HomeMy WebLinkAboutTB-04/11/2023 PH 1
1 TOWN OF SOUTHOLD
COUNTY OF SUFFOLK: STATE OF NEW YORK
2 ------------------------------------------- X
3
TOWN BOARD
4 REGULAR BOARD MEETING
5 ------------------------------------------- X
6
7
Southold, New York
8
April 11 , 2023
9 7 : 00 P .M.
10
11
12
13
14
15 B E F 0 R E :
16
17 SCOTT A. RUSSELL, SUPERVISOR
18 LOUISA P . EVANS , JUSTICE
19 JILL DOHERTY , COUNCILWOMAN
20 BRIAN 0 . MEALY, COUNCILMAN
21 GREG DOROSKI , COUNCILMAN
22 SARAH E . NAPPA, COUNCILMAN
23
24
25
APRIL 11 , 2023 REGULAR MEETING 2
1 PUBLIC COMMENTS
2 SUPERVISOR SCOTT RUSSELL : Please
3 feel to come up and speak. All I am
4 going to ask, please be succinct . You
5 know, we have had a lot of comments . We
6 got a lot of position where people are
7 coming from. I want to assure
8 everybody , we have read every e-mail .
9 So we ' re going to ask, to please be
10 succinct . And a lot of people -- if
11 you ' re hearing a lot of people say the
12 same thing, please feel free to focus on
13 something of maybe a little bit of a
14 different angle . So we certainly don ' t
15 want to discourage anybody from
16 speaking . So I am going to ask anybody
17 that would like to make any comment on
18 any of the specific agenda items , to
19 please feel free?
20 MR. STEPHEN KIELY : Good evening,
21 Town Board Members . Stephen Kiely from
22 Mattituck . I would like to briefly
23 speak to resolution 2023-301 , the
24 Carroll Avenue change of zoning . I am
25 -- I know the record is closed . So I am
APRIL 11 , 2023 REGULAR MEETING 3
1 not talking about anything pertaining
2 to the substance , but I wanted to talk
3 about a couple of things on procedural
4 grounds . One , I think there is a lack
5 of urgency right now. There is no
6 urgency in proceeding with this because
7 the current -- the developer Paul
8 Pawlowski has bowed out from this
9 project . So I don ' t see the urgency in
10 pushing this forward right now.
11 Additionally , I looked through the
12 record and it seems that there is one or
13 two people that have no proof of notice
14 that was mailed to them. One in
15 particular, ( inaudible ) . I didn ' t see
16 that in there . It could be an
17 oversight . I just wanted to make sure
18 that everybody had proper notice .
19 SEQRA. I looked at the resolution . I
20 don ' t see that the Town Board has made a
21 determination that they need to do . I
22 saw that there was a memo from the
23 Planning Board that was making a
24 recommendation of a Neg Dec , but I don ' t
25 see any resolution that adopted that .
APRIL 11 , 2023 REGULAR MEETING 4
1 The Comp Plan . Town Law Section 272-1 ,
2 requires that a Change of Zone , be in
3 accordance with the Comprehensive Plan .
4 We do have a Comprehensive Plan . But as
5 we speak, the Housing Plan Section of
6 the Comprehensive Plan pertaining
7 specifically to housing would need an
8 amendment . Because the housing plan --
9 because according to Town Law, it has to
10 be made part of the Comprehensive Plan .
11 So I am asking is , if we pump the brakes
12 here a little bit and wait for that
13 section that is directly on point to
14 this change of zone and look it over .
15 Take it into account . But most
16 importantly, this is alienation of park
17 land. Despite contrary opinion, a
18 question of fact , of whether the Town
19 can strip public recreational use on
20 this property without an act of state .
21 The Public Trust Doctrine requires that
22 before you repurpose park land for
23 non-park purposes , such as community
24 housing, New York State Legislature
25 with Governor approval must sanction .
APRIL 11 , 2023 REGULAR MEETING 5
1 It is beyond dispute that this property
2 was purchased by municipal bonding for
3 park. And if you just look at the
4 March 14 , 2018 resolution adopted by
5 this Board. In Section 1 , it says ,
6 this particular property , Carroll
7 Avenue in Peconic , to be used for
8 future Town recreational purposes . And
9 then it also makes a second reference in
10 that resolution . And the Notice that
11 was put in the paper, if you can look at
12 that . It makes the same language . To
13 be used for future Town recreational
14 purposes . Therefore , there was a formal
15 dedication of park land. There was an
16 official plan by the Town Board to spend
17 taxpayer money because it was subject to
18 a permissive referendum. We know that .
19 You could have said to general
20 municipal purposes and I wouldn ' t be
21 here tonight making this point . If you
22 weren ' t using this for recreational
23 purposes and wanted it for housing, you
24 could have put that out there to the
25 houses because -- I am very sure that if
APRIL 11 , 2023 REGULAR MEETING 6
1 you put community housing, there would
2 have been a petition filed and this
3 would be put on the ballot . So nobody
4 thought that would ever be a
5 possibility . You have the option of
6 putting this off and seeing if this can
7 be resolved. You might be able to do
8 the research . I am saying from my
9 position and the research that has been
10 done , I think it ' s -- so I am requesting
11 that the Town Board pump the brakes on
12 this matter and table this resolution
13 because I am afraid that you ' re going to
14 be inviting litigation and attorney
15 fees . Thank you .
16 SUPERVISOR SCOTT RUSSELL : Who
17 else would like to address the Town
18 Board?
19 MR. KEVIN MEYERS : -- solved the
20 one problem because there is going to be
21 litigation already . Hiring two
22 different attorneys --
23 MR. DENIS NONCARROW: Can you
24 state your name for the record?
25 MR. KEVIN MEYERS : I had a
APRIL 11 , 2023 REGULAR MEETING 7
1 question . I don ' t see that there is
2 anything black or white to be asked
3 with questions by the Board . We all
4 have opinions . Opinions of our own .
5 And facts are facts . And Scott , you had
6 told us three weeks ago that you were
7 lifting the 24 max off because there was
8 no difference anyway . It will be
9 determined. It was cited a week later
10 by Paul Pawlowski who was doing the
11 project , in writing to you, that it said
12 I was going to do 24 but then Town Board
13 lifted it . So now I am going for 32 .
14 He later dropped out . But he directly
15 quoted you and told us it didn ' t matter .
16 You misrepresent us all the time . One
17 question for you . How many people live
18 on Peconic?
19 SUPERVISOR SCOTT RUSSELL : The
20 entire hamlet , I do not know.
21 MR. KEVIN MEYERS : No . The town .
22 SUPERVISOR SCOTT RUSSELL : The
23 town or the hamlet , I do not know.
24 MR. KEVIN MEYERS : Yes . You ' re
25 representing these people .
APRIL 11 , 2023 REGULAR MEETING 8
1 SUPERVISOR SCOTT RUSSELL : 1120 .
2 MR. KEVIN MEYERS : Substantially
3 wrong . By 37 1 /2% . Right . So you
4 are off by 3 /8 ' s . Those of us that can
5 do math . I am good at math . Those of
6 us that are here , I was put down -- I am
7 not an attorney and I do not know
8 procedure . That is not what I spend my
9 time . Numbers I know. If there are
10 going to be two family units ,
11 bungalow ' s , cottages . If there are
12 going to be 34 of them, 32 . Round that
13 up to 100 people living in them on 5
14 acres . You have another 5 acres that
15 you have assured me would be for some
16 other purpose . To build a facility . I
17 don ' t believe you . You ' re gone in 9
18 months . Thank God . And then they
19 build another, that is 200 people on 10
20 acres . You ' re enlarging population by
21 over 25% . In the dark of night . And
22 you look at us like , I can ' t believe
23 they have a problem with this . And you
24 said it was stated -- and you can look
25 back at the tape the last time I was
APRIL 11 , 2023 REGULAR MEETING 9
1 here . I said, look, if I went to a bank
2 and I said, can I get a loan for a
3 house . I get the money and I go buy a
4 Ferrari , I get in trouble . You went
5 directly to buy land for purposes of an
6 athletic facility and in the dark of
7 night , you switch it . And in any role ,
8 that is wrong . So I would say that you
9 lack all character . And I am not --
10 MR. PAUL DECHANCE : Let me
11 interrupt you, sir . Let ' s stick to the
12 merits of whatever --
13 MR. KEVIN MEYERS : These are the
14 merits . I have been misinformed every
15 time I --
16 MR. PAUL DECHANCE : If you can
17 just stop for a moment . State what the
18 merits you want to speak about .
19 Personal attacks are not appropriate ,
20 nor are they professional . Stick with
21 the merits you want to speak on --
22 MR. KEVIN MEYERS : I would like to
23 publicly state on TV and elsewhere ,
24 every time I have asked a question, and
25 they can look back at the old film. You
APRIL 11 , 2023 REGULAR MEETING 10
1 have used terminology and you brush
2 things off and it ' s factually incorrect .
3 You specifically said 24 wasn ' t a real
4 number . It doesn ' t matter . Later the
5 builder told you it mattered. So
6 apparently you were wrong .
7 MR. PAUL DECHANCE : All right ,
8 sir , let me ask you to not repeat
9 something you have already said. So --
10 MR. KEVIN MEYERS : Well , nobody
11 listens . So I have to --
12 SUPERVISOR SCOTT RUSSELL : Let me
13 just say, I did not know he was
14 proposing 32 until I read it on the
15 Suffolk Times . I went onto social media
16 and in a minute -- please , let me
17 finish . I gave you an opportunity . Let
18 me finish . I went on social media and I
19 said specifically, please accept this
20 statement as my commitment that I will
21 not support more than 24 units . Because
22 that is what I thought I was voting for .
23 That had been the public discussion and
24 I made that clear on social media . I
25 can find you the statement if you want .
APRIL 11 , 2023 REGULAR MEETING 11
1 But I made it perfectly clear that I
2 would not support 24 units because that
3 is what I thought we were entertaining .
4 MR. KEVIN MEYERS : I just want to
5 repeat it . You said that you were not
6 aware that he was going to do 32 because
7 the reason was , he wasn ' t going to do 32
8 unless you lowered the barrier . So you
9 were very much responsible for him doing
10 that . That is my point . You made it
11 possible .
12 SUPERVISOR SCOTT RUSSELL : But the
13 24 , that is what was on the table and
14 that is what it was moving forward. And
15 I made it clear that I will not support
16 more than the 24 . I went onto social
17 media and made a comment and I mean
18 that .
19 MR. KEVIN MEYERS : You removed the
20 cap .
21 SUPERVISOR SCOTT RUSSELL : Yep .
22 For other purposes . But I understand
23 what you ' re saying .
24 MR. KEVIN MEYERS : What purposes
25 are they?
APRIL 11 , 2023 REGULAR MEETING 12
1 SUPERVISOR SCOTT RUSSELL : No . I
2 understand what you ' re saying and I
3 agree with everything that you ' re
4 saying . But that was not my intent . My
5 intent was to support a 24 unit project ,
6 but I agree with you and I completely
7 understand. Honestly .
8 MR. NEIL CHICANOWITZ : Hi . My
9 name is Neil Chicanowitz , and I would
10 like to speak on the same issue . I
11 prepared a letter . Just so I wouldn ' t
12 miss anything . So I would like to thank
13 all the members of the Town Board for
14 your service for the community . I would
15 like to voice my vehement opposition to
16 the proposed zoning changes of the
17 property adjacent to that home by my
18 family on Carroll Avenue . I believe my
19 father brought that property in the mid
20 80 ' s . It ' s been a long time . I know a
21 lot of you people . My family have been
22 residents and business people in Peconic
23 since the 1920 ' s . Not sure if that means
24 anything but just to throw a little bit
25 of history . Our development rights on
APRIL 11 , 2023 REGULAR MEETING 13
1 that property were sold. So when I
2 speak of this , it ' s not a financial
3 perspective . It ' s more about a
4 community interest . When the former
5 project had been proposed ( inaudible ) it
6 was quite clear for the intended use .
7 Making an adjustment and adding high
8 dentistry housing is important and
9 detrimental to the neighborhood in my
10 opinion . The proposed use will
11 potentially add 100 to nearly 200
12 full-time residents to a hamlet that
13 currently houses less than 800 . The
14 impact would be severe with regards to
15 services . Potential traffic , septic ,
16 schools , etcetera . Furthermore , the
17 location is just wrong . There is no
18 access to bus or rail . There is no
19 shops , groceries , pharmacies , medical
20 services , libraries , etcetera . All
21 which seem to be a crux to those in need
22 and who may want to move in that sort of
23 development . There are already
24 properties in the Town with the proper
25 zoning and many others with proper
APRIL 11 , 2023 REGULAR MEETING 14
1 access to these types of services , than
2 high density housing requires . Further ,
3 I want to mention, that just adjacent
4 parks , as they exist now, are a gem and
5 a wonderful resource for all of the
6 Southold Town . It ' s a place where
7 citizens of all ages come to relax and
8 play pickleball , softball , Little
9 League , tennis , baseball , hockey,
10 football , soccer . There is a wonderful
11 memorial for those loss on 9/11 . Relay
12 for life . Young moms and dads playing
13 with their young children on the
14 playground. I fear what that wonderful
15 park will become if that housing project
16 going in this location . The entire Town
17 will suffer . Please take these points
18 into consideration when making what
19 seems to be a hasty decision on this
20 land. Thank you . Can I submit this
21 letter?
22 SUPERVISOR SCOTT RUSSELL : Yes ,
23 please .
24 MS . RONA SMITH : Hi . My name is
25 Rona Smith . And I am not here to
APRIL 11 , 2023 REGULAR MEETING 15
1 ( inaudible ) Paul Pawlowski out from this
2 Affordable Housing . I have been
3 involved in Affordable Housing for the
4 Southold Town for the last 20 years .
5 And I remember the same thing about the
6 cottages at Mattituck . People were
7 afraid that it would affect the value of
8 their homes and damaged and perhaps the
9 neighborhood would be damaged. But in
10 the 15 years or so that those cottages
11 have been there , there have never been a
12 sweep of a problem and everybody points
13 to those cottages , as a very positive
14 thing that the Town was engaged in . And
15 it was a long time ago . And it ' s time
16 to do more . There are a lot of people
17 within the Town who don ' t have any place
18 to live . And our entire economy depends
19 on those people . They won ' t stay here .
20 Because these are not people who really
21 -- this is not low income housing . If
22 you look at the proposal that was
23 written, it was written for 100% of area
24 income and we ( inaudible ) which were
25 family of four is $146 , 400 . I am not
APRIL 11 , 2023 REGULAR MEETING 16
1 sure if we ' re aware of that . I think we
2 need to really reconsider what we ' re
3 talking about . It is completely
4 abstract . A million dollar house is
5 affordable for a person of $100 million
6 dollars . So people are trying to turn
7 this into something of us versus them.
8 But we are them. And it ' s time for us
9 to stop doing that to people who are
10 viable citizens , volunteers for lots of
11 activity and nice people to live near .
12 This is our community . Who are you
13 trying to keep out of your neighborhood?
14 Thank you .
15 MS . RACHEL FLATLEY : Hi . Rachel
16 Flatley . I am sure you are all tired of
17 hearing from me . But Rona, you did make
18 some good points there and I just wanted
19 to comment on that really quick. One
20 thing that is the big difference for us
21 in the residents of Carroll Avenue is
22 the Cottages in Mattituck are ownership .
23 Not rental . And you know, I speak for
24 myself and the residents of Carroll
25 Avenue , that we ' re not seeing this as
APRIL 11 , 2023 REGULAR MEETING 17
1 the ( inaudible ) . We ' re all very hard
2 working people . And we all work
3 multiple jobs for our housing . And --
4 sorry . We are trying to preserve where
5 we purchase . I purchased my house after
6 years of saving . And I thought it was
7 the perfect location . It ' s quiet . My
8 son can ride his bike down the road and
9 it ' s just -- the ideal location for me
10 and my family . And we worked really
11 hard for it . And I know -- you know,
12 our block is composed of small business
13 owners , civil servants , nurses , blue
14 collar workers . You know, there is 14
15 of us . 14 houses on this block. And
16 this for us , a lot of people -- 25 is a
17 small number , but when you have 14
18 houses on the block, you ' re adding 25 ,
19 that is significant to our community .
20 And it would completely change our
21 entire block and the neighborhood . And
22 the park abs everything . So we ' re not
23 coming at this as another person,
24 because we are them. We worked so hard
25 for what we have done . And you know, my
APRIL 11 , 2023 REGULAR MEETING 18
1 husband owns a business and I am in
2 management . And I know how hard it is
3 to get staff because there is no place
4 to live . I do not dispute that at all .
5 It ' s more so and again -- when I bought
6 my house , this was posed as
7 recreational . That is the area and it
8 should be kept that way . Because this
9 is completely different from what you
10 had sold to us . To the people that live
11 there . Still working multiple jobs to
12 be able to pay their mortgage . So I do
13 not want this come off like that because
14 that is against everything -- I think
15 everyone -- that is not where we are
16 coming from. We are also them. We
17 worked so hard and we don ' t want to lose
18 this beautiful block and that community
19 that we have built and have it changed.
20 And that is a significant impact on us .
21 And I don ' t -- you know, our intention
22 is to not take that away from anyone
23 else , but as Neil had said, there are
24 other areas in the Town that are zoned
25 appropriately . If we could help to put
APRIL 11 , 2023 REGULAR MEETING 19
1 something together to find other places
2 to build this , it ' s just -- this is not
3 the correct place . This was sold to us ,
4 the residents there and to the park
5 owners that this will continue on as
6 recreation . And it ' s our belief as the
7 residents of Carroll and the community
8 of Peconic , that it should stay that
9 way . Thank you .
10 SUPERVISOR SCOTT RUSSELL : Who
11 else would like to address the Town
12 Board?
13 MR. MATT NETCHUM: Hi . My name is
14 Matt Netchum. I am a local oyster farm
15 business owner . And I am fortunate
16 enough to be a homeowner as well . I
17 understand that Affordable Housing is
18 certainly an issue around here for the
19 farmers and the restaurants . But you
20 know, I don ' t think this is the answer .
21 Especially because you can ' t
22 specifically allow people that work out
23 here , you know, give them the
24 opportunity to get Affordable Housing .
25 I don ' t know what the solution is , but
APRIL 11 , 2023 REGULAR MEETING 20
1 this isn ' t it . And you know, I love the
2 open space out here . I love the farms .
3 I love the restaurants . I love the
4 beaches and I love our community . And
5 it has been enough development going on .
6 I think we got to put the brakes on this
7 right now. That ' s all . Thank you .
8 SUPERVISOR SCOTT RUSSELL : Who
9 else would like to address the Town
10 Board? Just please , very quick.
11 MR. STEPHEN KIELY : I am going to
12 be quick. I just wanted to address Rona
13 had mentioned --
14 SUPERVISOR SCOTT RUSSELL : Your
15 response is to the Town Board and not
16 other speakers .
17 MR. STEPHEN KIELY : I will say it
18 to you .
19 SUPERVISOR SCOTT RUSSELL : Please .
20 MR. STEPHEN KIELY : There isn ' t a
21 one size fits all for community housing .
22 There is different alteratives for
23 community housing . It doesn ' t have to
24 be high density apartment complexes or
25 high density housing . Housing
APRIL 11 , 2023 REGULAR MEETING 21
1 complexes . We can do repurposing of
2 commercial buildings . Jill Doherty has
3 brought that up in the past . Repurpose
4 them. There are more things in making
5 it easier . Offering incentives . There
6 is manor houses that can be built with
7 three units inside and not impact the
8 community character . So I just wanted
9 to make that clear . It ' s not a one size
10 fits all .
11 SUPERVISOR SCOTT RUSSELL : Who
12 else would like to address the Town
13 Board on this?
14 MR. STAN ZURICH : Stan Zurich, 250
15 Carroll Avenue , Peconic . We had this
16 built ( inaudible ) building --
17 SUPERVISOR SCOTT RUSSELL : It used
18 to be the North Fork Bank.
19 MR. STAN ZURICH : You can put
20 apartment buildings in there . You
21 already got a parking lot . You develop
22 it . You are supposed to put a swimming
23 pool . Not houses . And I never got a
24 registered letter about anything . And I
25 see the thing, there was supposed to be
APRIL 11 , 2023 REGULAR MEETING 22
1 a swimming pool . Not houses . So you
2 want to put houses , you got one of these
3 buildings in Mattituck, on the Main Road
4 and -- who owns that -- that developed
5 Mattituck? That owns that area over
6 there?
7 SUPERVISOR SCOTT RUSSELL : Are you
8 talking about that shopping center,
9 Capital One building?
10 MR. STAN ZURICH : Capital One
11 building . That has been vacant for
12 years . Houses -- this -- listen, that
13 is agricultural . I got pigs and all
14 that . They smell . It ' s not
15 residential . It was never residential
16 in the first place . And you ' re going --
17 if I had all this farmland and I will
18 say I am going to build all these
19 condominiums here . That is going to be
20 okay? No . I have to go to the Board.
21 You guys got to change it . Zoning?
22 Then that doesn ' t happen . Then you ' re
23 going to buy land and then change the
24 zoning? I mean , doesn ' t make sense to
25 me . You bought it for a reason to put a
APRIL 11 , 2023 REGULAR MEETING 23
1 swimming pool . You guys didn ' t want to
2 do that , that is fine and dandy . For
3 the kids and that . Kids , I do anything
4 for them, but housing , no . We got plenty
5 of properties all over the place . All
6 these buildings that are not used . And
7 first of all , zoning, I thought it was 2
8 acre zoning that Town changed it years
9 ago to 2 acre zoning? So what happened
10 to that? There is no more now?
11 SUPERVISOR SCOTT RUSSELL : The 2
12 acre zoning would be place until the
13 Town Board rescinds it . Under the
14 current zoning, it ' s still zoning .
15 MR. STAN ZURICH : So then how is
16 this coming about , we ' re going to put
17 cottages?
18 SUPERVISOR SCOTT RUSSELL : The
19 Board had been discussing it since 2019 .
20 MR. STAN ZURICH : And the Peconic ,
21 we got that Rec Center . Do something
22 with the Rec Center? Put something in
23 there . Put a swimming pool in there .
24 That is big enough . We got the school .
25 Peconic School . What is that doing?
APRIL 11 , 2023 REGULAR MEETING 24
1 COUNCILMAN GREG DOROSKI : You will
2 see later in the meeting tonight , we got
3 some request for proposals for the very
4 facility you ' re talking about .
5 MR. STAN ZURICH : It ' s
6 unbelievable . Let me say this , it ' s
7 open to everybody . So you got to get
8 rift raft there . Don ' t tell me it ' s not
9 going to happen .
10 SUPERVISOR SCOTT RUSSELL : That
11 wasn ' t our program --
12 MR. STAN ZURICH : It ' s not your
13 program. This is the developer . He ' s
14 going to do what he wants . Get who he
15 wants in there . Everybody went to that
16 meeting . Said you had to make $100 , 000
17 and the entire family that lives there .
18 In that house -- that apartment , how
19 many people can you fit in that house?
20 SUPERVISOR SCOTT RUSSELL :
21 Probably a single or a married couple .
22 MR. STAN ZURICH : Right . So who
23 is going to live there .
24 SUPERVISOR SCOTT RUSSELL :
25 Firefighters are going to live there .
APRIL 11 , 2023 REGULAR MEETING 25
1 MR. STAN ZURICH : There is no
2 firefighters that are going to live
3 there . I guarantee that . You should
4 say , listen, take the land. Got so much
5 property and you build a house . Then
6 it ' s there . Then they pay taxes . We
7 don ' t need him to say who can and can ' t
8 live there . That is not Affordable
9 Housing .
10 SUPERVISOR SCOTT RUSSELL : It is
11 not up to him, it ' s up to us .
12 MR. STAN ZURICH : It ' s not
13 Affordable Housing . But you ' re going to
14 sell it to him. So it ' s up to him. Not
15 up to you .
16 SUPERVISOR SCOTT RUSSELL : No --
17 MR. STAN ZURICH : Once he buys it ,
18 it ' s not up to you anymore .
19 SUPERVISOR SCOTT RUSSELL : They
20 would have to follow the code . And the
21 code requires that firefighters and
22 EMT ' s --
23 MR. STAN ZURICH : I guarantee that
24 will never happen . The same thing was
25 going to happen over there . Ain ' t no
APRIL 11 , 2023 REGULAR MEETING 26
1 fire member there . You got rift raft
2 over there .
3 SUPERVISOR SCOTT RUSSELL : We had
4 no say in that . That wasn ' t a Town
5 program.
6 MR. STAN ZURICH : You told them to
7 build it .
8 SUPERVISOR SCOTT RUSSELL : The
9 zoning was already there .
10 MR. STAN ZURICH : That was swamp
11 land over there .
12 SUPERVISOR SCOTT RUSSELL : I know,
13 but we didn ' t zone it . It has been
14 zoned like that since the late 1980 ' s .
15 We didn ' t zone .
16 MR. STAN ZURICH : Nobody can add
17 zoning and take it away and this and
18 that? I don ' t get it .
19 MR. STEPHEN KIELY : Scott , you
20 should apologize . To say if you don ' t
21 support this project , you don ' t support
22 firefighters?
23 SUPERVISOR SCOTT RUSSELL : No . You
24 keep using one community stats and
25 applying to them to one , that is a
APRIL 11 , 2023 REGULAR MEETING 27
1 completely different program. That is
2 gas lighting .
3 MR. STEPHEN KIELY : What are you
4 referring to?
5 SUPERVISOR SCOTT RUSSELL : The
6 stats that keep getting quoted are the
7 stats coming from a community that is
8 not a Town program.
9 MR. STEPHEN KIELY : You ' re
10 basically saying that everybody who
11 disagrees with this , doesn ' t like
12 firefighters .
13 SUPERVISOR SCOTT RUSSELL : No . I
14 am just saying if you don ' t like high
15 density housing , let ' s be honest with
16 that . Rather than saying there is 22
17 police responses for this -- that has
18 nothing to do with this plan . Nothing
19 to do with it . Completely a different
20 oversight .
21 MS . LISA ROSA: Hi . I am Lisa
22 Rosa . I am a firefighter and an EMT ,
23 voluntary . So I support the community
24 100% . I also work every single day to
25 afford my house at 16 Carroll Avenue .
APRIL 11 , 2023 REGULAR MEETING 28
1 My question is , was the water study done
2 yet? Was the traffic study done yet?
3 Before you think of rezoning stuff , what
4 is that affecting my house? Because
5 that abuts right to my backyard. And
6 what I am going to have to do, put
7 bard-wire up to keep anything out? I
8 mean, come-on . You guys are the Board,
9 but you know what , it ' s all of us that
10 have to deal with the consequences .
11 You ' re sitting here right , but you ' re
12 probably going to be gone tomorrow.
13 We ' re stuck with this . It should be up
14 to us as a hamlet of Peconic to say,
15 here , okay or no, okay . I own my house
16 because I bust my butt . I saved my
17 money . And if people want to do that ,
18 they can own a house . There is plenty
19 of them out there . Start with a
20 foreclosure house . Start with
21 something . Put Affordable Housing in
22 one of the vacant buildings . There is
23 plenty of them around . You don ' t have
24 to destroy a little Town . Nothing
25 against Affordable Housing . I am all
APRIL 11 , 2023 REGULAR MEETING 29
1 for it . But you know what , use what we
2 have already . Why build more? It ' s
3 recreational . I have grandchildren .
4 They come there . We have neighbors that
5 have children . Their children are there
6 all the time . You know, yes , we have
7 agricultural because we do have animals .
8 And what is that -- now we ' re not going
9 to have animals because it might be a
10 violation? It ' s agricultural , of
11 course .
12 COUNCILMAN GREG DOROSKI : Thank
13 you .
14 MR. AARON EARLS : Hi . My name is
15 Aaron Earls and I live on 3070 Peconic
16 Lane . A couple of things I wanted to
17 state . One is , myself , are very much
18 for Affordable Housing . It ' s very clear
19 to all of us here that live in this
20 community that there are people in this
21 community who can ' t afford to live here .
22 So we certainly appreciate ( inaudible )
23 hearing here today is a lack of
24 transparency and a lack of understanding
25 of the project . There is a total
APRIL 11 , 2023 REGULAR MEETING 30
1 disconnect for me to the questions being
2 asked and the answers be given . So I
3 think a lot of this is an educational
4 process about what this should stand
5 for . What this is about . So that is
6 one . Two , you guys were all elected to
7 represent us . What we ' re hearing today
8 is not that process . So the thought
9 would be , let ' s pump the brakes as this
10 gentleman said earlier . Give everybody
11 an opportunity to better understand this
12 project . And understand the strength
13 and weaknesses and have some input . if
14 it makes sense , then put it up for a
15 vote . Rather than you all having to
16 make the decision . Thank you .
17 SUPERVISOR SCOTT RUSSELL : Who
18 else would like to address any other
19 item on the agenda?
20 MR. ERIC MCCLURE : Eric McClure ,
21 Mattituck . I will be brief , because I
22 know there is a Public Hearing in four
23 weeks . I wanted to voice my opinion for
24 the strong support of the amendments of
25 the Zoning Code for accessory
APRIL 11 , 2023 REGULAR MEETING 31
1 apartments . I think the proposed
2 changes make a lot of sense and square
3 footage requirements and residency
4 requirements . So I just wanted to speak
5 in favor of that and come back on May
6 9th as well . Thank you .
7 SUPERVISOR SCOTT RUSSELL : Who
8 else would like to address -- Anne?
9 MS . ANNE MURRAY : I am Anne
10 Murray , East Marion . I am here on
11 behalf of the North Fork Environmental
12 Council . I just wanted to urge you to
13 please pass the battery storage
14 moratorium for 12 months . I am sure
15 you ' re aware that the Suffolk Planning
16 Commission wants a shorter duration,
17 which I think is crazy . Doesn ' t have
18 time for a group to study it and do the
19 right thing . So, please . Please vote
20 unanimously, if possible , in favor .
21 Thank you .
22 SUPERVISOR SCOTT RUSSELL : Thank
23 you .
24 Who else would like to address the
25 Town Board?
APRIL 11 , 2023 REGULAR MEETING 32
1 (No Response ) .
2
3 (Whereupon, the meeting proceeded
4 to the Agenda at this time , followed by
5 no further public comment and close of
6 the meeting . )
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
APRIL 11 , 2023 REGULAR MEETING 33
1 C E R T I F I C A T I O N
2
3 I , Jessica DiLallo , a Notary
4 Public for and within the State of
5 New York, do hereby certify :
6 THAT, the within transcript is a
7 true record of said Board Meeting .
8 I further certify that I am not
9 related either by blood or marriage to
10 any of the parties to this action ; and
11 that I am in no way interested in the
12 outcome of this matter .
13 IN WITNESS WHEREOF , I have
14 hereunto set my hand this day, April 30 ,
15 2023 .
16
17
18 ( Je sic
DiLallo )
19
20
21
22
23
24
25