HomeMy WebLinkAbout5_Community Character Final 5-15 2019 RedLine Southold Town Comprehensive Plan Update
Community Character
DraftFinal
September 27, 2011
Updated March 18May 15, 2019
Community Character
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
TO COME
Community Character
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Introduction
Founded in 1640, Southold is the one of New York State’s oldest English-speaking colonies. Historically,
the development patterns of the Town were guided by agriculture and maritime industries centered on
waterways and overland transportation routes. Development clustered around these transportation routes
resulting in one Village and ten distinct Hamlets surrounded by scenic farmland, beaches and open space.
The Hamlets include: Laurel, Mattituck, Cutchogue, New Suffolk, Peconic, Southold, Greenport, East
Marion, Orient and Fishers Island.
The bucolic quality of the Town’s character is anchored by in the scenic quality of, its culture and history
of the bucolic built environment and, its landscapes and waterscapes. As voiced by the community,
maintaining the quality of life within the Town The importance of preserving these qualities is paramount
in maintaining the quality of life within the Town.
This chapter expands on relevant the goals and objectives related to community character that are outlined
in a series of planning initiatives, studies, and reports conducted over the last twenty 20 years. Collectively,
the documents create the vision of the Town and establish the fundamental goals and objectives to achieve
the vision.
Brief History Background
Southold Town occupies most of Long Island’s North Fork and is twenty –three miles long but only four
miles wide, a fact that helped shape its settlement. It includes Robins Island, Plum Island, Great Gull and
Little Gull, and Fishers Island. Except for Fishers Island, the town was largely settled in 1640 when New
Haven Colony magistrates bought title to the land from the Corchaug Indians and the first settlers organized
a church. Fishers Island became part of the Town in 1879. Written records of the tTown begin in 1651.
When As trade with New England and the West Indies developed, flax and tobacco farming flourished,
beginning an agricultural tradition that continues today. After the English Restoration, residents unwillingly
severed ties to Connecticut and became subjects of the Duke of York, receiving a new patent in 1676. Fishers
Island became part of Southold in this period following a conflict in the Royal Charters of Connecticut and
New York. Connecticut formally recognized New York’s de facto ownership of the island in 1879 ending
centuries of conflict over the issue.
Throughout history, the Town’s development centered on crop farming. Southold long was also an
importantremained a farming and commercial fishing town and that industry until remains an important part
of the Town’s identity. 1844 wWhen the Long Island Rail Road was completed to Greenport in 1844, the
North Fork became less isolated and. After the Civil War, summer visitors began to patronize hotels and
boarding housesarrive. Later, Menhaden fisheries, oyster and scallop harvesting replaced whaling in the local
economy and the original settlers sold their farms to European immigrants. Two large brickyards on Peconic
Bay also attracted many foreign workers. During World Wars I and II, local shipyards experienced boom
times that were followed by an economic decline. After World War II, the automobile brought to Southold many
second-home owners and a burgeoning tourist industry, both of which led to an increase in residential development
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and began a shift in the types of agriculturethreatened vegetable (potato) farms and open space. Vineyards, nurseries,
and horse farms began replacing traditional crop farms.
Currently the Town is comprised of diverse cultures which contribute to its unique character. The goals
and objectives contained in this chapter and in the Comprehensive Plan in general reflect stakeholder
desires to shape the future of their home in a way that retains the community character of Southold Town
and its hamlets.
GOALS & OBJECTIVES
1. SCENIC RESOURCES
Throughout the centuries the Town of Southold has celebrated its scenic quality. The culture of the Town
shaped these qualities and evolved around them, prompting local, state and regional recognition. Presently
tThe Town’s scenic quality is one of the most important economic and social assets of the Town.
In 1992, the New York State Legislature recognized and identified New York State Route 25 and Suffolk
County Route 48 (the two primary roadways in the Town) as Scenic Byways through the New York State
Scenic Byways Program. The transportation corridors are representative of the region's scenic, recreational,
cultural, natural, historic, and archaeological significance.
In addition to these designated transportation routes, the community has alsoSouthold Town residents
have consistently identified scenic resources as important in past studies and plans; these includeing scenic
view-sheds from public lands and waters. To preserve these important areas, a comprehensive listing and
mapping of the areas will be developed and considered for adoption by the Town to qualify aid in decision-
making and support the development of planning tools to foster actions that better fit into the Town’s
landscapes and waterscapes.
Goal 1.1
Identify important scenic resources.
Objectives:
1) Hold public meetings to identify and prioritize landscape and waterscape scenic resources important
to the community throughout the Town.
2) Develop and adopt a Town Scenic Resources Map to achieve greater protection of view sheds in the
application review processes including assessment to the New York State Environmental Quality
Review Act (SEQRA) and the Local Waterfront Revitalization Program (LWRP) policy standards and
recommendations.
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Responsible Parties: Southold Town Board, Southold Planning Board, Southold Town Committees
Possible Partnerships: General Public, Historical Societies, Chambers of Commerce, Island Community
Board (Fishers Island), Fishers Island Ferry District, Southold Business Alliance, North Fork Promotion
Council, Long Island Farm Bureau, Long Island Wine Council, New York State Department of
Transportation, and Suffolk County Department of Public Works.
Goal 1.2
Manage important scenic resources.
Objectives:
1) Avoid or minimize the visual impacts of structures or activities which that introduce visual
interruptions to important scenic resources.
a) Review the Town of Southold Town Code Chapter 197, Peddlers, Solicitors and Transient Retail
Merchants to prohibit the siting of in-compatible uses on scenic by-ways.
b) Review the Town of Southold Town Code to determine the appropriateness of structures and
landscaping (fences, hedges) capable of hindering scenic views.
c) Strengthen litter laws to prevent illegal dumping in open space and scenic areas, including on
beaches.
d) Consider implementing the guidelines specified in the Suffolk County Farmland Committee’s
Greenhouse Structures: 2008 Guidelines for Parcels with County-Purchased Development Rights
(“PDR”).
e) Improve the application review processes through the development of mandatory site design
standards to guide the introduction of structures in scenic landscapes and waterscapes.
1) Minimize impairment of dynamic landscape and waterscape elements that contribute to visual qualities.
g)f) Work with the New York Department of Environmental Conservation to designate incompatible
uses within a Scenic Byway and important scenic view sheds as Type I actions under SEQRA to
achieve better assessment of action on scenic impacts.
i) Amend SEQRA Type I action list threshold to include any actions or combinations of actions
that propose:
(1) Clearing of greater than or equal to 10 acres or set percentage for residential use.
(2) Propose Placement of greater than or equal to 20 residential lots on a single parcel located
adjacent to a New York State Scenic Byway; or adjacent to a public shoreline or visible
from public surface waters.
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(3) Results in the permanent coverage of greater than or equal to 1000 square feet of public
surface waters.
h)g) Strengthen the management of important scenic view sheds from New York State Route 25,
Suffolk County Route 48 and other Ttown roadways.
i) Form a Scenic Resource Management working group to update, expand and implement the
Scenic Southold Corridor Management Plan (2001) and other applicable plans for the purpose
of developing new, expanded scenic resource management procedures and preservation goals
Ttown-wide.
ii) Correlate the Town Scenic Resources Map to management and preservation strategies for
scenic resources experienced from Ttown roadways and public areas.
iii) Review uses in zoning districts located on the Town’s Scenic Byways, Town roadways and
public waters to evaluate appropriateness to Town Scenic Byway Goals and scenic management
strategies to iensure that the area views include vistas of farm fields & and open space.
iv) Develop and implement a Scenic Resource Overlay District that could implementwith site and
structure design parameters, including scenic easement applications.
v) Improve the coordinated framework for law enforcement and application processing requiring
multi-agency participation or review to assure ensure compliance with the Town’s Scenic
Byway gGoals.
Work with New York State Department of Transportation to eliminate roadside parking along
State Route 25 at Ferry Terminal.
vi) Forge relationships with the New York State Department of Transportation and Suffolk
County Department of Public Works to develop and implement a roadway beautification or
"adopt-a-road" program.
(1) Adopt a no-net-loss street tree policy and encourage the New York State Department of
Transportation and Suffolk County Department of Public Works to replace trees removed.
(2) Encourage the Suffolk County Department of Public Works to landscape medians of
County Route 48 with wildflowers.
vii) Work with Long Island Power Authoritythe electric company and other applicable entities to
improve Tthe Town’s of Southold Tree Trimming Notification protocol.
2) Preserve existing, indigenous vegetation which that contributes to the scenic quality of the landscape
through the incorporation of these areas in site design or perpetual conservation measures.
3) Ensure that appropriate visual screening (in accordance with Article XXI of the Southold Zoning
Ordinance) exists between business, industrial and residential zones such that landmarks and focal
points are enhanced, and visually corrosive elements are screened.
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4) Acknowledge the context of the area in which screening must occur, and be sensitive to the character
of the hamlet.
5) Establish planting guidelines and preferred vegetationve species lists which can be integrated into
planters, roadside public gardens, and highway meridians.
6) Allow for selective pruning and, clearing of vegetation to enhance and provide public views including
the clearing of the nuisance species common reed (Phragmites australis) and Japanese knotweed (Fallopia
japonica (Houtt).
7) Prevent erosion of scenic qualities of important places, sites, and gateways by enforcing the existing
sign code and strengthening the Town cCode language to prohibit, and remove, or screen obtrusive
structures, objects (unauthorized vehicle sales, excess and non-conforming signage and non-
conforming lighting) and actions.
a) Amend Chapter 240 Subdivision of Land and Chapter 280 Zoning to require multi-phased construction
projects that are visible in current and future public, scenic, view sheds to provide long -term
screening.
b) Phase-out structures and landscaping (fences, hedges) that obstruct view sheds and degrade scenic
qualities from public vantage points.
c) Enforce unauthorized vehicle sales legislation.
d) Control prolific signage through the development of a new enforcement protocol for the Town’s
signage code.
e) Consider amending sign code as recommended by the RBA Group North Fork Trail Scenic Byway
Inventory and Assessment (2008).
f) Improve public communication through the development of a Town “Did You Know?” media
campaign to educate business owners about common types of illegal displays, signs, lighting, and
uses of public rights of ways especially on Main Streets, NYState Route 25 and County Route 48.
Responsible Parties: Southold Town Board, Planning Board, Architectural Review Committee,
Zoning Board of Appeals, Building Department, Department of Land Preservation, Tree Committee,
and Board of Trustees.
Possible Partnerships: General Public, Long Island Power AuthorityPSEG, New York State
Department of Transportation, and Suffolk County Department of Public Works, and Scenic
Resource Management Working Group (to be formed)
Goal 1.3
Preserve land containing important scenic resources.
Objectives:
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1) Continue to preserve important scenic vistas through the use ofwith Community Preservation Project
Plan funds to purchase fee title, development rights, and/or scenic easements on properties with scenic
values.
2) Correlate the Town of Southold Scenic Resources Map with the Community Preservation Map to
identify relevant parcels offering scenic views, including parcels offering scenic waterscape views.
Responsible Parties: Southold Town Board, Southold Planning Board, Building Department,
Department of Land Preservation, Land Preservation Committee, Southold Tree Committee, and
Board of Trustees
Goal 1.4
Enhance scenic qualities through design standards and innovative site planning
and architecture in public and private development projects.
Project design is the most costly and time-consuming aspect of an application. The Town is continually
trying to improve the process to reduce the cost to applicants. In the future, the Town will provide more
guidance in project design and improved efficiency, user friendliness, and communication between the
public and Ttown departments in the earlier stages of the application processes.
To better assist the public in meeting scenic preservation goals, the Town will develop and implement
architectural design guidelines for residential and commercial uses. The design guidelines will provide basic
information and make recommendations about what design elements could be included as part of a land
use application; however, the guidelines will not attempt to address all the design issues relevant to a
proposed plan. The intent of the design guidelines will be to achieve a clear understanding of critical site
and design issues that need to be addressed. This approach should result in a more efficient process which
that in turn will reduce costs.
Objectives:
1) Develop voluntary structural design standards for residential architecture to conserve and support the
design characteristics and qualities of individual neighborhoods and hamlets that make them attractive
and unique.
a) Use appropriate siting, scales, forms, and materials to ensure that structures and site design are
compatible with and add interest to existing scenic components.
b) Promote the establishment of sustainable structures through LEED/Energy Star standards in
new development and redevelopment.
2) Develop mandatory architectural design standards for commercial uses to conserve and support the
design characteristics and qualities of individual neighborhoods and hamlets that make them attractive
and unique.
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a) Develop a municipal parking plan for each hamlet center.
b) Create a parking bank to allow the buy-out of parking on site plans. Monies are to be used to
maintain and/or expand municipal parking lots.
3) Officially recognize businesses that strive to meet Town Goals with letters of recognition from
Southold Town Board/Supervisor.
4) Develop streetscape plans for each hamlet to emphasize human scale, improve pedestrian safety and
connectivity, and respect historic precedents and typologies in the hamlet centers. The plans should
include but not be limited to addressing site design, architectural design, pedestrian movement,
landscaping (Sstreet tree preservation/replacement), parking, street furniture, lighting, signage,
identification and position of landmarks and public destinations or congregation points within the
hamlets.
Responsible Parties: Southold Town Board, Southold Planning Board, Zoning Board of Appeals,
Architectural Review Board, Historic Preservation Commission, and Southold Town Economic
Development Committee
Possible Partnerships: Island Community Board (Fishers Island) and Chambers of Commerce
Goal 1.5
Protect scenic vistas outside the hamlet centers by clustering compatible
developments in existing residential or commercial areas to prevent sprawl.
Objectives:
1) Define edges of hamlet centers and “HALO” areas using open space with scenic views.1
2) Cluster and consolidate new development close to hamlet centers to encourage vitality and affordability.
Responsible Parties: Southold Town Board, Southold Planning Board, Zoning Board of Appeals, and
Land Preservation Department
Goal 1.6
Plan for development of hamlet centers with a focus on vitality, function and
aesthetics and at a compatible scale that maintains the character of the community.
Objectives:
1 HALO is an acronym for Hamlet Locus Zones. HALO zones are areas that surround the hamlet centers in Cutchogue, East
Marion, Greenport, Mattituck, New Suffolk, Orient, Peconic, and Southold hamlets. These areas have been identified and
formalized by the Southold Town Board for the purposes of allowing certain uses in these areas. Official maps can be found
on the Town of Southold website.
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1) Create and/or enhance community gathering areas in hamlet centers.
2) Improve linkages between community needs, design goals, policies and the Southold Town Code
requirements.
3) Identify and rectify land use regulations that prevent the strengthening of the hamlet centers as vibrant
commercial and residential centers.
a) Evaluate uses within the Hamlet Business (HB) and General Business (B) zoning districts for
appropriateness of intensity within each hamlet center and surrounding areas.
b) Re-evaluate use and bulk schedules to allow for diverse, multiple uses in hamlet centers.
c) Amend setbacks within the bulk schedule for the HB and B zoning districts located within the
hamlet centers to support a more diversified build out within the hamlet centers.
d) Investigate the feasibility of applying Form Based Codes or a hybrid code to the Hamlet Centers.
Current zoning rules have strict requirements for building setbacks that must be applied the same
way to all parcels regardless of size or shape. Parcels in the hamlet centers are typically small in size
and some are also narrow in width, making their development challenging with this one-size-fits-all
approach. New businesses such as retail stores that could bring much-needed foot traffic to a hamlet
center are drawn away from the hamlet centers in search of parcels that are easier to develop.
Changing the code in the hamlet centers to allow for more flexibility in use and design could retain
and attract thriving businesses that generate and support foot traffic in the hamlet centers, and in
turn lead to a stronger local economy. Relying more on design standards and less on traditional bulk
schedule requirements will introduce flexibility in zoning by using scale, form, and function to
determine the size and location of new commercial buildings.
e) Review Town Code to evaluate the application of the pivotal Zoning Board of Appeals Decision
Number 5383 (otherwise referred to as the “Malon Decision”) which allows multiple uses in a
single building on a single parcel in the General Business (B) zoning district. This encourages
buildings that are oversized and inconsistent with the community character.
f) Encourage infill and adaptive re-use development within hamlet centers through financial
incentives.
Responsible Parties: Southold Town Board, Southold Planning Board, Zoning Board of Appeals,
Architectural Review Board, and Town Committees
Possible Partnerships: Island Community Board (Fishers Island) and Chambers of Commerce
Goal 1.7
Preserve the character and tranquility of residential neighborhoods.
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Objectives:
1) Evaluate and amend Town Code § 161-15. Highway Construction specifications and turn- around
configurations to accomplish traffic- calming through narrow roadways and updated designs.
2) Evaluate and amend Town Code sections on noise, light, traffic, and special events to identify
incompatible actions and uses located within or near residential neighborhoods.
3) Evaluate and amend Town Code sections on lot coverage and setbacks of structures to prevent structures
too large in scale from occurring in neighborhoods.
Responsible Parties: Southold Town Board, Southold Planning Board, Zoning Board of Appeals,
Architectural Review Board, Historic Preservation Commission, and Southold Town Economic
Development Committee
Possible Partnerships: Island Community Board (Fishers Island) and Chambers of Commerce
2. CULTURAL RESOURCES
The character of the Southold Town is also defined by its vast wealth of historical and cultural resources.
The Comprehensive Survey of Historic Resources in the Town of Southold and Fishers Island (Society for
the Preservation of Long Island Antiquities (SPLIA), 1988) identifies approximately fifteen-hundred1,500
historical structures of regional importance. Of these, eight individual properties and two historic districts
are listed on the State and National Registers of Historic Places. In addition, the Town Southold Historic
Preservation Commission maintains its own listing of locally significant historic landmarks (see Appendix
3Appendix D).
Throughout the years many historic buildings that once punctuated the Town have been destroyed,
demolished, renovated, or modified, thereby --eroding the Town’s heritage. To prevent further loss of the
Town’s historic resources, an update to the Comprehensive Survey of Historic Resources in the Town of
Southold and Fishers Island is needed. Potential historic districts within each Hhamlet will be identified and
the Town will work to strengthen the role of the Southold Historic Preservation Commission and request
the development of siting and design standards and resource management strategies and plans to preserve
these important resources.
Goal 2.1
Identify, document, and map the historic resources of the Town.
Objective:
Continue to identify, document, and map historic resources in the Town:
1) Work with the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic PreservationNew York
State Department of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, hamlet historic societies, the
Henry L. Ferguson Museum (Fishers Island), and property owners to update the Society for the
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Preservation of Long Island Antiquities List (SPLIA) list to aide in the historic preservation of the
Town’s historic properties.
2) Delineate and designate historic districts and/or points of historical significance in each Hhamlet.
3) Inventory, protect and preserve significant historic resources including family cemetery plots,
colonial-era postal mile markers, and historic trees.
4) Produce an updated Town of Southold Cultural Resources Map.
Responsible Parties: Historical Societies, Museums, Southold Town Board, Southold Planning Board
and Southold Historic Preservation Commission
Possible Partnerships: New York State Department Office of Parks, Recreation and & Historic
Preservation
Goal 2.2
Manage and preserve the historic and architectural resources of the Town.
Objectives:
1) Incentivize and encourage owners of properties included on the Society for the Preservation of
Long Island Antiquities List (SPLIA) and/or historic trees to seek Town Landmark Status.
2) Seek funding to restore and preserve the historic informational plaques Ttown-wide.
3) Create program to identify cultural assets for potential Ttown purchase (e.g., Eexpanding village
greens through property acquisition).
4) Codify the historic architectural design standards developed by the Southold Historic Preservation
Commission for historic structures constructed and reconstructed in designated Historic Districts.
5) Incentivize preservation of historic structures by creating pilot program to relax zoning for historic
structures.
6) Create a pilot program that provides tax incentives to property owners who achieve Town
Landmark Status.
Responsible Parties: Southold Town Board, Southold Planning Board, Zoning Board of
Appeals and Southold Historic Preservation Commission.
Possible Partnerships: New York State Department Office of Parks, Recreation and& Historic
Preservation.
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Goal 2.3
Provide for compatible use, reuse and integration of historic resources in future
planning while limiting and minimizing inappropriate alterations to the resource.
Objective:
Avoid loss or impairment of historic resources (structures, sites or components). Expand the
responsibilities of the Southold Historic Preservation Commission to include the review of all historic
structures or other properties requesting major structural or changes to a historic resource; including
authority to:
1. Preserve historic structures or components in place to the greatest extent practicable.
Allow relocation of the historic structures only when the resource cannot be
preserved in place.
Allow demolition of a structure or feature only where alternatives such as
rehabilitation or relocation are not feasible.
Within identified historic districts, demolished historical structures should be
replaced with structures of similar character, mass, proportion, and scale.
2. Request that the Southold Historic Preservation Commission develop Best Management
Practices to avoid adverse impacts of new development on nearby historic resources.
Responsible Parties: Southold Town Board, Historic Preservation Commission, Architectural
Review Board and Southold Town Economic Development Committee.
Possible Partnerships: Town Historian, New York State Department Office of Parks, Recreation
and& Historic Preservation
Goal 2.4
Protect and enhance resources that are significant to the culture of the Town of
Southold Town.
Objectives:
1) Support museums, historical societies, and other institutions preserving and promoting the Town’s
culture.
2) Protect the character of historic agricultural and maritime areas by maintaining appropriate scales
of development, intensity of use, and architectural style.
3) Preserve and encourage traditional uses defining the agricultural and maritime character of the area.
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4) Encourage landowners to participate in the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and &
Historic Preservation Barn Restoration programs and tax incentives.
5) Provide interpretive materials in appropriate settings to augment the public's understanding and
appreciation of the Town’s agricultural and maritime heritage.
6) Preserve and enhance historic lighthouses: Horton Point Lighthouse, the Coffeepot Lighthouse
at Orient Point, the Plum Island Lighthouse, the Little Gull Island Light Station, Bug Light at Long
Beach Bar, and the North Dumpling Lighthouse and Race Rock Lighthouse and other navigational
or nautical structures.
7) Protect underwater historic, archaeological, and cultural resources through the development of a
Marine Resources Management Plan.
Responsible Parties: Southold Town Board, Southold Planning Board, Land Preservation
Committee and Southold Historic Preservation Commission
Possible Partnerships: Historical Societies, Museums, Southold Town Historian, and New York
State Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic PreservationNew York State Department of Parks,
Recreation and Historic Preservation.
Goal 2.5
Protect and preserve archaeological resources.
Objectives:
1) Expand the charge of the Southold Historic Preservation Commission to include the
management of archaeologically sensitive areas.
2) Work with Building Department and Henry L. Ferguson Museum to improve the process of
protecting archeological resources on Fishers Island.
3) Preserve and protect archaeologically sensitive areas through perpetual restrictions that ensure
their long-term preservation.
4) Strengthen regulations regarding disturbance to significant archaeological resources through
project redesign and/or artifact recovery prior to construction.
5) Avoid disturbance of any object of archaeological or paleontological interest situated on or
under lands owned by the State of New York State or the Town of Southold Town.
Responsible Parties: Southold Town Board, Southold Planning Board and Southold Historic
Preservation Commission, Henry L. Ferguson Museum
Possible Partnerships: Historical Societies, Museums, Southold Town Historian, and New York
State Department of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation New York State Office of Parks,
Recreation & Historic Preservation
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Goal 2.6
Promote heritage tourism to educate residents and visitors about the
historical/cultural significance of the Town.
Objectives:
1) Elevate the Town’s historical/cultural significance through school curricula, heritage festivals,
parades, and special events.
2) Develop a public signage program and corresponding map that identifies and explains the
historic/cultural resources of the Town.
a. Work to highlight cultural interests throughout the Town.
3) Foster partnerships with local groups and museums to aid in the stewardship of historic sites
on Ttown- owned properties.
4) Consider entering into a partnership with a private entity to establish a museum highlighting
the Town’s diverse culture (art and history) within the Peconic School building and grounds
and New Suffolk Waterfront.
Responsible Parties: Southold Town Board, Southold Town Historian and Southold Historic
Preservation Commission.
Possible Partnerships: Chambers of Commerce, Historical Societies, Museums, Schools, East End
Arts Council, Old Town Art and Crafts Guild, North Fork Promotion Council, Civic Groups, Long
Island Convention & Visitors Bureau and Sports Commission, Suffolk County Office of Film and
Cultural Affairs and New York State Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic PreservationNew York
State Department of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
Goal 2.7
Promote and concentrate public art, crafts, and entertainment cultural attractions
in hamlet centers.
Objectives:
1) Encourage developers to integrate art into the design process for buildings and public spaces.
a) Consider setting a recommended minimum percent cover of surface area that would be
dedicated to public art (applicable to certain areas).
2) Encourage public agencies to integrate art in the design of all publicly visible infra structure,
including retaining walls and public spaces (e.g., incorporate sculpture in public areas).
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3) Work with the Chambers of Commerce, business and merchant groups, The East End Art Council,
Libraries, Schools and Museums to develop art shows and cultural projects centered around the
hamlet centers.
a) Encourage housing opportunities for Artists in Residence.
4) Elevate the importance of the Town’s iconic art and entertainment history through the
development of annual celebratory events.
Responsible Parties: Southold Town Board, Southold Town Economic Development Committee,
Southold Town Housing Advisory Commission
Possible Partnerships: East End Arts Council, North Fork Art Guild, North Fork Community Theatre,
North Fork Promotion Council, Long Island Convention & Visitors Bureau and Sports Commission and
Suffolk County Office of Film and Cultural Affairs, Island Community Board (Fishers Island),
Lighthouse Works (Fishers Island)
3. NATURAL HERITAGE
For the purposes of this chapter, Natural Heritage consists of landscapes and waterscapes of outstanding
universal value in terms offrom the science, ecology, conservation, or natural beauty point of view. The
natural heritage character of the Town includes not only the typical natural resources of are physical (flora,
and fauna, and agricultural soils, ) but also the idea of and intangible (such as the working landscape). In
1998, the Town recognized the importance of the working landscapes and adopted the Community
Preservation Project Plan to preserve not only the land, but alsoscape and the people who interact with it for
their livelihood. In 2004, the Town of Southold Town’s Local Waterfront Revitalization ProgramLWRP
was adopted, elevating the importance of protecting the working maritime culture and the areas historically
and presently committed to them. Goals listed below are covered in more detail in the Chapter 6, Natural
Resources & Environment.” Chapter.
Goal 3.1
Elevate and preserve the Town’s natural heritage through the preservation of the
working landscapes and waterscapes and the people who interact with them.
Objectives:
1) Protect agricultural lands in the Town of Southold Town.
2) Provide for and support the commercial and recreational use of the Town of Southold Town's
marine ecosystems.
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3) Audit the Town of Southold Town Code to ensure consistency with adopted plans and
programs.
4) Amend current regulations to further support agriculture and maritime uses.
5) Identify and preserve the flora and fauna of the Town.
a. Work with regional agencies and institutions to preserve the unique natural qualities of
the islands within the Ttown limits: including Fishers Island, Plum Island and Little Gull
and Great Gull Islands.
Goal 3.2
Protect and restore ecological quality throughout the Town of Southold Town.
Objectives:
1) Protect vulnerable fish, wildlife, and plant species, and rare ecological communities.
2) Promote sustainable use of living marine resources in Long Island Sound, the Peconic Estuary
and Ttown waters.
3) Avoid adverse changes to the Long Island Sound and the Peconic Bay ecosystems that would
result from impairment of ecological quality.
Goal 3.3
Protect the Town’s beaches.
Additional information about Ttown beaches can be found in the Chapter 13, “Parks & Recreation.”
chapter of this plan.
Goal 3.4
Protect and improve soils in the Town of Southold Town
Related goals with additional details can be found in the Chapter 6, “Natural Resources & Environment.”
chapter of this plan.
Goal 3.5
Protect the Town’s aquifers.
Related goals with additional details can be found in Chapter 6, “the Natural Resources & Environment.”
chapter of this plan.
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Goal 3.6
Protect and improve air quality in the Town of Southold Town.
Related goals with additional details can be found in Chapter 6, “the Natural Resources & Environment.”
chapter of this plan.
Responsible Parties: Southold Town Board, Southold Planning Board, Southold Zoning Board of
Appeals, Town Committees, Southold Town Economic Development Committee, Southold Board of
Trustees, Southold Land Preservation Department and Committee
Possible Partnerships: Island Community Board (Fishers Island), Peconic Estuary Program, The
Nature Conservancy, Long Island Sound Future Fund, Group for the East End, North Fork
Environmental Council, Audubon.
4. HAMLET GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
From 2005 to 2010 the Town developed and implemented The Town of Southold Hamlet Study (2005),:
a community-based planning effort where nine community groups known as the Hamlet Stakeholders
were formed representing each hamlet. The Hamlet Stakeholders, through public meetings, generated a
list of short-term and long-term recommendations that were presented to Town Board and Planning
Board for prioritization and implementation. In 2008, the Town Board also formed the Hamlet Study
Implementation Panel (HIP) consisting of Ttown staff and Ttown committee chairs to implement
stakeholder recommendations. The HIP met frequently throughout 2008 and beginning of 2009 and
many short-term recommendations were implemented and completed. The section below includes the
long-term Hamlet Stakeholder recommendations relating to community character that the HIP
recommended be integrated within the Comprehensive Plan Update.
Cutchogue
1) Improve hamlet center streetscape through the development and implementation of a traffic -
calming plan focused on pedestrian flow and safety for New York State Route 25 focused on
pedestrian flow and safety.
2) Design and implement traffic- calming measures in the King Kullen Shopping Center area (improve
signage).
3) Work with the New York State Department ofO Transportation to develop a streetscape plan
including the installation of street furniture and the development of a street tree planting and
maintenance program.
4) Expand the village green (SCTM# 109.-5-6.1) property to the west with the assemblage of historic
properties.
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5) Encourage the continued operation of the post office.
Responsible Parties: Southold Town Board, Southold Planning Board, Town of Southold
Transportation Commission, Town of Southold Tree Committee and Office of the Town Engineer.
East Marion
1) Develop streetscape plan for NYState Route 25 from Rocky Point Road to the eastern HALO
boundary.
2) Preserve the East Marion Memorial Post Office.
3) Develop a well-designed gateway incorporating traffic- calming measures.
4) Retain the satellite limited commercial area at the corner of Rocky Point Road and NYState Route
25.
Responsible Parties: Southold Town Board, Southold Planning Board, Town of Southold
Transportation Commission, Town Committees and Office of the Town Engineer
Fishers Island
1) Revitalize and strengthen the existing hamlet business center/village green.
2) Evaluate the General Business zoned "gateway" area west and south of the Ferry Dock on Silver Eel
Cove.
3) Evaluate Hamlet BusinessHB zoned "triangle" formed by Equestrian, Oriental, and Crescent
sStreets.
4) Continue to support the role of the Henry L. Ferguson Museum and the Museum's Land Trust in the
preservation of social, archeological, historical, and cultural attributes of the Island.
a) Seek funds to do an updated version of the Society for the Preservation of Long Island
Antiquities’ (SPLlA) survey of historic structures.
From 1986 to 1988, Tthe Society for the Preservation of Long Island Antiquities (SPLlA)
conducted an inventory of historic properties within the Town of Southold. The inventory
(Comprehensive Survey of Historic Resources in the Town of Southold and Fishers Island)
found eighty-one81 structures of historic significance on Fishers Island.
b) Update and recommend properties for local, state, and national landmark status.
Correspondingly, the Town has a register for local Landmark Structures and Sites. This is a
voluntary program whereby property owners submit requests for local registration. No
properties on Fishers Island are on this register, nor is there any record of applications for
landmark status.
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New York State and the federal government each maintain Registers of Historic Places. These
registers contain buildings, structures, districts, objects and sites significant to the history,
architecture, archeology and culture of the state or the nation. Although Fishers Island is not
listed on either the State or the National registers, Fort H.G. Wright is eligible for such
designation (Source: Town of Southold, LWRP Section II. F – p.3).
5) Work with the Fishers Island Ferry District to revitalize the Fort Wright and Silver Eel Cove
waterfront gateway using green infrastructure technologies.
6) Develop a Parade Ground Preservation Plan.
Responsible Parties: Southold Town Board, Southold Planning Board, Southold land Preservation
Committee, Island Community Board (Fishers Island), Fishers Island Conservancy Board of Directors,
Henry L. Ferguson Museum Board of Directors, Southold Town Economic Development Committee,
and Town Committees
Greenport
1) Develop a well-designed gateway on State Route 25 west of the village.
2) Preserve the natural landscape and create 75- to 100-foot" buffers along the hamlet's main roads.
Responsible Parties: Southold Town Board, Southold Planning Board, Town Committees, and Office
of the Town Engineer
Mattituck/Laurel
1) Revitalize Mattituck Inlet into a recreational and commercial maritime hub.
a. Reconnect the waterfront with Love Lane business district.
b. Update and implement the Harbor Management Plan.
2) Target area (located south of New York State Route 25 and east of New Suffolk Avenue) to
create village green/park for community events.
3) Target the northern portion of parcels behind the retail/service shops south of New York State
Route 25 for parking.
4) Support the closure of Love Lane for events and fairs.
5) Encourage the continued operation of the post office.
Responsible Parties: Southold Town Board, Southold Planning Board, Board of Trustees, Zoning
Board of Appeals, Town Committees and Chambers of Commerce.
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New Suffolk
1) Encourage the continued operation of the post office.
2) Revitalize New Suffolk Hamlet’s waterfront incorporating green infrastructure technologies.
3) Recognize and preserve the unique maritime heritage of the area, highlighting the history of submarine
manufacturing.
4) Develop streetscape plan for First Street.
5) Designate the entire hamlet as a historic district.
6) Develop design guidelines for commercial and residential structures.
Responsible Parties: Southold Town Board, Southold Planning Board, Zoning Board of Appeals,
Southold Town Historian, Southold Historic Preservation Commission and Town Committees
Orient
1) Preserve the gateway property east of Latham's Farm Stand (scenic vista is important).
2) Retain the post office in the hamlet center.
3) Re-evaluate the General Business “B” zoning district south and west of Village Lane.
Responsible Parties: Southold Town Board and Southold Planning Board
Peconic
1) Develop streetscape plan for hamlet center.
2) Encourage the continued operation of the post office.
Responsible Parties: Southold Town Board, Southold Planning Board, Town of Southold
Transportation Commission and Town Committees.
Southold
1) Develop streetscape plans for NYState Route 25 from Akerly Pond Road to Beixedon Road Avenue
and County Route 48 from Horton Lane to Boisseau Avenue.
2) Divert truck traffic to County Route 48.
3) Increase intensity of use of Silversmith’s Corner for picnics, games, summer events, and activities.
4) Encourage the continued operation of the post office.
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Responsible Parties: Southold Town Board, Southold Planning Board, Town of Southold
Transportation Commission, Town of Southold Tree Committee, Office of the Town Engineer, and
Chambers of Commerce