelopmentandthezoning. Thereareapproximately1,192acresoflandavailableforresidentialdevelopmentinSouthold hamlet.Ofthose,797couldbefurthersubdivided.Theoretically,ifallweresubdividedtotheir fullyield,anadditional328residentialbuildinglotswouldbecreated.Theremaining395acres oflandalreadyexistas436individualvacanthouselots.Addedtogethertheyrepresentthe theoreticalbuildoutpotentialforSoutholdof764additionalhousingunits. Overhalfofthosepotentialadditionalhousingunitswouldbeonhouselotsthatalreadyexist, whiletheotherpotentiallotswouldhavetobecreatedthroughthesubdivisionprocess. CommercialandindustrialdevelopmentinthehamletofSoutholdisat24percentofthe potentialamountthatwouldbeallowedunderthecurrentzoning.Atover600,000squarefeet, Southoldhamlethasthesecond-largestamountofexistingcommercial/industrialbuildingareain theTown.Undercurrentzoning,ifallthelandthatiszonedforthisuseweredevelopedtoits fullpotential,theresultcouldbefourtimestheexistingamountofcommercialbuildingarea. Figure3-4 illustratestheamountofexistingandpotentialfuturecommercialandindustrial developmentinSoutholdTown,byhamlet. Thesebuildoutnumbersareestimatesbasedonthebestavailabledata.Manyfactorsinfluence howmuchlandwillbesubdivided,andhowmanyhomeswillactuallybeconstructedinthe 3LandUse&Zoning SoutholdTownComprehensivePlanUpdate 3-57 future.Thesefactorsincludetheeconomyandtheongoinglandpreservationprogram.Seethe buildoutanalysisdiscussioninthefirstsectionofthischapterformorediscussiononthistopic. GOALS/ISSUESFORSOUTHOLDHAMLET: SoutholdStakeholders createdthisvisionforSoutholdhamlet: Maintainandenhanceourcommunity's"senseofplace"andourresidential,rural,and historiccharacterbyencouragingmixed,small-scale,commercialandresidential developmentinourhamletcenter;maintainingtheviabilityofourMainStreetasa businessdistrictforlocalentrepreneurs;promotingdiversehousingtypesinourHALO zone(akatheHamletLocusZone,anareasurroundingandincludingthehamlet centers);andensuringthatdensitywithinthesetwodistrictsiscarefullybalancedwith thepreservationoffarmlandandopenspaceoutsidetheirboundaries. 1.Provideincentivesfornewbusinessesthatfavoradaptivereuseovernewconstruction. ThisisdiscussedinmoredetailinChapter5,“CommunityCharacter.” 2.ThegrocerystoreistheanchorstoreonMainStreet,andiscriticaltothevitalityofthe hamletcenter.Everyeffortshouldbemadetoensureitremains.Relocatingitoutsideof thehamletcenterwouldadverselyimpactotherbusinessesinthehamletcenter.The town-widegoalsinGoal12ofthischapter,inthesubsectionentitled“BusinessCorridors OutsidetheHamletCentersZoningUpdate,”containsanobjectivethatwouldhelp achievethisgoalbydirectingretailusestothehamletcenterswhileprovidingfor additionalusesinthebusinesscorridorsoutsidethehamletcenters. 3.Improvetrafficcongestionandsafetyandpedestriansafety. DetailsfromtheHamletStakeholders’recommendationsareincludedinChapter4, “Transportation&Infrastructure.” 4.Createmoreaffordablehousingopportunities.DetailsfromtheHamletStakeholders’ recommendationsareincludedinChapter8,“Housing.” 5.PreserveandimprovethevitalityofMainStreetasawalkablelocalbusinessdistrict.The objectivesinGoal12ofthischapter’shamletcentersubsectionseektoachievethisfor allhamletswhereapplicable.ThisgoalisalsorelatedtoChapter4,“Transportation& Infrastructure,”Chapter5,“CommunityCharacter,”andChapter7,“Economic Development.” 6.Enforcethesignagecode.ThiswillbeachievedbyGoal13ofthischapter,which emphasizestheneedforcontinuedcodeenforcementtown-wide. 3LandUse&Zoning SoutholdTownComprehensivePlanUpdate 3-58 7.Createafull-servicetransithubatthetrainstationtoincludebusstopsforbothCounty- ownedandprivatebusservices.ThisisdiscussedinmoredetailinChapter4, “Transportation&Infrastructure.” 8.Increaserecreationopportunitiesforresidents.DetailsfromtheHamletStakeholders’ recommendationsareincludedinChapter13,“Parks&Recreation.” Figures: LandUseMap ZoningMap 3LandUse&Zoning SoutholdTownComprehensivePlanUpdate 3-59 TABLE3-13.ZONINGINTHEHAMLETSOFSOUTHOLDTOWN(ACRES)* Zoning District Cutchogue East Marion Fishers Island Greenport West Mattituck/ Laurel New SuffolkOrientPeconicSouthold Grand Total AC 3,115 0 0 0 2,817 40 0 1,152 1,544 8,668 AHD 0 0 1 21 5 0 0 0 45 72 B 29 0 13 6 67 0 3 6 29 154 HB 27 1 2 0 36 4 2 5 71 148 HD 7 0 7 137 0 0 1 0 2 154 HP 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 LB 14 1 10 14 26 0 0 7 30 102 LI 100 0 0 18 17 0 0 5 21 161 LIO 66 0 0 13 0 0 0 0 0 79 MI 3 0 0 0 6 3 2 0 2 17 MII 0 15 0 29 37 3 7 0 19 111 PIC 0 0 0 0 0 0 437 0 0 437 PIR 0 0 0 0 0 0 155 0 0 155 R-120 0 0 686 0 0 0 0 0 0 686 R-200 0 0 0 0 0 0 343 0 0 343 R-40 1,120 585 88 447 1,466 134 362 241 1,618 6,062 R-400 0 0 245 0 0 450 365 0 0 1060 R-80 553 270 287 401 1,196 14 1,019 471 792 5,002 RO 10 0 0 5 25 0 0 6 41 86 RR 15 4 0 38 0 1 0 4 22 83 *Landsusedfortransportation(roads,drainage),wetlands,protectedopenspace,andunderwaterlandsarenot includedinthezoningdistricttotalacreages,exceptR-400includesprotectedlandsbecausemostR-400zonedland ispreservedopenspaceorownedbygovernmententities. Afulldescriptionofeachzoningdistrictcanbefoundonlineathttp://ecode360.com/SO0452?needHash=true Zoningdistrictabbreviationsareasfollows: AC–AgriculturalConservation AHD–AffordableHousingDistrict HD–HamletDensity B–GeneralBusiness HB–HamletBusiness HP–HistoricPreservation LB–LimitedBusiness LI–LightIndustrial LIO–LightIndustrial/Office MI–MarineI MII–MarineII R-40–Residential40,000squarefeetperlot R-80–Residential80,000squarefeetperlot R-120–Residential120,000squarefeetperlot R-200–Residential200,000squarefeetperlot R-400–Residential400,000squarefeetperlot RO–ResidentialOffice RR–ResortResidential PIR–PlumIslandResearch PIC–PlumIslandConservation