HomeMy WebLinkAboutPB-06/05/2023 PH 1
TOWN OF SOUTHOLD
COUNTY OF SUFFOLK : STATE OF NEW YORK
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3
TOWN OF SOUTHOLD
4 PLANNING BOARD MEETING
5 RE : STRONG ' S STORAGE BUILDING
DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT
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7
8
9 Southold, New York
10 June 5 , 2023
6 : 00 P .M.
11
12
13
B E F O R E :
14
15
James H. Rich III , Member
16
Martin Sidor, Member
17
Pierce Rafferty, Member
18
Amelia Jealous-Dank, Member
19
20
Heather Lanza, Planning Director
21
Mark Terry, Assistant Planning D-irector
22
Brian Cummings , Planner
23
Jessica Michaelis , Senior Office Assistant
24
�` y 25 James Squicciarini , Deputy Town Attorney
JUNE 5, 2023 2
1 STRONG ' S STORAGE BUILDING
2 MEMBER JAMES H . RICH III : Welcome
3 everyone to this Public Hearing for
4 Strong ' s Storage Buildings , also known
5 as the Strong ' s Yacht Center . Strong ' s
6 Storage Buildings Draft Environmental
7 Impact Statement . The site plan is for
8 the proposed construction of two
9 buildings for the boat storage . One at
10 52 , 500 square feet and the other at
11 49 , 000 square feet . Located on 32 . 6
12 acres in the MII and R-80 Zoning
13 District, where they are 69 , 000 square
14 feet of existing building. Existing
15 boatyard buildings . Property is located
16 at 3430 Mill Road, Mattituck. Suffolk
17 County Tax Map #1000-106-6-10 and 13 . 4 .
18 Before we get started for this Public
19 Hearing, Jess is gonna give a few ground
20 rules . And then I have a couple more
21 comments to make .
22 JESSICA MICHAELIS : Good evening.
23 Please be respectful and remain quiet
24 while others are speaking . This hearing
25 is recorded. For a clean record at all
JUNE 5, 2023 3
1 times , please refrain from applauding,
2 calling out or making other noises . The
3 technical consultants will speak first .
4 Expect this segment to take up to an
5 hour . Topics to be covered by the
6 technical experts at tonight ' s meeting
7 will be water, groundwater modeling,
8 ecological resources , air quality,
9 project alternatives and their impacts ,
10 and unavoidable impacts . Next, we will
11 open the floor to everyone that wishes
12 to speak on any topic in the DEIS . Each-
13 person may speak only once . You may
14 line up at both of the podiums . And if
15 you ' re on Zoom, raise your hand. If you
16 are calling into the meeting via
17 telephone, *9 to raise your hand. When
18 you reach the microphone , please state
19 your name first . Direct all your
20 comments to the Planning Board. Your
21 comments will be limited to three
22 minutes . A tone will sound after 2
23 minutes and 30 seconds to alert you that
24 you only have 30 seconds remaining. And
25 the second tone will sound at 3 minutes
JUNE 5, 2023 4
1 to let you know that your time is up .
2 We appreciate your adherence to this
3 time limit . If three minutes is not
4 enough, you can submit the rest of your
5 comments in writing . You have until at
6 least July 10th to do so . Written
7 comments have the same weight as verbal
8 comments . After you ' re done speaking,
9 write your name on the sign-in sheet .
10 Those attending via Zoom will be invited
11 to speak after all in-person attendees
12 have spoken. To submit written comments
13 up until July 10th, you can e-mail them
14 to one of the Planning staff or mail
15 them by regular mail to Southold Town
16 Planning Board at PO Box 1179 in
17 Southold.
18 MEMBER JAMES H . RICH III : Thanks ,
19 Jess . So just to go over a couple more
20 comments that I have to make . The DEIS
21 is -- was required -- is required by the
22 Planning Board under the New York State
23 Environmental Quality Review Act called
24 SEQRA, to evaluate the impacts of this
25 and any other project may have on a
JUNE 5, 2023 5
1 community environment . This document
2 must follow and answer the final scope,
3 which outlines all potential impacts .
4 No decision will be made tonight. This
5 is not a referendum. It is for
6 gathering comments . The next step after
7 this night will be to continue gathering
8 written through July 10th . Unless we
9 limit that, but I don ' t think we will .
10 Once the comment period has closed, a
11 Final Environmental Impact Statement,
12 also known as FEIS is prepared. The
13 FEIS must answer all the questions and
14 address all comments made both in
15 writing and verbally. So all your
16 comments to us are gonna be recorded
17 and/or some of them may be redundant,
18 but they will basically be all addressed
19 in the FEIS . After the FEIS is
20 completed, the Board prepares a final
21 statement . This is where the Board
22 states their findings about whether or
23 not the impacts have been mitigated.
24 The findings must be supported by the
25 FEIS . The last step is a decision on
JUNE 5, 2023 6
1 the project by the Planning Board. This
2 decision will be made by resolution at a
3 public meeting on a future date . After
4 the finding statement has been
5 completed. This decision must align
6 with -- align with the Board ' s findings .
7 It ' s a complicated project and I would
8 like to personally thank the entire
9 staff of the Southold Town Planning
10 Board led by Ms . Heather Lanza and
11 Mr. Mark Terry for the tremendous
12 amount of work they have done on this ,
13 and it has been a tremendous amount of
14 work . This is the second hearing on the
15 DEIS . Again, written comment period is
16 open until July 10th . We are gonna
17 address tonight as Jess said,
18 groundwater, groundwater modeling,
19 ecological resources , air quality
20 project alternatives and unavoidable
21 impacts . But we will start this meeting
22 with Member Mia, has some questions for
23 the applicant ' s traffic consultant and
24 noise consultants . And they are
25 apparently available on Zoom. So Mia,
JUNE 5, 2023 7
1 I ' ll turn this over to your questions .
2 MEMBER AMELIA JEALOUS-DANK: Thank
3 you, Chairman. I ' ll be brief . Just one
4 traffic question for the traffic
5 engineers . Did you actually drive the
6 55 foot truck the entire length of the
7 route to 495 or was it ended at the
8 Sound Avenue intersection? I want to
9 know if the impacts to the -- where
10 Southold Town meets Riverhead was
11 considered in your -- in your studies?
12 Do you know if anybody can answer that,
13 Jess?
14 JESSICA MICHAELIS : I just brought
15 Ron Hill in. Just state your name
16 before you speak, please, Ron?
17 RON HILL : Ronald Hill from Dunn
18 Engineering. Can you hear me?
19 MEMBER AMELIA JEALOUS-DANK: Yes .
20 RON HILL : Okay . Obviously, I
21 didn ' t personally drive a truck . The
22 truck was brought out from the company
23 that ' s going to do that work or doing
24 the transport . And he came out to the
25 site via that route . As far as I know.
JUNE 5, 2023 8
- 1 The truck was brought out , brought back.
2 The company is in --
3 MEMBER AMELIA JEALOUS-DANK : Can we
4 get some information on what they found
5 driving that route? That ' s a huge truck
6 to drive over those very slender roads .
7 And I wanted to know if there was any
8 comment that he had?
9 RON HILL : Not that I 'm aware of,
10 but that company supplies -- and you ' ll
11 find a letter in the DEIS . That company
12 supplies gravel to asphalt and concrete
13 plants out in Greenport, and use that
14 road practically the same path . Except
15 for Cox Neck or West Mill , they use that
16 route continuously.
17 MEMBER AMELIA JEALOUS-DANK: All
18 right . Thank you.
19 RON HILL : Okay. You ' re welcome .
20 MEMBER AMELIA JEALOUS-DANK: The
21 second question I had was for the noise
22 consultants . Part of -- in the noise
23 and vibration mitigation, you talked
24 about the sand mitigating -- the Long
25 Island sand mitigating the vibrations in
JUNE 5, 2023 9
1 the soil, and therefore the distance of
2 transmittance . Is that a known
3 documented mitigation or is that just an
4 assumption based on sand properties
5 everywhere?
6 JESSICA MICHAELIS : Which
7 consultant was this?
8 MEMBER AMELIA JEALOUS-DANK: It was
9 for noise and vibration . If he ' s not
10 available , he can -- we can just add it
11 to .the record and he can answer it by
12 the deadline .
13 MEMBER JAMES H . RICH III : We ' ll
14 transfer that question to the applicant .
15 MEMBER AMELIA JEALOUS-DANK: Great.
16 Perfect. My next question has to do
17 with, where is the nearest New York
18 State DEC Part 360 depo disposal site?
19 Which may be a traffic engineer question
20 again. I ' m not certain who would know
21 that , but we make reference to it
22 repeatedly in the DEIS , but no specific
23 location is noted. I want to know how
24 far they have to go with all this
25 soil?
JUNE 5, 2023 10
1 MEMBER JAMES H . RICH III : Can we
2 get Ron Hill back on that?
3 JESSICA MICHAELIS : Yes . Ron.
4 RON HILL : I 'm sorry, that ' s not a
5 question I can answer . I ' m not familiar
6 with that -- that disposal site .
7 MEMBER AMELIA JEALOUS-DANK: Okay.
8 We ' ll just ask --
9 MEMBER JAMES H . RICH III : Look
10 for a written answer on that then.
11 Anymore?
12 MEMBER AMELIA JEALOUS-DANK: No,
13 not for now. Later .
14 MEMBER JAMES H . RICH III : So I
15 guess we ' ll open the meeting up to
16 applicants consultants to address water,
17 groundwater and modeling first . And
18 again, I would ask as we move forward
19 if , if you spoke last month, maybe give
20 somebody else a chance unless you have
21 something really different to say than
22 you did the last time . And all comments
23 are being recorded.
24 So, Charles , do you have a --
25 CHARLES CUDDY: Charles Cuddy. I
JUNE 5, 2023 11
1 represent the applicant . I have an
2 office in Riverhead, New York. I ' m also
3 a resident of Mattituck. The first
4 speaker tonight will be Paul Boyce , will
5 speak on groundwater. And William
6 Bowman will speak on Ecology.
7 Massimiliano Leli will speak on air
8 quality. These are people from Grosser
9 Consultants . And Kim Gennaro, who ' s
10 Vice President of that company will
11 speak on alternatives and unavoidable
12 impact . So I ' d like Paul to start .
13 PAUL BOYCE : Thank you. Good
14 evening members of the Planning Board,
15 and everyone else . My name ' s Paul
16 Boyce, as I was just introduced. I am
17 with P .W. Grosser Consulting . Our
18 address is 630 Johnson Avenue, Bohemia,
19 New York . I ' m president and CEO of the
20 firm and also the lead groundwater
21 modeler. I was responsible for
22 conducting the groundwater modeling for
23 this project for the Strong ' s Yacht
24 Center, and what we did and how we did
25 it, is what I ' m gonna try to explain and
JUNE 5, 2023 12
1 as brief and as succinctly as possible
2 as I can. We utilized a 3D or three
3 dimensional numerical groundwater model ,
4 to analyze the existing aquifer
5 conditions and to predict how the
6 aquifer would respond to different new
7 stresses post the proposed development
8 at the site, which would include the
9 instruction of the two boat storage
10 buildings . We started by using the
11 existing Suffolk County Regional Model,
12 which was a known and published model as
13 our framework. From there, we paired it
14 down to a subregional or a local model .
15 And what that means is , we basically
16 took it from all of Suffolk County down
17 to a model centered around Mattituck
18 Creek, about 19 , 000 feet in the north,
19 south direction. And about 18 , 000 feet
20 in the east, west cross section . Again
21 centered at Mattituck Creek. Just about
22 where the Yacht Center is located. We
23 did that to get a better degree of
24 accuracy. When working with a regional
25 model for application like this , you ' re
JUNE 5, 2023 13
1 just gonna lose precision and accuracy
2 based on the grid size and whatnot . So
3 we did pare it down quite a bit . We did
4 -- we calibrated our model using USGS
5 data. That ' s the United States
6 Geological Survey. We had local
7 monitoring wells where we had multiple
8 years worth of data . Was probably about
9 12 to 15 years worth of data . Maybe
10 even more for some of the wells . And
11 what we did there was , we averaged it .
12 So we took long term averages for these
13 groundwater levels . All right . As
14 opposed to a single one or, you know, a
15 variable one . We took a nice long term
16 average. So we established, you know,
17 for those -- for calibration targets and
18 then from, we also established boundary
19 conditions . All right . So I mentioned
20 the north and south, you know, sort of
21 dimensions , as well as , the east and
22 west . So at the perimeters of the
23 bound are the model that we had, the
24 Long Island Sound to the north and we
25 had the Great Peconic Bay to the south .
JUNE 5, 2023 14
1 And we had the east and west boundaries .
2 We used as just regular groundwater
3 flow. Right . And also Mattituck Creek
4 is considered a boundary because it ' s
5 right there and it ' s connected to the
6 Long Island Sound. We also utilized two
7 of the lakes in the area, which were
8 Maratuga and Laurel as boundary
9 conditions . We also got the long term
10 averages for water levels and those --
11 all those water bodies that I just
12 mentioned for our boundary conditions .
13 But the objectives of the model ,
14 essentially was twofold. One was to
15 analyze groundwater hydraulics and flow
16 patterns in the local area, as well as ,
17 travel times , well capture zones for
18 nearby wells . And as I said before,
19 water levels . What happens when we
20 start pumping, recharging all that fun
21 types of stuff . The second objective
22 really was to get into the saltwater .
23 All right . We wanted to take a look at
24 the saltwater interface, you know, what
25 the depth was , the thickness of the
JUNE 5, 2023 15
1 saltwater or the freshwater lens . And
2 possibly what would happen, you know,
3 post development or construction, in
4 terms of saltwater intrusion and
5 upcoming issues that may result post
6 the site improvements . And besides
7 that, we also took a third objective,
8 which we kind of added on a little bit
9 later . Was looking at sea level rise .
10 What happens , you know in the future?
11 If sea level does increase, what happens
12 to water levels on site in the local
13 area? So we took a look at that as
14 well . We did a lot with model inputs
15 and parameters . Obviously, when you
16 build a model a lot goes into it . It ' s
17 very complicated. It ' s very
18 sophisticated. As I mentioned, it ' s a
19 numerical solution to, you know, reality
20 here . So we had to analyze a bunch of
21 inputs and parameters that include all
22 the different hydro geologic properties .
23 Like the hydro ( inaudible ) the layer
24 geometries and orientations . You guys
25 are all familiar -- some of you may be
JUNE 5, 2023 16
1 familiar with the aquifer system beneath
2 the island. You know, the various , you
3 know, zones , where we have fresh water
4 and how it interacts . The hydro
5 geological properties , such as the
6 hydraulic conductivity values , store
7 activities , transmit activities ,
8 porosities . We researched all of that
9 data . We had numerous references . Like
10 I said, we, we utilized the existing
11 Suffolk County model as a start of a
12 framework. But the bulk of our
13 resources , our references were with the
14 USGS . Mean, they ' ve got a lot of good
15 published information specific to the
16 North Fork, and right around Mattituck
17 Creek, which was invaluable . All right .
18 Once we got that model constructed, like
19 I said, that framework, in 3D, you know,
20 plan view and then depth, we then
21 started to calibrate it . Using those
22 targets I told you about . Those USGS
23 monitoring wells for the area. And we
24 got this stuff -- we started to
25 calibrate it down till we got acceptable
JUNE 5, 2023 17
1 industry recognized statistics . And the
2 output started to really approximate
3 what the groundwater contour maps looked
4 like for the area . And you know, we got
5 it well within the acceptable standards
6 for , you know, calibration statistics .
7 So it ' s a fairly high tuned model for
8 the area . Once we had the model
9 calibrated, you know, it looked like it
10 should. It was considered, you know --
11 it was deemed complete and ready to go.
12 So we started running some analysis .
13 All right . We looked at the existing
14 and proposed site conditions . Both were
15 simulated under various model runs . And
16 again, these were used to predict what ' s
17 gonna happen when we do something new.
18 But basically under the existing
19 conditions , you know, it did not include
20 any new excavations at the site . We had
21 no increases in stormwater runoff or a
22 recharge . And all the existing wells on
23 site were left active and running . All
24 right . Proposed conditions , just the
25 opposite of that . You know, we had a an
JUNE 5, 2023 18
1 excavation right where the two boathouse
2 buildings are proposed to go . We had an
3 increase in stormwater recharge because
4 once we make these improvements , we ' re
5 gonna have less runoff and more recharge
6 to the subsurface through leaching
7 structures . And we also deactivated two
8 of the four onsite active pumping wells .
9 So what happened? Right. The model
10 predicted post-excavation . The site
11 would not have any noticeable effects on
12 the existing groundwater flow pathways
13 or nearby domestic supply well capture
14 zones . Again, the biggest thing here ,
15 is the cut, the proposed cuts . Not
16 below the water table . Everything is
17 still up above it . It did -- the model
18 did predict a slight rise in the
19 groundwater elevation directly beneath
20 the site . And again, that goes --
21 that ' s attributed to what we just said.
22 We ' re gonna turn off two active pumping
23 wells . We ' re gonna take less water out
24 of the ground. We ' re gonna have more
25 groundwater recharge going in . And the
JUNE 5, 2023 19
1 model substantiated all this , which is
2 not necessarily a bad thing . Especially
3 when you start to look at stuff like
4 saltwater intrusion. So that was really
5 it. Travel times were unaffected by the
6 proposed site improvements . Capture
7 zones of all the nearby wells . Even the
8 on-site wells , unaffected. All right .
9 And these are very small wells and they
10 have very small capture zones . So with
11 regards to the saltwater interface, all
12 right, as I just mentioned by removing
13 two wells from the from active service
14 or pumping, we ' re removing less water .
15 Right? So if we ' re removing less water,
16 that ' s a good thing, in terms of the
17 saltwater interface . Because when you
18 start pumping more and more and more ,
19 you get that landward or -- yeah,
20 landward intrusion or you could have up
21 conning. Neither of those are actually
22 gonna happen here, because again, we ' re
23 moving less and we ' re putting more back
24 in. So saltwater actually -- the
25 opposite happens here . So it actually
JUNE 5, 2023 20
1 starts to recede a little bit seaward
2 towards Mattituck Creek as opposed to
3 inland because of the results of the
4 project. Again, pretty good stuff . And
5 lastly, when we looked at sea level
6 rise, all right , what we did is , we
7 adjusted our boundary conditions , like
8 the Great Peconic Bay and the Long
9 Island Sound. We raised those heads by
10 about 16 inches to accommodate a 16 inch
11 seawater sea level rise . And as
12 expected, water levels beneath the site
13 do rise when that happens . You know,
14 and that will happen whether or not the
15 project proceeds or doesn ' t proceed.
16 You know, that ' s what ' s gonna happen .
17 But what we did is , we looked at where
18 the proposed elevations of say top of a
19 slab, bottoms of leaching pools and
20 sanitary structures . Would those be
21 impacted by a 16 inch sea level rise?
22 Obviously, groundwater levels will get
23 closer to them, but we didn ' t see any
24 conflicts . So they weren ' t actually
25 intersected by it . So, again, not much
JUNE 5, 2023 21
1 going on in terms of groundwater issues
2 with the proposed project . Thank you .
3 MEMBER JAMES H . RICH III : Thank
4 you .
5 MEMBER AMELIA JEALOUS-DANK: Can
6 you expand a little bit about the 16
7 inch seawater rise or does that -- is
8 that over a certain amount of time
9 period? Is that an assumption?
10 PAUL BOYCE : No, that ' s based on
11 you know, I believe the NOAA and FEMA
12 and a few other places that we looked
13 up. It ' s over like the next 30 to 50
14 years is what we ' re expecting.
15 MEMBER AMELIA JEALOUS-DANK: Thank
16 you .
17 MEMBER JAMES H . RICH III : Thank
18 you .
19 PAUL BOYCE : You ' re welcome .
20 WILLIAM BOWMAN : Good evening,
21 ladies and gentlemen of the Board. My
22 name is William Bowman, principal and
23 senior scientist at Land Use Ecological
24 Services , 570 Expressway Drive South,
25 Medford, New York 11763 . In my
JUNE 5, 2023 22
1 presentation, I will summarize the
2 ecological sections of the DEIS related
3 to existing ecological conditions ,
4 potential impacts , and proposed
5 mitigation . As a background, I have a
6 PhD in Ecology from Columbia University,
7 and have been working as a Consulting
8 Ecologist on Long Island for the past 18
9 years . During that time, I had been
10 contracted to design and/or supervise
11 the implementation of substantial
12 ecological habitat restoration projects
13 by Suffolk County, the U. S . Army Corps
14 of Engineers , New York State Parks , New
15 York City Parks , the Central Pine
16 Barrens Commission and Peconic Estuary
17 Partnership. For this site, I completed
18 the -- the ecological resources were
19 assessed during multiple surveys during
20 different seasons . Between September
21 2020 and August 2021 . As we can see ,
22 this is an Ecological Communities Map
23 produced by those field studies . We
24 have kind of four typical ecological
25 communities or dominant ecological
JUNE 5, 2023 23
1 communities at the site. We have the
2 Coastal Oak Beach Forest shown in Blue .
3 We have a succession of shrub land.
4 That ' s about 10 . 8 acres in that Light
5 Green. We have that successional
6 forests in that Darker Green . That ' s
7 about 4 . 7 acres . And a small area of
8 tidal wetlands in the southeast corner
9 of the site, right there . Somewhat cut
10 off . That ' s about 0 . 63 acres right
11 along Mattituck Creek shoreline .
12 However, the site ' s current ecological
13 conditions are somewhat best understood
14 by looking at its past land uses and
15 disturbance history. I mean, would you
16 mind switching to the next slide? Okay.
17 This -- perfect . All right . This is in
18 a 1962 aerial of the site . During this
19 1962 aerial , you can see the
20 construction of the boatyard and the
21 filling of the Mattituck Creek shoreline
22 along this east side of the site . And
23 then also filling and disturbance along
24 the south-end of the property. Where ,
25 it joins what is now road preserve and
JUNE 5, 2023 24
1 the residential areas to the south. The
2 western, about 11 acres of this -- of
3 the site, were agricultural --
4 agricultural uses . Those agricultural
5 uses were abandoned in the 1980 ' s . So in
6 this 1962 aerial , you can see these
7 forested areas . Those are the
8 approximately 12 acres of Coastal Oak
9 Beach Forest, that exist at the site
10 today. And the former agricultural
11 lands have transitioned to young
12 successional forests and successional
13 shrub lands . If we could switch back to
14 that ecological communities map that
15 would be appreciated. The
16 archaeological -- the Coastal Oak Beach
17 Forests are shown in this , in this map.
18 These forests provide high quality
19 habitat with abundant large trees . On
20 average, average tree diameter is about
21 12 inches , but they range up to 39
22 inches in diameter . The dominant trees
23 include American Beach, various Oaks ,
24 Black Oak, White Oak, Chestnut Oak,
25 Scarlet Oak, and Red Maple. The shrub
JUNE 5, 2023 25
1 and ground layer vegetations in these --
2 in these communities are fairly sparse,
3 due to the shade from the overlying tree
4 canopy, and browsing from our White
5 Tailed Deer . These Coastal Oak Beach
6 Forests are listed as a vulnerable
7 ecological community type by the New
8 York Natural Heritage Program. The
9 successional forest and successional
10 shrublands , in light green. Forests in
11 darker green, have regrown on the former
12 agricultural fields and cleared areas .
13 They ' re dominated by Black Cherry, Black
14 Locust , Eastern Red Cedar, and Norway
15 Maple . So there ' s obviously other
16 species present as well . In the
17 shrublands areas , invasive autumn olive
18 is dominant with small stands of
19 successional trees with heavy
20 infestations of invasive bittersweet
21 vine . Both the successional forests and
22 shrublands and dense thorny thickets of
23 Multiflora Rose , Briars and Brambles and
24 Poison Ivy . These successional
25 communities are abundant locally and in
JUNE 5, 2023 26
1 New York State . And considered
2 demonstrably secure by the New York
3 Natural Heritage Program. A small area
4 of tidal wetlands in the southeast
5 corner . Consists mostly of intertidal
6 marsh. Dominated by smooth cord grass .
7 The landward margin of the wetlands is
8 dominated by Invasive Common Reed, with
9 native salt shrubs , such as ground bush
10 and Marsh-elder throughout the entire
11 33 acre property. In order to
12 characterize these ecological
13 communities , each tree was mapped,
14 identified and measured. There are
15 approximately 2 , 408 trees on the
16 property. Measured by hand. With 1 , 054
17 trees in the R-80 zone portion of the
18 property and 1 , 354 trees Marine II
19 portion of the property. The mean
20 diameter of the sample trees was -- is
21 about 12 inches , 11 . 9 inches . During
22 these various field surveys conducted in
23 2020-2021 , a total of 105 plant species
24 were observed in the sites , forests ,
25 shrubs and wetlands . These forests and
JUNE 5, 2023 27
1 ecological communities provide high
2 quality habitat for about 110 species of
3 wildlife . Including 20 mammal species .
4 Including bats , several species of
5 reptiles and amphibians , and more than
6 20 resident and migratory birds .
7 Approximately 600 of the birds expected
8 to utilize the site, will do so for our
9 breeding habitat . Correspondence was
10 requested from the New York Natural
11 Heritage. Program dated December 1 , 2020 ,
12 which identified Piping Plover as an
13 endangered or threatened species . That
14 may be expected to be -- occur in the
15 project area. No substantial impacts to
16 Piping Plover are expected to result
17 from this project, which is located in
18 uplands and largely forested areas .
19 More than 2 , 000 feet from Plover nesting
20 beaches , which is well beyond the
21 distance that the DEC usually looks for
22 setbacks from over nesting areas , unless
23 you have some very loud activities .
24 Like blasting going on. However,
25 several species that were -- that are
JUNE 5, 2023 28
1 classified as endangered or threatened
2 for special concern, were observed or
3 expected to occur at the site . Most
4 notably Northern Long Eared Bat and
5 Eastern Box Turtle , but also including
6 special concerned species like the
7 Coopers and ( inaudible ) and hawks . The
8 predominant ecological impact of the
9 project is the loss of 5 . 5 acres of
10 forest , including that 4 . 32 acres of
11 Coastal Oak Beach Forest . The mature
12 trees within, and the ecological
13 functions and service and services
14 provided by. However, the proposed
15 action maintains 750 of the site ' s 2 , 400
16 trees . Including 650 or 8 . 3 acres of
17 the site ' s Coastal Oak Beach Forest, and
18 the wildlife habitat and ecosystem
19 services provided in those remaining
20 forests . With specific regard to the
21 Marine II zoned area, 540 of the trees
22 will be maintained. And more than 500
23 of the Marine II zone will consist of
24 natural vegetation under proposed
25 conditions . This greatly exceeds the
JUNE 5, 2023 29
1 200 of natural vegetation or landscaping
2 required under the Town Code . The loss
3 of 5 . 5 acres of forest will decrease the
4 abundance of wildlife that utilize the
5 site, due to reduced habitat
6 availability . Those wildlife species
7 that used successional habitats , are
8 habitat generalists and/or tolerance of
9 human activity, will not be
10 significantly impacted by the project .
11 These species will be able to persist on
12 the site . Albeit at lower abundance due
13 to that less available habitat . As
14 noted, the site provides Summer foraging
15 and roosting habitat for the Northern
16 Long Eared Bat . The Northern Long Eared'
17 Bat was reclassified from threatened to
18 endangered by the U . S . Fish and Wildlife
19 Service and NYSDEC in January of this
20 year . In the summer months , these bats
21 root during the day in tree cavities and
22 underneath loose bark in a variety of
23 hardwood trees . The population decline
24 in Northern Long Eared Bats has
25 triggered its listing is caused by White
JUNE 5, 2023 30
1 Nose Syndrome . This is a disease caused
2 by an invasive fungus that kills
3 hibernating bats in their colonial
4 overwintering sites . Quite often caves .
5 The U. S . Fish and Wildlife Service and
6 NYSDEC have concluded that this disease
7 and not habitat availability, is
8 currently limiting the bat population .
9 Therefore, per the NYSDEC , removal of
10 trees from the landscape is generally
11 not considered harmful unless there are
12 potentially bats within the trees during
13 the time that they are cleared . Again,
14 from DEC guidance on Long Eared Bats .
15 Accordingly, all tree clearing for the
16 proposed action would occur between
17 December 1st and February 28th following
18 NYSDEC guidance or Suffolk County. Our
19 investigations also observed Box Turtles
20 at the site . Box Turtles are a New York
21 State species of special concern . This
22 project maintains 85% natural habitats
23 on the site, but there is a potential
24 for turtle impacts during construction.
25 To minimize turtle mortality during
JUNE 5, 2023 31
1 construction, establish Box Turtle
2 protection measures and protocols .
3 Previously developed by various State
4 and Federal agencies will be used. The
5 perimeter of the construction area would
6 be surrounded by an exclusion fencing
7 prior to commencement of clearing and
8 grading. And prior to turtle
9 hibernation periods . As indicated that
10 turtles -- that clearing -- any clearing
11 would need to occur between December 1st
12 and February 28th in the winter months
13 when turtles are dormant . This
14 exclusion fencing would follow State of
15 Connecticut specifications for Turtle
16 Protection Plans . Specifically with any
17 wire or plastic mesh and permanently
18 entrapped. Turtle sweeps would be
19 conducted to locate turtles within the
20 construction area prior to their
21 hibernation. And turtles would be
22 relocated to outside of the construction
23 area during that time . They may be
24 persistent about it . They often --
25 they ' re habitual . And may attempt to
JUNE 5, 2023 32
1 return to previously used hibernaculum.
2 But that -- but routine monitoring of
3 the fence lines could be used to
4 relocate turtles in the -- in the event
5 that they continue to try to enter the
6 construction area. Box Turtle sweeps or
7 surveys would be conducted according to
8 survey methods prepared by the North
9 Eastern Box Turtle Working Group. A
10 consortium of State and Federal agencies
11 including U. S . Fish and Wildlife
12 Service, U. S . Forest Service and the New
13 Jersey and Massachusetts Divisions of
14 Fish and Wildlife . These protocols
15 provide guidance on recommendations for
16 time of day, weather conditions , survey
17 effort, frequency to permit for
18 effective surveys . As noted in the
19 DEIS , the project would create new edges
20 in areas of forest that currently have a
21 more interior location . Forest edges
22 exhibit differences in light levels , air
23 and soil temperature, soil moisture,
24 relative humidity, habitat quality and
25 other changes compared to forest
JUNE 5,. 2023 33
1 interiors . These changes and forest
2 edges can foster proliferation of
3 invasive plants and wildlife . A review
4 of scientific studies on forest edges
5 effects in the Northeastern United
6 States was conducted as part of the
7 DEIS , and indicated that these
8 environmental changes are expected to
9 occur up to 190 feet from a forest edge .
10 Based on this distance , the potential
11 impacts of the Mill Road Preserve were
12 as -- were assessed. If we can switch
13 to the next slide . Thank you . So this
14 slide here shows the potential clearing
15 limit. It shows a -- it ' s hard to make
16 out but a cross hatch here area
17 extending 195 feet from that clearing
18 limit. To indicate -- so the total area
19 of the Mill Road Preserve that could be
20 impacted by edge effects from the
21 project clearing is approximately 0 . 38
22 acres . This area accounts for only 2%
23 of the 18 acres of forests in the Mill
24 Road Preserve . If you wouldn ' t mind
25 scrolling up just a little bit . I ' m
JUNE 5, 2023 34
1 sorry. Going down . Too far . Keep
2 going until the maybe the bottom edge of
3 the Mill Road Preserve is just at the
4 bottom end of the area . Perfect .
5 Apologies . As stated, this area of
6 hatching equates to about 20 of the
7 forested area in the Mill Road Preserve;
8 however, it should be noted that the
9 forest on the subject site and the Mill
10 Road Preserve are currently influenced
11 by various existing edges , and former
12 edges . That we can see very readily in
13 this in this figure . First, the
14 existing edges of the boat yard. The
15 existing edges associated with
16 residential properties located to the
17 east of the Mill Road Preserve that have
18 kind of somewhat fragmented the air --
19 that edge of the forest on the east.
20 The former edges associated with the
21 agricultural lands on the -- on the west
22 side of the subject and the west side of
23 Mill Road Preserve . The former area of
24 kind of sand disturbance at the south
25 end of the site, what we saw from the
JUNE 5, 2023 35
1 1962 aerial that showed the disturbance
2 up through this area. And this kind of
3 utility easement that runs north --
4 northeast , southwest with Mill Road
5 Preserve . According to this 0 . 38 acre
6 area of potential edge effects are more
7 appropriately considered of an
8 intensification of an existing edge.
9 Rather than an entirely new edge effect .
10 In order to mitigate for the potential
11 impacts described, the following
12 mitigation measures have been
13 incorporated into the proposed
14 development plan to partially offset the
15 impacts of the site ' s ecological
16 resources . Approximately 0 . 6 acres of
17 native trees and shrubs will be planted
18 along the western edge of the proposed
19 boat storage area, to mitigate tree
20 clearing and edge effects . As stated
21 previously, protection measures , such as
22 winter tree clearing for Northern Long
23 Ear Bat and construction fencing and
24 surveys for Box Turtle Protection, will
25 be implemented to minimize impacts to
JUNE 5, 2023 36
1 these protected species . As stated
2 previously, the project maintains 8 . 28
3 acres or approximately 650 of the site ' s
4 Coastal Oak Beach Forests , and 750 of
5 the site ' s 2 , 400 trees . About 510 of
6 natural vegetation will be maintained in
7 the Marine II zone , which again greatly
8 exceeds the 20o required under the Town
9 Code . The applicant will contribute 50
10 native trees , a 10 gallon container .
11 Typically one inch caliber for
12 installation at high priority public
13 sites , within the Town of Southold,
14 identified by the Town ' s Tree
15 Commission . Lastly, proposed -- the
16 proposed stormwater management system
17 and the proposed IA on-site Wastewater
18 Treatment System for both the existing
19 and proposed structures will be -- will
20 serve to reduce transport of sediments ,
21 nutrients and pollutants to Mattituck
22 Creek and represents an improvement
23 compared to existing conditions for the
24 Creek and its wetlands . Thank you very
25 much for your time . I ' ll be happy to
JUNE 5, 2023 37
1 answer any questions .
2 MEMBER PIERCE RAFFERTY: I have a
3 question. So I was a little confused in
4 the citing of New York Natural Heritage
5 Program. Were you -- was any ecological
6 mapping done by that program or were you
7 citing previous? I just didn ' t quite
8 understand.
9 WILLIAM BOWMAN: Relative to
10 that --
11 MEMBER PIERCE RAFFERTY : I mean, I
12 was just curious about the plants . I
13 didn ' t hear any specificity about rare
14 and I know nothing about --
15 WILLIAM BOWMAN: Rare plants came
16 up in the Heritage Program
17 correspondence . About 105 species of
18 plants observed.
19 MEMBER PIERCE RAFFERTY: That ' s why
20 I was wondering . Did they do an
21 inventory of this whole --
22 WILLIAM BOWMAN: No. The Heritage
23 Program has records -- they have records
24 but not for every property, right? So,
25 for -- they -- they ' re not -- they
JUNE 5, 2023 38
1 didn ' t act -- their correspondence
2 didn ' t indicate any rare plants , but we
3 characterized them all . And did not
4 find any endangered threaten rare
5 species . In some ways that ' s not
6 surprising . Because one half of this
7 site is the former agricultural lands
8 that is now completely overrun by, you
9 know --
10 MEMBER PIERCE RAFFERTY: I got that
11 part .
12 WILLIAM BOWMAN: -- of thorny
13 thickets . And then the Coastal Oak
14 Beach Forest , which is a high quality
15 habitat with larger mature trees .
16 There is heavy grounds . Like many
17 places on Eastern Long Island. So that
18 we know endanger threatened plant
19 species where --
20 MEMBER PIERCE RAFFERTY: I was
21 curious because I ' ve been -- our
22 organization on Fishers Island has been
23 working with New York National Heritage
24 Program for two years straight .
25 Inventorying our area. And I just was
JUNE 5, 2023 39
1 curious whether there had ever been an
2 inventory -- specific inventory of
3 either this or the neighboring preserve .
4 And I guess there hasn ' t been for
5 rare --
6 WILLIAM BOWMAN: No.
7 MEMBER PIERCE RAFFERTY : And that ' s
8 because they -- you ' re basically saying
9 they ' re probably unlikely to be there
10 because of the nature of the
11 successional --
12 WILLIAM BOWMAN : And that ' s why you
13 do the survey. Rather than rely on the
14 Heritage Program correspondence . So the
15 Heritage Program correspondence didn ' t
16 state Northern Long Eared Bat either .
17 But that ' s a species that is expected to
18 be on the -- expected to be on the
19 property.
20 MEMBER PIERCE RAFFERTY : Okay.
21 Thank you .
22 MEMBER JAMES H . RICH III : Thank
23 you .
24 MASSIMILIANO LILI : Hi everyone.
25 Good evening, Members of the Board,
JUNE 5, 2023 40
1 everyone . My name is Massimiliano
2 Lili . I ' m a Project Manager at P .W.
3 Grosser Consulting . I am an
4 environmental engineer with background
5 and air emission evaluations , air
6 permitting with the New York State and
7 Air Quality Survey. I ' m here to
8 summarize the Air Quality Evaluation
9 that PW Grosser Consulting performed for
10 this project . The purpose of the Air
11 Quality Analysis was to identify and
12 evaluate the potential emission
13 generated from each phase of the project
14 and the carbon stock loss that would
15 result from construction activities .
16 And to identify any mitigation measures
17 if necessary. Currently, there are no
18 emission sources that require a New York
19 State DEC Air Permit . And the proposed
20 project will not necessitate obtaining
21 any air permits as the addition of
22 permanent emission sources is not
23 proposed in the proposed scope of the
24 project . So based on the result of the
25 of the analysis , the air quality is not
JUNE 5, 2023 41
1 anticipated to be significantly impacted
2 by the project . Short term impact may
3 occur during the construction phase.
4 However, long term quality impacts will
5 be inconsequential . The Air Quality
6 Evaluation was based on the analysis of
7 three main factors . The mobile source
8 emissions , the dust emissions and the
9 carbon stock removal . For the mobile
10 sources emission evaluation, again short
11 term air quality impacts may occur
12 during the excavation phase of the
13 project. However, long term air quality
14 will be -- impact will be minimal . The
15 analysis of the air quality impact due
16 the construction activity was completed
17 considering the types of vehicles and
18 activities that would be utilized during
19 each phase . The mobile source emission
20 evaluation was split then into two
21 analysis , the off-road equipment and the
22 on-road vehicles or equipment . The
23 off-road -- the off-road mobile emission
24 will be generated from the operation of
25 off-road mobile construction equipment.
JUNE 5, 2023 42
1 The analysis conducted, evaluated a
2 potential impact associated with trucks
3 and equipment that are equipped with
4 engine -- that are EPA Tier Three or
5 Tier Four compliant . And this was done
6 for a conservative approach. In fact,
7 the applicant has committed to utilize
8 trucks that equipment that are all
9 equipped with the Tier Four engine . So
10 the Tier Four regulation of the -- the
11 strictest EPA emission requirements for
12 highway diesel engines . But as such,
13 the usable Tier Four compliant equipment
14 will further reduce the emission of a
15 particulate matter or PM and nitrogen
16 oxide of NOX, and ensures that the
17 Federal Emissions Standards are being
18 achieved. In addition, according to the
19 New York State DEC Section 217-3 Heavy
20 Duty Vehicles will not remain for more
21 than four to five minutes at a time .
22 The potential impacts of the off-road
23 mobile emission were evaluated using
24 established guideline -- guidance values
25 on a pound per day basis . And the
JUNE 5, 2023 43
1 emission estimated were well within the
2 significant threshold values . And
3 therefore , it was determined that the
4 impact with the mobile off-road emission
5 would be less than significant . For
6 on-road mobile emission, the air
7 emission will be generated from operated
8 of on-road mobile construction
9 equipment, as well as , employee
10 passenger vehicles during the
11 construction of the proposed project .
12 It was considered the engines for all
13 those vehicles , on-road vehicles , meet
14 the Federal Emissions Standards . And it
15 is noted that the construction company
16 engaged to complete the work, has
17 committed to utilize multiple vehicles
18 to transport, as many as , social workers
19 to the site to minimize the number of
20 vehicles being utilized. And thus
21 minimizing associated air emissions .
22 The Air Emission Rates calculated were
23 then compared to the EPA General
24 Conformity De Minimis Values . These
25 anticipated emission rates for each
JUNE 5, 2023 44
1 phase are well within the Annual
2 Conformity De Minimis value . It was
3 concluded that on-road vehicle emission
4 generated from the project will not have
5 a significant adverse impact on the air
6 quality. Regarding the second factor,
7 the Figurative Dust Emission, based on
8 the total area of construction, which is
9 approximately 6 . 51 acres and the total
10 project duration, which is estimated to
11 be in 13 months , the TSP or Total
12 Suspended Particulate Emission Rate of
13 1 . 2 tons per acre, per month of
14 activities . Will give a total emission
15 rate for TSP for the entire project,
16 approximately 101 . 5 tons of TSP without
17 mitigation. However, with mitigation ,
18 with implementation of mitigation
19 measures , there will be no significant
20 adverse impact created by physical dust
21 generation . And the result in air
22 quality will be avoided. The mitigation
23 measure will include, but it will not
24 limit it to minimizing the exposed area
25 of erodible or applying wet suppression
JUNE 5, 2023 45
1 system to the material piles , and
2 unpaved areas during dry periods or when
3 dust is visible . In order to keep the
4 the dust level down. Another measure
5 will be use covered all trucks to move
6 construction material from the project
7 area. And the use of plastic sheet
8 coverings to cover the material pile .
9 And lastly, a material wind barrack
10 consisting of a ' 6 feet fence with filter
11 fabric installed around the northern and
12 the western portion of the construction
13 excavation area . Last of the factor was
14 the carbon stock removal evaluation. So
15 for this project, it was estimated that
16 the proposed project will necessitate
17 the cleaning of 5 . 51 acres of forest of
18 land for this proposed action . This is
19 not considered to be a significant in
20 size area -- cleaning area . And
21 therefore , at the best impact , due to
22 tree clearing, carbon stock loss are
23 considered ( inaudible ) . ' It also noted
24 that regulation for the removal of
25 carbon sinks do not exist at the local
JUNE 5, 2023 46
1 State Or Federal level . However , the
2 proposed clearing is consistent with the
3 prevailing and dimensional requirements
4 of the MII Zoning District set for in
5 the Town of Southold Town Code .
6 Additionally, it should be noted that
7 the carbon stock capability depends on
8 the soil characteristic . The carbon
9 sequestering removal ability in the soil
10 is directly related to the carbon --
11 organic carbon content in the soil . So
12 for this project, we complete analysis
13 that indicated that the construction
14 excavation area is made up of
15 predominantly sand -- sandy material .
16 Except for a less than six inch thick
17 top soil layer in some areas , which has
18 a low amount of organic material
19 content. Therefore, will also have a
20 low carbon storage capacity and a
21 diminished ability to remove carbon
22 dioxide from the atmosphere . So since
23 the soil investigation indicated mostly
24 sand -- sandy, low organic matter in the
25 excavation areas , it can be assumed that
JUNE 5, 2023 47
1 the carbon sequestration capability of
2 the soil is low. However , there are
3 mitigation measure proposed. For
4 example, planting of 135 trees offset
5 the carbon stock loss in the project
6 area. And also while it ' s not related
7 to the project, the Strong Yacht Center
8 hosts and partially found Shellfish
9 Restoration Program operated by the
10 Cornell Cooperative Extension Marine
11 Program at this facility . Our plans
12 benefit the ecosystem by acting as a
13 carbon sink. It is estimated that on
14 average, the shell of a marketable clam
15 can contain up to 2 . 9 grams of carbon .
16 And the farming program is expected to
17 result in the harvesting of 1 . 5 million
18 clams annually. Before they projected
19 1 . 5 million clams are best annually,
20 have the potential to remove 9 , 680 of
21 carbon . Based on all this analysis , on
22 the result of this analysis , it was
23 concluded by PWGC that the air quality
24 is not anticipated to be significantly
25 impacted by that . That concludes this
JUNE 5, 2023 48
1 -- my summary .
2 MEMBER JAMES H . RICH III : Thank
3 you .
4 MEMBER AMELIA JEALOUS-DANK: I have
5 a question . Could you explain a little
6 bit about the mitigation measures that
7 you ' re using during the removal of the
8 sand? They ' re going to be four trucks
9 per hour moving out of there . That
10 means that the trucks that will be
11 dumping the sand into the -- the
12 excavation trucks that will be dumping
13 the sand into the movable trucks will be
14 going continuously. So how are you
15 gonna use the filter fabrics and the
16 plastic to mitigate all that sand that ' s
17 airborne?
18 MASSIMILIANO LILI : While they
19 constructed the removal --
20 MEMBER AMELIA JEALOUS-DANK : While
21 the removal is going on eight hours ,
22 every day, four months?
23 MASSIMILIANO LILI : Right .
24 Normally there ' s a standard procedure
25 when you -- when you move material from
JUNE 5, 2023 49
1 a pile from -- from the ground to have
2 those vehicle move in a certain way to
3 generate as less as possible of this
4 dust . So there -- it will be very slow
5 on moving those material . Putting it in
6 the trucks and holding out. lAnd again,
7 we will -- they will have a wet
8 suppression system that if dust
9 generated during the -- all those
10 movement of material will be visible .
11 They will use the suppression -- the wet
12 suppression systems , wrinkle system,
13 misting system to keep the dust level
14 down .
15 MEMBER AMELIA JEALOUS-DANK: Who ' s
16 monitoring the dust level?
17 MASSIMILIANO LILI : It ' s
18 anticipated to -- it wasn ' t in this
19 analysis , but it will -- it will be
20 evaluated in the Final EIS . And I ' m
21 don ' t recall using any monitor on the --
22 MEMBER AMELIA JEALOUS-DANK: Maybe
23 it ' s a question you can provide an
24 answer to before the end of this?
25 MASSIMILIANO LILI : Yes .
JUNE 5, 2023 50
1 MEMBER AMELIA JEALOUS-DANK : Thank
2 you .
3 MASSIMILIANO LILI : Thank you .
4 MEMBER JAMES H . RICH III : Thank
5 you . Thank you .
6 KIM GENNARO : Good evening. Kim
7 Gennaro. I ' m a Certified Environmental
8 Planner and Vice-President at PW Grosser
9 Consulting . Just to go back to the one
10 question on the dust . We can have -- we
11 can implement a dust monitoring, if
12 requested. Just wanted to clarify that .
13 MEMBER AMELIA JEALOUS-DANK: Thank
14 you.
15 KIM GENNARO: Welcome . I am going
16 to go over the project alternatives , and
17 their impacts , as well as , the
18 unavoidable adverse impacts for the
19 project. I ' ll start with the
20 alternatives . Six alternatives were
21 included in the final scope and they
22 were evaluated in the DEIS . Two
23 additional alternatives were identified
24 during preparation of the document, and
25 included for consideration by the Town.
JUNE 5, 2023 51
1 Before describing the alternatives , I
2 just want to note for those that may not
3 be familiar with the SEQRA regulations ,
4 that the SEQRA regulations explicitly
5 state that alternatives are to be
6 considered in a DEIS that are reasonable
7 and feasible . Considering the
8 objectives and capabilities of the
9 project. And alternatives that aren ' t
10 feasible to the applicant can be
11 imposed. And I say that because there
12 were certain alternatives that we
13 evaluated, but they just were not
14 feasible . The first alternative is the
15 no action alternative . That ' s the site
16 remains as-is . And while none of the
17 project related impacts would occur, the
18 alternative would not achieve the
19 objectives . As you know, the project
20 under consideration is to meet a market
21 demand for indoor climate controlled
22 boat storage for larger vessels on
23 property that is zoned for the intended
24 use . And a project that fully complies
25 with the bulk conventional requirements
JUNE 5, 2023 52
1 of the zoning district . So the no
2 action alternative is not feasible .
3 Alternative Two, was an alternative
4 material removing plan . So we looked at
5 two things . We looked at barging to
6 eliminate using the roads for the
7 removal of the material . And we looked
8 at on-site processing . In the barging
9 alternative, with the assistance of H&L
10 contracting, consultations were
11 undertaken with four barging . All four
12 companies advise that the width and
13 depth of Mattituck Inlet is not adequate
14 for the types of barges that would be
15 needed . So barging is not possible .
16 The on-site processing was installing a
17 cement plant on site . And the purpose
18 was maybe we can eliminate the need to
19 transport the material off the site, and
20 use the material in the concrete that ' s
21 required for the project . We engaged a
22 Long Island Precast and they said only
23 to of the total material to be removed
24 can be used in the concrete . So the
25 trucking of material is still required.
JUNE 5, 2023 53
1 990 of the material still has to be
2 removed from the site . So that this --
3 the on-site cement plant wasn ' t deemed
4 feasible. It just didn ' t achieve the
5 benefit of what we were trying to do
6 with this . The third alternative was
7 construct this on another site . But the
8 operational support and the
9 infrastructure for the storage of yachts
10 including the docks , the travel lifts ,
11 the staffing, the maintenance and the
12 service equipment are at the yacht
13 center . The project is designed for
14 large boats that can only enter and exit
15 by water. And another site equipped
16 with this required infrastructure is
17 just not feasible for the applicant .
18 Alternative Four, and we actually have a
19 graphic for this one . Because this
20 was -- Yes , thank you . This was
21 constructed proposed buildings on the
22 top elevation without excavation. Yes ,
23 that ' s it . So this would include the
24 construction of two boat storage
25 buildings . The footprint is quite
JUNE 5, 2023 54
1 similar, but it ' s the -- the remove --
2 there is no removal of material . The
3 buildings are of similar size . They ' re
4 on the M II zone portion of the property
5 with limited excavation. There ' s
6 excavation associated with the grading
7 of the site . But the use of the
8 buildings would have to be limited to
9 small boats . Because the travel lift
10 cannot go uphill . So this alternative
11 has the use of the buildings at the top
12 elevation for small boats . We have the
13 top elevation would accommodate
14 approximately 300 small boats . But as
15 the purpose of the project is for large
16 vessel storage, this alternative
17 includes modifying the three buildings
18 at the lower elevation, by increasing
19 the roof height . So that the buildings
20 can be used for larger boats . The new
21 LPG tanks would still need to be
22 installed for the radiant heating. We
23 would still be regrading the upland area
24 to accommodate the building foundations ,
25 the driveway, the parking and the
JUNE 5, 2023 55
1 internal paved area for circulation.
2 We ' d also still require a retaining wall
3 but we wouldn ' t not require the
4 evergreen concrete retaining wall that ' s
5 proposed for this' project . The
6 alternative requires still a removal of
7 612 trees . It would still be a loss of
8 upland forest and habitat . Visually,
9 this would have a significant visual
10 change along the inlet because the
11 buildings are placed at the top
12 elevation. So buildings are -- are at
13 72 to 73 above mean sea level . So the
14 buildings will be visible . Total area
15 of land disturbance , as I said, I mean,
16 it ' s -- we ' re not -- we don ' t have to
17 require the removal of 135 , 000 cubic
18 yards of sand. We only need 3 , 000 cubic
19 yards of cut . There would be a
20 significant increase in traffic trip
21 generation because we would have the
22 smaller boats going into the top
23 elevation buildings . And they would be
24 trailered in. About 150 boats would be
25 trailed to and from those buildings .
JUNE 5, 2023 56
1 The proposed haul road that we do have
2 in the plan, that would not be required
3 in the alternative . The alternative is
4 feasible, but it ' s not preferred by the
5 applicant . There were two additional
6 alternatives . Construct the smaller
7 buildings with less excavation and given
8 the cost of the project, in particularly
9 the concrete retaining wall , it ' s not
10 feasible for the applicant . And the
11 last alternative was just reconstruct
12 the lower buildings for the large boat
13 storage. But that alternative would
14 have a significant impact on the local
15 boating community with smaller vessels
16 that currently rely on the yacht center
17 for storage . And it wouldn ' t be
18 feasible for the applicant. Unless
19 additional buildings could be
20 constructed at that top elevation. We
21 have two additional alternatives that we
22 included in the DEIS to try to further
23 mitigate either the material coming off
24 the site or how it ' s being routed from
25 the site . The alternative material
JUNE 5, 2023 57
1 mitigation plan, we actually -- this was
2 developed in coordination with the
3 project Ecologist, Dr . Bowman here .
4 That alternative would reduce the volume
5 of material to be removed from the
6 property by approximately 100 . We could
7 reduce it by 13 , 500 cubic yards . By
8 putting the material on the R-80 zoned
9 parcel . The material would be placed in
10 the successional shrub land area at a
11 depth of approximately 12 inches and set
12 back approximately 20 feet from the
13 successional of southern hardwoods . So
14 we wouldn ' t impact . The resulting
15 impact on transportation is the
16 elimination of 450 trucks or 900 trips .
17 It would reduce the excavation phase by
18 almost 11 days . A little over 11 days .
19 That was one that we had offered for
20 consideration by the Town . The last --
21 the second alternative that we offered
22 was the alternative routing plan. And
23 we have a graphic for this . So this
24 alternative includes the use of Bergen
25 Avenue . So this includes the use of
JUNE 5, 2023 58
1 Bergen Avenue for the outgoing full
2 trucks and the use of Cox Neck for the
3 incoming empty trucks during the
4 excavation phase only. The advantage of
5 the alternate truck route plan is that
6 it have the number of truck trips on Cox
7 Neck Road, where there are more
8 residential homes fronting the road.
9 The departing trucks will use Bergen,
10 which has less than half the number of
11 homes fronting the road. We evaluated
12 traffic and noise for this alternative
13 routing plan . So for traffic , we would
14 just need to place flaggers in three
15 locations to assist with truck movements
16 in three locations . Right turns from
17 Cox Neck to Bergen at the 90 degree
18 curve in Bergen and right turns from
19 Bergen onto Sound. Regarding noise -- I
20 mean sound levels on Cox Neck would be
21 decreased. And while we measured the
22 sound levels to receivers along Bergen,
23 it would increase . But the levels are
24 still within DEC recommended levels .
25 Again, we just -- we put this in as an
JUNE 5, 2023 59
1 alternative . There ' s the -- the
2 proposed routing plan, which includes
3 the use of Cox Neck to and from the
4 site . But we ' ve offered an alternative .
5 So those were the eight alternatives
6 included in the DEIS . If there are any
7 questions I can answer? I ' ll move onto
8 unavoidable impacts .
9 MEMBER AMELIA JEALOUS-DANK : I have
10 two questions . The first has to do with
11 the documented demand for yacht storage .
12 Where is it documented from? Where are
13 most of these boats going to be coming
14 from?
15 KIM GENNARO: Jeff Strong is here
16 tonight and I think he probably as the
17 project sponsor and applicant is the
18 best person to address that question .
19 MEMBER AMELIA JEALOUS-DANK: Okay.
20 We can get to that at the end. So the
21 second question I have has to do with
22 the transportation. And all of your
23 modeling has -- have you exiting Sound
24 Avenue onto Northville Turnpike . Have
25 you extend -- have you considered
JUNE 5, 2023 60
1 extending it through -- extending your
2 route through Sound Avenue down Edwards ,
3 to connect to 495 directly and not
4 having to go through Riverhead?
5 1 KIM GENNARO : I would want Ron Hill
6 to answer that question. He is on -- if
7 we can ask him that question?
8 MEMBER AMELIA JEALOUS-DANK:
9 Perfect.
10 JESSICA MICHAELIS : Go ahead, Ron.
11 RON HILL : Yeah . We had -- we had
12 stayed with the Sound Avenue/Northville
13 because Northville Turnpike and County
14 Road 58 are much more substantial roads
15 than Sound Avenue. Particularly --
16 well , Northville Turnpike and County
17 Road 58 are used by the oil tankers that
18 go up to the oil terminal . These have
19 roads that are very suitable for trucks .
20 So we went with a higher quality roads
21 whenever we could.
22 MEMBER AMELIA JEALOUS-DANK : I
23 understand that reasoning . It just
24 seems that the quantity of trucks that
25 we ' re proposing that they -- you are
JUNE 5, 2023 61
1 proposing on a major thoroughfare
2 through multiple lights , going through
3 Riverhead Township, seems to be
4 difficult to defend.
5 RON HILL : Well , you have to
6 remember, it is four trucks an hour .
7 MEMBER AMELIA JEALOUS-DANK: Eight
8 trucks an hour . Eight trucks an hour .
9 Four in. Four out .
10 RON HILL : Correct . Correct . It ' s
11 still -- it ' s one every seven or eight
12 minutes . So it ' s -- it ' s not a lot .
13 When you consider that County Road 58 is
14 doing thousands of vehicles an hour .
15 MEMBER AMELIA JEALOUS-DANK : Thank
16 you for your response .
17 RON HILL : You ' re welcome .
18 MEMBER SIDOR: So I have a question
19 for you. You mentioned LGP . How much
20 fossil fuel will be stored on this site?
21 KIM GENNARO : There are ( 4 ) 2 , 000
22 gallon tanks .
23 MEMBER SIDOR: What about diesel
24 fuel?
25 KIM GENNARO : I don ' t have that
JUNE 5, 2023 62
1 number in front of me, but I can --
2 MEMBER SIDOR: Does the New York
3 State Department of Health or Suffolk
4 County Department of Health limit the
5 amount of fuel that you can store on a
6 site without being labeled as a fuel
7 depot?
8 KIM GENNARO: Yes . But there
9 currently is fuel on the site . And
10 Strong ' S maintains an Article 12 permit
11 from Department of Health Services .
12 MEMBER SIDOR: But if you ' re going
13 TO add 80 more boats , that ' s -- it ' ll be
14 a lot more fuel , no?
15 KIM GENNARO: Well , the boats are
16 coming in and going into storage . So
17 it ' s a boat storage facility .
18 MEMBER AMELIA JEALOUS-DANK: But
19 they have to be stored full .
20 MEMBER SIDOR: You want to store
21 them full or empty?
22 MEMBER AMELIA JEALOUS-DANK: They
23 have to be stored full . I believe he
24 stored full .
25 MEMBER SIDOR: So they don ' t
JUNE 5, 2023 63
1 condensate; right?
2 KIM GENNARO : I ' m gonna let Jeff
3 Strong answer this .
4 MEMBER JAMES H . RICH III : We ' ll
5 get to that question. You have any
6 other questions?
7 MEMBER AMELIA JEALOUS-DANK : No .
8 Thank you .
9 KIM GENNARO : I ' m gonna go over
10 unavoidable impacts .
11 MEMBER JAMES H . RICH III : Okay.
12 KIM GENNARO: And then I think that
13 will conclude the direct testimony from
14 the team.
15 MEMBER JAMES H. RICH III : Thank
16 you .
17 KIM GENNARO: Okay. So the
18 unavoidable impacts . The State
19 Environmental Quality Review Act
20 acknowledges that projects can have
21 certain unavoidable adverse impacts that
22 cannot be mitigated. That cannot be
23 fully mitigated. In these instances ,
24 agencies are to balance the unavoidable
25 adverse environmental impacts against
JUNE 5, 2023 64
1 social , economic and other
2 considerations in making their SEQRA
3 findings . Excerpted directly from the
4 Environmental Conservation Law, and I
5 quote, " it is not the intention of SEQRA
6 that environmental factors be the sole
7 consideration in the decision making . "
8 So I ' d like to summarize the unavoidable
9 impacts . But because there is this
10 balance, I ' d also like to go over the
11 social , economic and other
12 considerations . The unavoidable impacts
13 are both short term and long term. Short
14 term impacts are the immediate and
15 temporary results of an action . We know
16 that this project will increase truck
17 traffic associated with site
18 preparation, excavation and
19 construction . The traffic engineer went
20 over the trip generation . We know this .
21 Mitigations have been incorporate --
22 measures have been incorporated into the
23 action to reduce the traffic related
24 impacts of surrounding properties , and
25 roadways , including alternative . And
JUNE 5, 2023 65
1 include measures for safety . Post
2 development, the project will have no
3 adverse traffic impacts because the
4 boats are arriving to it from the site
5 via the Inlet . There would be
6 construction related noise impacts .
7 These are the temporary impacts that
8 SoundSense went over in the first
9 hearing. Mitigation measures have been
10 incorporated into the proposed action to
11 reduce the impact. Will comply with the
12 Town Code , but there will be
13 construction related noise . Post
14 development, the project will have no
15 adverse noise . And lastly, visually.
16 For a period of 2 to 3 years , there will
17 be a short term visual impact until the
18 concrete retaining wall , the planting
19 trees grow in . At that point, it ' ll be
20 a green wall . But visually, the
21 landscape setting will change for a
22 period of 2 to 3 years . On the long
23 term. These are the continuing impacts
24 of an action. The project does require
25 the removal of soil material , and it
JUNE 5, 2023 66
1 will alter sites . But the site that
2 exists today is partly a result of
3 dredge spoils that have been deposited
4 by the Army Corps of Engineers for
5 projects dating back to 1913 , as well
6 as , modifications that were made to the
7 site for the original marina
8 development. We do know and as
9 Dr . Bowman went over, we have to --
10 there will be approximately 634 trees
11 that will be removed from the site . The
12 tree removal will have a resultant
13 decrease in habitat availability for
14 plants , birds and wildlife that use
15 these habitats . As mitigation,
16 approximately 135 trees are proposed to
17 be replanted. The applicant will also
18 contribute 50 native trees for
19 installation at high priority sites
20 identified by the Town Tree . The
21 proposed clearing would result in a new
22 forest edge, as we just discussed.
23 This is an intensification of the
24 existing edge effect . However , the
25 magnitude of the impact would be
JUNE 5, 2023 67
1 minimized with the replanting of
2 approximately 27 , 000 square feet of
3 native plantings , and they would be
4 layered plantings to minimize light
5 penetration. And finally, with the
6 increase in developed area,
7 stormwater -- stormwater generation
8 would increase . However, drainage
9 infrastructure is going to be installed
10 to capture and recharge, not just
11 stormwater from the project area, but as
12 well as, offsite contributing areas .
13 Coming onto the site and those will be
14 -- that will be captured as well on
15 site . So the long term impacts are a
16 result of clearing, grading and
17 increasing the developed area. However,
18 the projects post-development will have
19 less lot coverage than that allowed
20 under zoning . And the existing and
21 planted vegetation will exceed the
22 landscape requirement by 310 . The
23 zoning requires 20% of the site to be
24 landscaped. This site will have 51 . 4%
25 vegetated. So as I had stated earlier
JUNE 5, 2023 68
1 in making the SEQRA findings , there are
2 unavoidable adverse impacts that cannot
3 be fully mitigated that need to be
4 balanced against the social , economic
5 and other considerations . And I just
6 want to briefly summarize those . So the
7 project -- and again, I know what we ' ve
8 asked for Jeff Strong to -- do this
9 later, to discuss this later, but it
10 does respond to a market demand.
11 According to the applicant, the project
12 allows for boat owners to store locally.
13 Rather than transport boats to warmer
14 climates over the winter months . The
15 project will have no effect on local
16 boat owners that currently rely on the
17 yacht center for their maritime needs .
18 There have been claims that this project
19 does not benefit Southold residents , but
20 I am told that Southold residents do
21 utilize the yacht club, and the water
22 club and are expected to use the indoor
23 storage service . It ' s a Marine II zone
24 site , as I had already said. The
25 project is fully compliant with zoning,
JUNE 5, 2023 69
1 and the proposed use is permitted use .
2 The Marine II zoning boundary on the
3 site has been in existence since the
4 Town ' s adoption of an entirely new
5 zoning map in 1989 . And while it ' s
6 understood that the project does require
7 the removal of soil , and it does require
8 the removal of trees , the project is in
9 fact consistent with the LWRP . And is
10 also consistent with the Land Use
11 Economic and Heritage Goals of the 2020
12 Comp Plan . And just briefly, LWRP
13 recognizes the Inlet and Creek as having
14 regional significance as the only major
15 harbor on the Long Island Sound to the
16 east of the Mount Sinai , Port Jeff
17 Harbors . The regional importance was
18 recognized in the Long Island Sound
19 Coastal Management Program. It was
20 identified as one of 10 Maritime Centers
21 on the Sound. Maritime Centers are
22 noted as providing and I quote , "the
23 most suitable and appropriate locations
24 for new or expansion of existing water
25 dependent commercial industrial uses . "
JUNE 5, 2023 70
1 The 2020 Comp Plan also includes
2 economic prosperity goals for the
3 continued support of the maritime
4 industry. And the natural heritage goal
5 to protect the unique character of the
6 individual hamlets , which included the
7 revitalization of Mattituck Inlet into a
8 recreational and commercial maritime
9 hub . In the LWRP, Mattituck is
10 recognized as both a recreational and
11 commercial port . And the site of one of
12 the Town ' s largest concentration of
13 marine facilities . Second only to
14 Greenport Village . As I stated earlier,
15 the infrastructure is already in place
16 to accommodate this proposed use . And
17 the site is appropriate for the use that
18 is proposed. As part of the DEIS , 20
19 years of surface water quality data from
20 the County Health Department Bureau of
21 Marine Resources was reviewed. We ' ve
22 reviewed 20 years , but notably, we
23 focused on before, under a prior owner,
24 and since Strong ' s Yacht Center came in .
25 None of the recorded data for monitoring
JUNE 5, 2023 71
1 stations in the Inlet suggests there has
2 been any degradation in water quality
3 from the Strong ' s Yacht Center . Rather
4 according to the Cornell Cooperative
5 Extension, the Mattituck Inlet has
6 proven to be the best location for
7 shellfish regrowth in the Town of
8 Southold. And the floating systems in
9 the dockside areas of the yacht center
10 have been integral to shellfish
11 restoration on Long Island. Given the
12 number of boats expected to be stored
13 and the timeframe in which they ' re going
14 to come, in average about 88 boats .
15 They ' re gonna come in and out, 12 week
16 period for both Spring and -- Spring and
17 Fall or Spring and Winter . The increase
18 in boat traffic is approximately 7 to 8
19 boats a week or 1 to 2 per day. Based
20 on our -- we prepared a boat study,
21 which is attached to the DEIS . It ' s
22 estimated approximately 547 boats are
23 active in the Mattituck Creek on a peak
24 season day . So while this action is
25 going to increase the number of votes , 7
JUNE 5, 2023 72
;- 1 to 8 per week or 1 to 2 per day, the
2 increase is nominal . Also Strong ' s
3 Yacht Center maintains a schedule . So
4 that there won ' t be queuing of boats .
5 It ' ll be 1 to 2 per day. As Dr . Bowman
6 had already pointed out, as part of the
7 project, the existing sanitary system is
8 being upgraded to IA. And the new
9 sanitary system will also be an IA
10 system. So the improvement will -- is
11 going to reduce nitrogen loading, which
12 is . a noted goal of the Suffolk County
13 Subwatershed Plan and the Mattituck
14 Watershed Management Plan . New
15 stormwater infrastructure to treat not
16 only captured from project areas , but
17 also from offsite properties . Also the
18 extension of the public water main now
19 allows for homeowners along the route to
20 connect to public water supply. Of
21 course , at the application to Suffolk
22 County Water Authority. And as my
23 colleague pointed out, the applicant is
24 committed to the use of only Tier Four
25 trucks and equipment . Economically, the
JUNE 5, 2023 73
1 project has the direct impact of 11
2 new full-time jobs . Salaries range from
3 $65 , 000 to $150 , 000 . The DEIS had a
4 lower number but that was from 2021 .
5 Things have changed quite a bit . The
6 project also has an economic benefit to
7 the maritime suppliers in Southold, as
8 well as, the increased taxes . Tax
9 revenue from property taxes , sales tax
10 and income tax. The agencies -- just to
11 close, agencies have reviewed the plan,
12 the site design . The LPG tanks and the
13 fire safety plan have been reviewed by
14 both the Mattituck Fire Department and
15 the Southold Fire Marshal . We do have
16 correspondence from the fire chief
17 confirming that the department is
18 capable of servicing the site . We do
19 have correspondence from the Southold
20 Fire Marshal that he is -- that he is in
21 agreement with the fire chief and the
22 fire plan -- the fire safety plan that
23 we prepared was in direct response to
24 his request . We recently received a
25 letter on May 26th from the State
JUNE 5, 2023 74
1 Historic Preservation Office . Advised
2 that the construction protection plan
3 prepared for this project would protect
4 historic structures from vibrations and
5 issued a no impact determination with
6 this plan . That letter came in last
7 week . The DEC has also issued a title
8 wetlands permit for the project . So in
9 conclusion, while the project does have
10 unavoidable adverse short term and long
11 term impacts , the project is consistent
12 with zoning, the LWRP and many of the
13 goals in the 2020 Comp Plan . The
14 project does include the infrastructure
15 upgrades mentioned. That would be
16 beneficial to groundwater and surface
17 water quality, as well as , the
18 beneficial impacts to the maritime
19 industry in Southold. I thank you very
20 much, and I ' m happy to answer any
21 questions .
22 MEMBER JAMES H . RICH III : Thank
23 you . Thank you for your information . I
24 will open this meeting up to the public .
25 Please, when you step forward, state
JUNE 5, 2023 75
1 your name, write your name down . Also
2 all comments will be will be recorded.
3 And it ' s also -- wanna point out to
4 everyone -- that ' s a lot of people want
5 to leave, but point out to everyone, if
6 this is a hearing on a project, it is
7 not a referendum or a valuation of a
8 Strong Family or the business model .
9 REED SUPER: Good evening Board
10 members . My name is Reed Super . I ' m an
11 environmental lawyer representing Save
12 Mattituck Inlet . I submitted a letter
13 today, and I intend to comment further
14 on the DEIS for July 10th . In today ' s
15 letter , we address the role of the
16 Planning Board under SEQRA, at this
17 stage of the process . Although an
18 applicant can prepare its own DEIS , it
19 is this Planning Board that is
20 responsible for the accuracy, adequacy
21 of the final EIS . You can of course
22 hire a consultant and we understand that
23 an RFP has been issued for that purpose .
24 MEMBER JAMES H . RICH III : That is
25 correct.
JUNE 5, 2023 76
1 REED SUPER: Thank you. The DEIS
2 unfortunately contains many errors ,
3 inconsistencies and gaps in its
4 analysis . And thus the FEIS to be
5 prepared and approved by this Board must
6 provide all necessary corrections ,
7 revisions and supplemental analysis .
8 Although the applicants self-serving
9 DEIS claims that the only significant
10 impacts will be construction noise and
11 very little else, in fact, the project,
12 if approved and implemented would cause
13 significant adverse environmental
14 impacts in all nine areas that the
15 Planning Board identified in the final
16 scope, and others . After completing an
17 FEIS , Board ' s next task will be a
18 finding statement, in which the
19 significant adverse impacts -- really,
20 all the impacts are weighed against the
21 public need, if any, for the project and
22 the public benefits . Again, if any, of
23 the project, which are both very minimal
24 here . A vulnerable Coastal Oak Beach
25 Forest , 50 feet above sea level is not a
r
JUNE 5, 2023 77
1 place for a marine facility. And
2 certainly not for buildings to store
3 yachts so big and heavy, that they
4 cannot be transported up the steep
5 terrain. Leading the applicant to
6 propose not only clear cutting more than
7 600 mature trees from a forest that
8 provides habitat for endangered species
9 and other species of special concern,
10 but also excavating and hauling away the
11 forested hillside . In more than 4 , 000
12 truckloads . 4 , 000 trucks back.
13 Dropping the grade by 40 feet over
14 nearly four acres and erecting a 900
15 feet long retaining wall . More than 30
16 feet high to hold back that slope cut .
17 This radical transformation of the
18 upland topography and ecology to serve a
19 purported waterfront use is sheer folly .
20 It is plainly inconsistent with the
21 Comprehensive Plan, zoning, LWRP, as
22 well as, environmental preservation and
23 common sense . Because the proposals
24 very minimal public need and public
25 benefit most certainly do not outweigh
JUNE 5, 2023 78
1 its enormous environmental impacts . And
2 the proposed action obviously does not
3 avoid or minimize environmental impacts
4 to the maximum extent practicable .
5 These are the two findings the Board
6 would have to make a positive finding
7 statement . The Board should issue a
8 negative finding statement.
9 Implementing SEQRA ' s substantive
10 mandate. It ' s not just a procedural
11 law, it has a substantive mandate . And
12 the Board should deny the application on
13 that basis . Thank you .
14 MEMBER JAMES H . RICH III : Thank
15 you . Be sure to write your name down,
16 sir . And again, I would ask if you ' ve
17 spoken to us at the last meeting, unless
18 you have something very substantively
19 different to say, please give everybody
20 a chance to speak. Sir?
21 PETER SWAN : Thank you. My name is
22 Peter Swan. I ' m an 80 year resident of
23 Mattituck. This project will keep this
24 property a commercial shipyard as it has
25 been since 1961 . This is important to
JUNE 5, 2023 79
1 the historic maritime character of the
2 town . Much of the yacht center property
3 has always been zoned Marine II
4 Industrial , which cites among its
5 permitted uses . Boatyards for building,
6 storing, repairing, renting, selling or
7 servicing boats . In the late 80 ' s , the
8 Town changed the zoning boundaries
9 designed for a larger portion of the
10 property maritime to industrial . The
11 wooded hill proposed to be developed was
12 deliberately included within the New
13 Marina II zoning boundary . The building
14 proposal is consistent with MII zoning
15 and requires no variances or approval .
16 This project is in line with the goals
17 of Southold ' s LWRP, which is Local
18 Waterfront Revitalization Plan, which
19 identifies Mattituck Inlet as the most
20 suitable location for new or expanding
21 water dependent commercial and
22 industrial use in Southold Town . I
23 strongly urge you to approve the project
24 that is consistent with the property
25 zoning, aligns with the aims of the
JUNE 5, 2023 80
1 Town and supports our Town ' s historic
2 maritime character . Thank you very
3 much .
4 MEMBER JAMES H . RICH III : Thank
5 you, Mr. Swan . Yes , ma ' am.
6 HAZEL KAHAN : My name is Hazel
7 Kahan. I live in Mattituck, and I ' m a
8 member of the Steering Committee of Save
9 the Mattituck Inlet or SMI . I ' m going
10 to read the letter that we will be
11 submitting to the Board -- to the
12 Planning Board, to accompany our
13 comments to the applicants revised DEIS .
14 SMI is an organization of citizens who
15 came together over shared concerns about
16 the potentially disastrous environmental
17 impacts of the project on the delicate
18 ecosystem of the inlet, and the
19 surrounding uplands . Inlet is the
20 geographical heart and emotional center
21 of our community. Our comments show
22 that the applicants DEIS fails to
23 demonstrate that the project will not
24 have a significant adverse impact . Not
25 only on the Hamlet , but on the Town of
JUNE 5, 2023 81
1 Southold and Riverhead. Instead, the
2 DEIS demonstrates that the negative
3 consequences associated with the project
4 far outweigh the benefits of heated
5 indoor storage space for a handful of
6 wealthy yacht owners from outside our
7 area . The 11 perhaps seasonal jobs
8 which may or may not go to Southold
9 residents , and the relatively small
10 increase the Town will receive in
11 property tax revenue . You ' ve heard from
12 other speakers that the project will
13 excavate an entire hillside, destroying
14 more than 600 mature trees . Creating a
15 vast eyesore visible to boaters and to
16 residents on both sides of the inlet and
17 imperiling the Town ' s treasure . One of
18 the Town ' s treasures , a publicly owned
19 Mill Road Preserve . The physical and
20 moral and -- the physical and mental
21 well-being of new -- of near nearby
22 residents will be subjected for the best
23 part of a year to intolerable levels of
24 traffic noise, air pollution and
25 vibrations from all the things that have
JUNE 5', 2023 82
1 already been discussed. And along
2 roads , small roads that have been shared
3 with bicyclists , joggers , schools ,
4 school buses and visitors to break water
5 and a route that will continue along
6 Sound Avenue, Northville Turnpike and
7 Oak Country Road, past .popular farms
8 stands , wineries and historical sites
9 and attractions . Our comments will show
10 that not only does the DEIS fail to
11 adequately address major environmental
12 concerns or address them at all , but
13 that it is misleading . Internally
14 inconsistent and rife with inaccuracies
15 and omissions . The project fails to
16 demonstrate any overriding public
17 benefit or show compliance with
18 Souhtold ' s LWRP or Comprehensive Plan .
19 Thank you .
20 MEMBER JAMES H . RICH III : Thank
21 you very much . Be sure to sign your
22 name there . ' Sir?
23 KEVIN MCALLISTER: Good evening.
24 My name is Kevin McAllister . I ' m
25 founder and president of Defend H2O .
, JUNE 5, 2023 83
1 We ' re a Sag Harbor based coastal
2 conservation organization . I had shared
3 with the Board my deep and diverse
4 credentials in sciences . Held degrees
5 in natural resources , conservation,
6 biological sciences and a Master ' s in
7 coastal zone management . Early in my
8 career , in South Florida, relative to
9 this project , I was extensively involved
10 in dredge and field permitting. One of
11 the principal concerns I have upon
12 returning to Long Island, I should say
13 the my role as Peconic Baykeeper, I was
14 instrumental in establishing no
15 discharge zones for the Peconic and
16 South Shore estuaries . These were
17 expanded endeavors . I assisted DEC more
18 recently in guidance on Long Island
19 Sound, which Mattituck Creek is part of
20 a no discharge zone . So my comments
21 relate to the boating population that ' s
22 increased. 88 boats . We talk about
23 they appear to be stealth in as far as a
24 Spring launch . They ' re out the inlet
25 and they returned to the roost in
JUNE 5, 2023 84
1 December. The question is , who ' s
2 handling the holding tank waste upon
3 return? I trust the Marine Center has
4 pump-out facilities . And a larger
5 question, are these no discharge zones
6 relative to Mattituck Creek or based on
7 a ratio of boating populace to pump-out
8 facilities? So how does 88 boats affect
9 that boating population that rate --
10 ratio? That needs to be flushed out .
11 That ' s a water quality concern . My work
12 in Defend H2O is really geared and
13 focused toward protection of coastal
14 features . And obviously, we have a
15 prominent glacial feature that abuts the
16 western side of the shoreline .
17 Obviously, the point of the project
18 area . You know, I can ' t help but think
19 -- my first impression that this project
20 was more about sand mining than marina
21 expansion . And we heard, you know, the
22 team talk about a monetary review or,
23 you know, what the market bears , and I
24 submit to you the lucrative business of
25 transporting this material off site from
JUNE 5, 2023 85
1 again, a glacial feature , which is
2 prominent and defined in Mattituck Creek
3 is really problematic . Is it ending up
4 in a conglomerate for cement or
5 elsewhere? You know, lastly, I just
6 urge the Board, a sand mining operation
7 should be a nonstarter . Really in some
8 instances , this is clearly a square peg
9 in a round hole . And I just urge the
10 Board give it no more consideration.
11 It ' s just inappropriate for the level of
12 deforestation of the mother load of
13 glacial material that will be
14 transported offsite . Lost to the
15 system. And then obviously the impacts
16 to the ecology. So, you know, do the
17 community of justice and please decline
18 this .
19 MEMBER JAMES H . RICH III : Be sure
20 to sign that sheet . Thank you for your
21 comment. Yes , ma ' am.
22 LUMI ROLLEY : Hi . My name is Lumi
23 Rolley. I am a resident of Mattituck .
24 I live on Westview Drive in the
25 ( inaudible ) Wood section. And my
JUNE 5, 2023 86
1 expertise is on noise impacts of marine
2 properties , where the use has been
3 expanded. And my concern for this
4 project and is that -- Jeff -- that
5 Strong ' s will pretty much follow what
6 they ' ve done at their water club.
7 Where, you know, where noise impacts
8 will be within zoning . And with that ,
9 you know, and slightly above . You know,
10 of the allowable zoning. And what
11 happens eventually is that there ' s no
12 monitoring, no compliance , no
13 enforcement . So the last 10 years since
14 Jeff Strong has taken over the water
15 club, we ' ve been subjected to, you know,
16 every weekend. It ' s like -- it ' s like
17 somebody has a house party going on
18 right next to you every weekend. And
19 that affects us psychologically . It
20 affects us . It affects the whole
21 environment . It affects the whole
22 standard of living . In fact , my whole
23 -- that one stretch, every single rent
24 -- every single rental property has been
25 -- has turned over during those 10
JUNE 5, 2023 87
1 years . You know, at least once . And
2 this was not the case, the 10 years
3 prior when I first moved in my house .
4 What I noticed in the Draft
5 Environmental Impact Statement 'is that
6 there are some minor mitigations for
7 noise impacts , but there ' s no -- nothing
8 said about monitoring . I think there ' s
9 no -- you know, mitigations are also --
10 you can also identify if there are
11 issues of non-compliance, what is -- you
12 know, what measures will be taken. None
13 of that has been identified. So given
14 his track record or Strong ' s track
15 record in my section of the
16 neighborhood, I really don ' t see that --
17 ' that -- anything that ' s identified in
18 the Draft Environmental Impact
19 Statement . You know, that there ' s -- it
20 doesn ' t really -- it ' s meaningless . You
21 know, it doesn ' t hold water . Anyway .
22 Thank you very much .
23 MEMBER JAMES H . RICH III : Thank
24 you . Be sure to sign your name .
25 CHRIS TALBOT : My name is Chris
JUNE 5, 2023 88
1 Talbot . Formerly raised in Mattituck.
2 I am in Cutchogue now. Don ' t have any
3 degrees in science . I have a Master ' s
4 in Plumbing . But my background now is
5 as a building official . I ' m in the
6 South Fork. I come here in support of
7 the project . Where you ' re not supposed
8 to hear that , but part of the DEIS
9 moving it forward. Some of the things
10 that I ' ve seen in the plan and when I
11 was here and attended the last meeting,
12 it ' s definitely a shock when you hear
13 600 trees coming down . I ' ve seen a lot
14 of construction over the last 35 years .
15 And 600 trees is a lot on one particular
16 site . This is a large site . The
17 excavation out of the site is gonna be
18 -- have to follow all the State
19 guidelines , State DEC guidelines , the
20 stormwater prevention and pollution
21 plan, which will be monitored by the
22 Town . Silt fencing and such will be
23 have to be implemented against the
24 water ' s edge . Prevent any runoff .
25 It ' ll definitely be an impact with the
JUNE 5, 2023 89
1 trucking out of this site . Hopefully,
2 the better it gets done . Everybody in
3 that area will be better off . One of the
4 things that should be implemented on the
5 site would be a stone rip-wrap base at
6 the exit and entrance to the site , which
7 essentially just shakes the wheels of
8 the vehicle and gets all the sand from
9 entering the roadway before it leaves
10 the site . I have seen it in the
11 construction industry. Just about any
12 large job where they do dewatering .
13 Dewatering on the site , not underground,
14 but watering and keeping the dust down.
15 These guys should be required to have a
16 water truck on site . If they are not
17 able to handle it with their own water
18 and irrigation, it should be required as
19 a condition of any approvals . Going
20 forward with the IA system, I think
21 that ' s a huge benefit to the environment
22 down there . Getting all any groundwater
23 or sewage that ' s going into a septic
24 system, might even be as accessible down
25 there now, into an IA system, which
JUNE 5, 2023 90
1 everybody across the East End, most
2 Suffolk County is requiring them. And
3 Suffolk County Department of Waste Water
4 Management is now fully on board. So
5 that ' ll be a huge benefit to the
6 Mattituck Creek. I know, Save the
7 Sound, Save Mattituck Inlet, but this is
8 actually a creek, which we ' re more
9 talking about . Not the inlet. But I
10 think that this project in the long run
11 and on a community end of things . You
12 know, about a dozen years ago, the Town
13 Board implemented a Economic Development
14 Committee . And what it looked at was
15 the environment of our businesses around
16 town . And we looked at the entire town .
17 And you know, large providers of jobs is
18 Peconic Landing, East End Long Island
19 Hospital . And then you got the taxpayer
20 funded schools , but Strong ' s Marine, I
21 think would probably be in the 200
22 range. And I think that that ' s a huge
23 thing. You don ' t have people
24 transmitting or transporting to
25 Mattituck and other locations from great
JUNE 5, 2023 91
1 distances . And so those are points I
2 think that you should seriously consider
3 supporting this DEIS and the plan moving
4 forward.
5 MEMBER JAMES H . RICH III : Thanks ,
6 Chris . Yes , ma ' am.
7 SUSAN REEVE : Hi . My name is Susan
8 Reeve. And I live on Sound Avenue in
9 Riverhead. My ancestors came in and
10 landed in Orient Point . And I ' m related
11 to about probably about 800 of the
12 people that were here before 1950 or
13 ' 40 . I have seen Long Island Sound go
14 from a thriving, filled with life body
15 of water to crap. It ' s nothing now like
16 it used to be . Mattituck Creek is one
17 of a kind. And if you kill it, you
18 can ' t get it back. And this building is
19 gonna do real bad stuff to that
20 waterway. The life that ' s in there, you
21 should go down there in a kayak and
22 float around for weeks at a time and
23 fish. I ' ve done that . The Striped Bass
24 go up there and they spawn . And not to
25 mention Bluefish and all the birds . The
JUNE 5, 2023 92
1 ospreys , everything . Everybody ' s
2 talking about money and about the --
3 over the road and all that stuff . But
4 what you ' re gonna do to the creek, once
5 you do it , you can ' t undo it . And
6 you ' re gonna lose something that only
7 you guys have . Don ' t you get that?
8 You ' re gonna lose it. So I ' m begging
9 you, please consider it very seriously.
10 I also sent an e-mail to the Board about
11 a month, month and a half ago voicing my
12 concerns . Thank you. I ' m gonna let
13 somebody else take over because I ' m too
14 upset . I ' m just starting to start here .
15 So I ' m -- I just -- I ' m into ecology.
16 To Save the Sound from Connecticut .
17 Save Long Island Sound. Come on Long
18 Island. Let ' s save Long Island Sound.
19 It ' s the only place on Long Island Sound
20 that has the life that it has now.
21 MEMBER JAMES H . RICH III : Thank
22 you for your comments . Sir?
23 RON JOHNSON : I 'm Ron Johnson. I 'm
24 a marine ( inaudible ) since 1971 . I ' m
25 78-years-old. And I don ' t think this is
JUNE 5, 2023 93
1 gonna benefit me because I might not be
2 here by the time it ' s done. Okay. I
3 would have never come here if Nicole
4 didn ' t call me, because I 'm not the type
5 of guy that comes to a thing like this .
6 I let people do what they want . Okay .
7 I lived in the Seaford from 1960 to ' 97 .
8 There was fishermen, hunters , boatyards ,
9 dock builders , boat builders . Okay.
10 And nobody complained in the 1960 .
11 Okay. About a quarter of the land was
12 undeveloped. In the 60 ' s , they started
13 to develop it , and people started to
14 complain. Okay. Now there ' s duplexes
15 there . Davidson ' s boatyard in Oceanside
16 was a big boatyard for the five town
17 boats . All inside storage. Condos ,
18 Freeport, Woodcliff Avenue. And there ' s
19 a few guys here that know this very
20 well . Woodcliff Avenue, disco boats and
21 discos and restaurants . The boatyards
22 are gone . Freeport Main Street, same
23 thing . Except Freeport Main Street is
24 condos . I see this as your choice,
25 condos or traffic? You know, traffic
JUNE 5, 2023 94
1 year round, condos are . And you know,
2 if just not making money. Who knows
3 what happens next . Everybody might vote
4 for condos . And I think that -- first
5 of all , I was in Cancun and there was 60
6 foot boats there and 90 foot boats . And
7 anyway ' s , one guy said it costs about
8 100 of the price of the boat to maintain
9 it every year . So if you have a $10
10 million boat, you ' re gonna spend, you
11 know, a million dollars a year
12 maintaining that boat . Captain, blah,
13 blah, all of this stuff . Fuel . Jeff
14 doesn ' t get all of it, but he pays the
15 taxes for what he gets . So I think
16 you ' re benefiting in taxes if nothing
17 else . Thanks .
18 MEMBER JAMES H . RICH III : Thank
19 you for your comments . Yes , ma ' am.
20 JAN NICHOLSON: Hello . I ' m Jan
21 Nicholson . I live in Peconic . I was a
22 banker for 25 years , and I was trained
23 to think about risk. For thinking about
24 risk, it is helpful to view things as
25 webs of connections . Financial markets ,
JUNE 5, 2023 95
1 the economy, our bodies , society, living
2 cooperative, flora and fauna and a
3 rainforest, and a coastline drank --
4 graced by an embankment of forest, tides
5 and winds . In essence, all of these are
6 interdependencies that evolved with
7 time . We don ' t necessarily see the
8 interconnections within them. Until one
9 element dies or we destroy it . You
10 know, war in the Ukraine caused
11 starvation in Africa. The failure of
12 the Silicon Valley Bank could have
13 damaged our country ' s venture capital
14 seed corn that we must have for
15 competing with the Chinese and chip
16 development . My point is you just
17 sometimes don ' t imagine what the
18 connections are . The proposal at hand,
19 gouging out a bluff is a brutal thing
20 to do . We cannot know what all the
21 effects might be . The DEIS is an
22 attempt to assess them, but we can ' t be
23 sure that its judgments are all going to
24 be correct . We can ' t be sure that it ' s
25 going to intuit every connection . So
JUNE 5, 2023 96
1 for what would we be taking the risk of
2 a misjudgment or some connection would
3 be overlooked. we are taking that risk
4 to accommodate one already thriving
5 local business to serve some hyper
6 wealthy people who don ' t necessarily
7 live here . I think when you just look
8 at the big picture from 30 , 000 feet up,
9 we know two things for sure . That the
10 proposal is brutal , and that the
11 benefits , the social and economic
12 benefits , if you listen to them, are
13 trivial .
14 MEMBER JAMES H . RICH III : Thank
15 you very much for your comments . Sir .
16 JOEL CORSO: Yes . My name is Joe
17 Corso. I ' m a retired small business
18 owner . I have a house in Cutchogue and a
19 small beach house, which we ' ve had for
20 over 30 something years in Greenport .
21 I ' m here to support this project .
22 I ' ve watched a lot of the changes that
23 have occurred on the North Fork in the
24 last , you know, 30-35 years . Been
25 coming out here since I was a kid. So I
JUNE 5, 2023 97
1 really, you know, have seen the changes .
2 This particular project is , you know, I
3 went down there to look at the -- at the
4 area just to see exactly what it is .
5 Because there ' s been so much
6 demonization in the paper and some of
7 the comments that are out there about
8 this that , you think, you know, we ' re
9 gonna be -- we ' re gonna be taking half
10 of Mattituck. You know, digging it out .
11 It ' s a small little section we ' re
12 looking at . What 6 . 5 acres? As far as
13 trees being taken down, it ' s a small
14 number again . It ' s only what, something
15 600 trees out of 2400 that are still
16 there. And when you look at what --
17 how nature regenerates itself very
18 quickly. I ' ve always said that , you
19 know, when men don ' t exist on this
20 planet anymore, nature is gonna take
21 over within a few years . You start to
22 see growth. I ' ve seen pieces of
23 property that have been worn down and
24 nothing is done . And within a year
25 there are now, you know, this scrub
JUNE 5, 2023 98
1 growth . There are trees growing up
2 again . And I 'm gonna use the example .
3 Like out at Greenport . I look over at
4 the marina -- marinas , Sag Harbor
5 Marinas . And, you know, there are boats
6 coming in there that dock overnight.
7 And they ' re coming from the South Fork
8 because it ' s a lot cheaper to do
9 business on the North Fork. Now we
10 should be getting some of that economic
11 benefit. You know, the town is going
12 to get a tax, you know, a tax increase
13 there . And, you know, one of the thing,
14 you know, it ' s zoned. You know, we ' ve
15 heard this over and over . That this is
16 property that is zoned and it ' s still
17 again, a very relatively small piece .
18 As far as , traffic with the trucks
19 coming in and out, somebody should do a
20 study on the number of trucks on a daily
21 basis that are currently coming in and
22 out . That are going to -- that do this
23 every year , year in and year out . This
24 is a project where there ' s -- it ' ll be
25 upsetting for maybe six months . You
JUNE 5, 2023 99
1 know, we approved on Peconic Landing a
2 number of years ago . We approved
3 Harvest Pointe a number of years ago .
4 And I ' m not knocking those facilities ,
5 they do a great job, but it was minimal .
6 You really didn ' t, you know, feel the
7 effect of all of these trucks coming in
8 and out. It ' s -- I don ' t know. I just
9 -- I just think the project has been
10 demonized. I give Strong ' s a pat on the
11 back for the amount of work they put
12 into this project . To try and address
13 all of these issues . You know,
14 they ' re -- - they ' re not here to, you
15 know, destroy the North Fork. They ' ve
16 only enhanced it . In all of their
17 projects . Thank you.
18 MEMBER JAMES H . RICH III : Thank
19 you for your input .
20 JESSICA MICHAELIS : Please refrain
21 from applause if you don ' t mind.
22 MEMBER JAMES H . RICH III : Yes ,
23 ma ' am. State your name, please?
24 CATHERINE CANADE ' : My name is
25 Catherine Canade ' , and I live on West
JUNE 5, 2023 100
1 Mill Road in Mattituck. I know that so
2 many of my neighbors have written and
3 spoken about how disruptive the Strong ' s
4 Project is going to be . And that ' s
5 because we all use and value our outdoor
6 space so much . We love the North Fork
7 because of its natural beauty, and the
8 ability for us to enjoy the outdoors is
9 essential to our well-being . The
10 excavation of the hillside and transport
11 of sand and construction material over
12 13 months is not an insignificant issue .
13 And it ' s not simply a temporary
14 challenge as some have said. It is a
15 fundamental change to this
16 neighborhood ' s way of life, and to the
17 safety of those who live here . We have
18 no sidewalks on West Mill Road. So
19 walking in our neighborhood is already
20 challenging. We walk our dogs . We ride
21 our bikes . We push our strollers . We
22 jog, walk. All along the edge of the
23 road. There are spots that feel
24 dangerous already because of bends in
25 the road or inclines that make it
JUNE 5, 2023 101
1 impossible for drivers to see us on the
2 side of the road and for us to see them.
3 The blind curve where Breakwater meets
4 West Mill is especially dangerous . And
5 so many drivers are already speeding
6 well above the speed limit causing us to
7 have to jump into the grass and
8 underbrush just to often get out of the
9 way . Add to this truck, after truck.
10 Undoubtedly speeding and you have a
11 fatal accident just waiting to happen .
12 This is not an exaggeration . It ' s
13 spelled out in the DEIS . Tractor
14 trailer traffic on Cox Neck and West
15 Mill Roads will be 20 to 80 times
16 greater than it is currently. It is
17 inconceivable to many of us that the
18 Board would approve this plan, because
19 we know that the preservation of the
20 North Forks residential community has
21 always been a priority. Sections of Cox
22 Neck Road and West, Mill Road comprising
23 the truck route are as narrow as 22 feet
24 in places . And at points , the unpaved
25 shoulder is blocked by utility poles ,
JUNE 5, 2023 102
1 vegetation or landscapers trucks . ( 2 ) 8
2 feet wide trucks passing in opposite
3 directions with a narrow 1 foot space
4 between them leaves a total of 5 feet
5 for pedestrians and bicyclists . 2 . 5
6 feet on each side . Far too little for
7 safety. On behalf of all the adults ,
8 teenagers and children who walk, run and
9 ride their bikes in the neighborhood all
10 year long, we ask you, deny this
11 application. Thank you.
12 MEMBER JAMES H . RICH III : Thank
13 you. Sir?
14 TOM SCALIA: My name is Tom Scalia.
15 I am with the Southold Business
16 Alliance . I 'm also a director on the
17 North Fork Chamber of Commerce , and past
18 president . I own and operate a business
19 in Southold Town for the last 27 years .
20 That ' s half -- half as long as the
21 Strong ' s have been operating their
22 business on the North Fork. They ' ve
23 been operating since 1968 . They operate
24 a great business . They ' ve grown their
25 business over the years . I ' m asking
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1 that the Board, please seek a balance
2 between economic development and
3 conservation of the environment . The
4 economic development portion of the DS
5 that I read, it states that -- it shows
6 the payroll for the Strong ' s . It shows
7 how much money they pay in taxes ,
8 commercial tax base . The Southold
9 economy is extremely important . The
10 economy of the Southold Town is
11 extremely important . When I look at the
12 Community Preservation Fund, that ' s --
13 that ' s the balance between purchase of a
14 new, real property and that ' s loads
15 money over to community preservation of
16 the environment . I did a little
17 investigation . I looked at all the
18 Strong ' s properties that they ' ve
19 purchased over the years to expand their
20 business . I come to -- if my
21 calculations are correct, they ' ve
22 commuted over $300 , 000 into the
23 Community Preservation Fund for years in
24 Southold Town, including Southampton
25 Town and East Hampton . If the Mill Pond
JUNE 5, 2023 104
1 Preserve was purchased for $461 , 000 ,
2 according to my calculations , the
3 Strong ' s have single handedly paid for
4 650 of it in their purchases and
5 expansion of the business . I ask that --
6 as Joe said a few minutes ago, this
7 project has been demonized. The impacts
8 of the environment is gonna be there,
9 but I don ' t think it ' s as significant as
10 what they ' re being made out to be . The
11 jobs that are gonna be created by this
12 project, they ' re talking about 11 to 12
13 jobs that are gonna be created. That ' s
14 not insignificant for all the kids who
15 are graduating from the local high
16 schools and looking to stay in the area .
17 Work in their hometown and live here . I
18 can tell you that first hand, because my
19 son works for Strong ' s . He ' s worked for
20 six summers for Strong ' s . He was headed
21 out of town after he graduated college.
22 He was headed out to Colorado to find a
23 job in a different field. And Jeff
24 Strong offered him a job, a well paying
25 job, salaried position with benefits ,
JUNE 5, 2023 105
1 and he can stay in his hometown . His
2 mother is thrilled. His girlfriend is
3 thrilled and his father is thrilled that
4 he ' s staying here. Don ' t underestimate
5 the economic advantage to growing
6 businesses in Southold Town . Thank you.
7 MEMBER JAMES H . RICH III : Thank
8 you for your comments .
9 LORI PANARELLO: Hi . My name is
10 Lori Panarello . I also live on West
11 Mill Road. I moved to Mattituck about
12 10 years ago . And loved the North Fork
13 so much, that I opened up a business .
14 Over the last few years , a thriving
15 business in Greenport . You know, I
16 haven ' t lived here as long as the woman
17 who has been here for 80 years and I
18 certainly don ' t know as many people as
19 she does , but I ' m as angry as she is . I
20 just wanna say, I have to have some
21 things written down, but I just wanna
22 say, listening to people speak, with all
23 due respect, it really angers me even
24 more how flippantly they speak to things
25 like it ' s only 650 trees . It ' s only, you
JUNE 5, 2023 106
1 know, a truck load of sand every seven
2 minutes for six months . What I couldn ' t
3 get a porch built in a month . I don ' t
4 know how he ' s gonna get this built in
5 six months or it ' s not -- it ' s gonna be
6 at least a two year project . It ' s
7 really -- it angers me . You people live
8 in Cutchogue . You people live in
9 Southold. You live in Greenport . I
10 live on West Mill Road. Every seven
11 minutes there ' ll be a truck load of sand
12 going down my block and another one
13 going back the other way to pick up more
14 sand. If that isn ' t an inconvenience to
15 my lifestyle , to the lifestyle of the
16 people in my neighborhood, I don ' t
17 really know what is . Somebody said
18 before that there won ' t -- won ' t be such
19 a big impact to the environment . Birds
20 will stay as long as the noise isn ' t
21 that loud. It ' s ridiculous . They ' re
22 building a construction site . They
23 won ' t in silence? Makes no sense at
24 all . We talk about the fact that there
25 really isn ' t a threat to the fire .
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1 8 , 000 gallons of propane and at least
2 100 gallons of gasoline and 88 boats ,
3 they can put that fire out? I don ' t
4 want to live there to see that happen .
5 If they can put it out, I hope I 'm not
6 there to see it . I ' m angry about the
7 disruption to the people that want to
8 walk on that road. Jog on that road.
9 Bicycle on that road. Catherine made a
10 point before about landscape trucks and
11 different trucks on that road. How are
12 trucks gonna go down that road with all
13 the activity that ' s already in those 22
14 feet? It just can ' t happen . The fact
15 that the roads are gonna be torn up and
16 I have to drive my car down those roads
17 every day, they ' re gonna be a mess .
18 That Strong says , " I ' ll fix them. " But I
19 have to live like that for two years .
20 To be honest , I ' m angry that we ' re even
21 here discussing this project . It just
22 makes no sense and I think it ' s
23 horrific . You know, I had the
24 opportunity to meet Jeff Strong at the
25 library meeting that he had. And is he a
JUNE 5, 2023 108
1 nice guy? Yeah . He ' s a really nice
2 guy . But he ' s not a nice neighbor . For
3 him to have lived in his community for
4 so long and because his project is
5 okay --
6 MEMBER JAMES H . RICH III : Excuse
7 me, ma ' am. We ' re over three minutes and
8 I also want to keep this on the project .
9 Not on the Strong Family .
10 LORI PANARELLO: No, it ' s -- I ' m
11 not over three minutes . And I ' m saying
12 t-hat Jeff is a great guy.----I-- just don ' t
13 think --
14 MEMBER JAMES H . RICH III : I ' m
15 sorry.
16 LORI PANARELLO: Yeah . I ' m not
17 saying -- I ' m not -- I think he ' s a
18 great guy. I ' m a business person . We
19 talked about business . But you know
20 what . I ' ll end by saying this . In
21 business, how much is enough? When is
22 enough enough? I ' ll tell you when it ' s
23 enough, when it ' s at the detriment to an
24 entire community . Thank you .
25 MEMBER JAMES H . RICH III : Thank
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1 you .
2 BRANDON SILL : Hello . My name is
3 Brandon Sill . I 'm currently an employee
4 as Strong ' s Marine . I moved here 16
5 years ago . I ' m a resident of Mattituck.
6 I just want to speak on the opportunity
7 that Strong has given to me with them.
8 The job that they gave to me . I was
9 able to bring my daughter here .
10 Raised -- I raised her from four years
11 old. Graduated high school . She works
12 at the Animal Shelter right down the
13 road. And I support the project . 11
14 jobs that it ' s gonna create . If they
15 can help 11 people like they helped me,
16 then I support it. Thank you.
17 MEMBER JAMES H . RICH III : Thank
18 you. Sir?
19 JAMES HINSCH : My name is James
20 Hinsch. I live in Laurel . One of the
21 issues that ' s worth taking into
22 consideration is that of property
23 rights . Town has created zoning that
24 permits appropriate uses in each zone .
25 This way it regulates the specific
JUNE 5, 2023 110
1 location of development. When an
2 individual or entity purchases a
3 property, it comes with a specific
4 zoning. That person or organization
5 has the right to develop that property
6 within the limitations of that zoning .
7 This property is zoned for this
8 usage . Secondly, I think we need to be
9 reminded of the financial benefits .
10 Several commercial fishermen spoke at
11 the last meeting about the value of
12 access to services on the inlet .
13 Specifically mentioned the services that
14 are provided at the Yacht Center . This
15 project will result in the addition of
16 year round well paying jobs .
17 Considering that most of the jobs that
18 are added to our Town are generally in
19 the hospitality industry . Frequently
20 seasonal , part-time and usually don ' t
21 pay well . We should not discount the
22 economic value.
23 MEMBER JAMES H . RICH III : Thank
24 you. Sir?
25 DAVID BOFILL : My name is Dave
JUNE 5, 2023 111
- 1 Bofill , and I address this Board as a
2 50-year Eastern Long Island resident ,
3 local marine business owner and
4 vice-president of the New York Marine
5 Trade Association. In addition, I ' m a
6 15-year North Fork resident, the
7 majority in Nassau Point, and a proud
8 parent for one of our Southold Town
9 Police officers . Clearly, I have a
10 vested interest in our North Fork, our
11 neighborhood, our environment and our
12 future . And for the record, Strong ' s ,
13 Marine and Dave Bofill Marine are
14 often direct competitors . My appearance
15 tonight is one of concern based on what
16 appears to be the apparent prejudice
17 against our local small business . More
18 specifically the marine industry.
19 Conforming with present and clearly
20 approved zoning, and the full support
21 of agencies and the LWRP, why are we
22 here? Why are the present rights of
23 this small business owner being
24 challenged? Yes , the removal of 600
25 trees is a large number; however, less
JUNE 5, 2023 112
1 removal than what ' s presently allowed,
2 right? Won ' t 750 of the existing trees
3 remain? And Strong ' s offering replant
4 trees , right? North of this
5 project, there are several 100 homes
6 with more presently being built . Why is
7 it okay for their trucks to be running
8 all day? And now there ' s a problem with
9 Strong ' s requesting the same thing?
10 Comparing the environmental impact of
11 the proposed buildings , four toilets ,
12 two employee showers . If we take that
13 square footage and we put it in
14 comparison to residential , that ' s 29
15 homes , 90 toilets , hundreds of daily
16 showers, laundry soap water . Not to
17 mention a minimum of 60 additional cars
18 using our roads . What a bonus to our
19 environment . And talk about bonus , has
20 anybody realized the huge opportunity to
21 collect millions of out-of-state sales
22 tax dollars? The sales tax dollars that
23 our state would not typically see to
24 collect . Bonus revenue that will find
25 its way to our local municipality for
JUNE 5, 2023 113
- 1 police, for our roads , our schools , our
2 teachers . Again tax free revenue that
3 would not have ordinarily been received.
4 In closing, should this application be
5 denied? I see the declination as
6 prejudice against the marine industry
7 and the local small business . It is the
8 right of a Strong Family to develop the
9 property that they own, that they pay
10 the taxes on, in the manner that
11 conforms with the framework of our
12 present, in-place zoning codes and with
13 the present support of the LWRP and the
14 agencies . And you know, as a side
15 note --
16 JESSICA MICHAELIS : Thank you,
17 Mr . Bofill . Your time is up .
18 MEMBER JAMES H . RICH III : Thank
19 you for your comments . Sir?
20 JAMES AIOLI : James Aioli ,
21 Mattituck, New York. Resident for
22 almost 50 years . And first I have to
23 say to the Board, I commend you all
24 being up here . What seems like at times
25 almost a lynching. And I have to tell
JUNE 5, 2023 114
1 you, I ' ve known Jeff, in three
2 generations of Jeff . Strong from
3 Dave . Strong to Jeff , to his sons , that
4 have done actually a wonderful job in
5 every development that I ' ve ever seen
6 them do. I ' ve been one of their
7 customers . Actually, my parents have
8 been -- actually were the second longest
9 running customer from the Marina. And
10 I ' ve seen everything that they ' ve done
11 and it ' s admirable . Let ' s look at the
12 number of pools that were installed.
13 Swimming pools in Southold Town during
14 just the two years of COVID . It was an
15 insane amount . You should report this to
16 local residents . . Now take a 20 by 40
17 pools , 800 square feet . Approximately
18 10 trees are taken down to put in a
19 swimming pool . That ' s 500 trees per
20 acre . It ' s nothing compared. Yes . The
21 600 trees are a lot . I get it . But
22 when you think about the number of pools
23 that are installed, swimming pools , the
24 amount of trees that are taken down and
25 thought nothing about it , because
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1 everybody has the right to put a
2 swimming pool in their backyard if it ' s
3 zoned for it, which this project is
4 zoned for this . Furthermore , the Tier
5 Four trucks , which is an incredible feat
6 that Jeff is actually gonna pull off . I
7 tell you, most people don ' t even know
8 what a Tier Four engine -- diesel engine
9 is . You go to the pumpkin. picking that
10 happens in September and October , and
11 you see all those trucks , that all those
12 cars that are waiting to get online . So
13 for a Tier Four truck -- diesel truck,
14 you can ' t even hear it run. It ' s clean
15 idle . It can idle all day long and
16 they ' re not gonna do that . It ' s really
17 incredible . I don ' t know how he ' s gonna
18 pull it off . Furthermore, these are all
19 air ride tractor trailers . Therefore
20 with loaded, you won ' t even feel this
21 truck going over the road with air
22 ride . Most people don ' t know this . They
23 have to look into this information .
24 Furthermore, going back to Ms . Mia, I ' m
25 sorry. I can ' t read your last name. I
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1 don ' t have my glasses . But in regards
2 to AC and D facility, yes , they use
3 water, but in the sand and gravel, we
4 don ' t spray water . Happen to be in the
5 recycling business . I know this , the DEC
6 permits ( inaudible ) are actually several
7 in Suffolk County. So the trucking is
8 not gonna be anywhere near what you
9 think. I am one of the people that is
10 looking forward to this project . I do .
11 I take my boats south every year. I
12 spend 4 , 000 gallons of fuel just to get
13 it to Florida . Because I don ' t have a
14 place here to store it in the
15 wintertime . We talked about the amount
16 of fuel that you need to put in a boat,
17 but we don ' t need that . It ' s a heated
18 indoor storage . I don ' t have to fill my
19 boat . I don ' t have the condensation
20 problem because it ' s heated indoor
21 storage . And the 88 boats that are
22 gonna come in here, it ' s gonna be two a
23 day in Florida. We have travel lifts
24 that you have appointments . The impact
25 is not gonna be what it is . It is a big
JUNE 5, 2023 117
1 project . I commend the Strong ' s . I
2 commend you guys . Move forward with it .
3 I approve it . Thank you .
4 MEMBER JAMES H . RICH III : Thank you
5 for your comments . Yes , ma ' am.
6 JENN HARTNAGEL : Hi . Good evening,
7 Members of the Planning Board. My name
8 is Jenn Hartnagel , and I ' m here on
9 behalf of a group for the East End. I
10 would like to address several
11 deficiencies within the DEIS by
12 beginning with the analysis of the
13 project ' s consistency with the Town ' s
14 Comprehensive Plan . Although the DEIS
15 concludes that the proposal is entirely
16 consistent, I would like to offer
17 several instances where we believe it ' s
18 not. The project is inconsistent with
19 the natural resources and Environment
20 Chapter, Goal One, protects soils and
21 geologic features . Specifically
22 Objective 1 . 4 , preserve the unique
23 geological features of the town. This
24 project wholly removes a natural
25 feature. It ' s gone . Therefore, how can
JUNE 5, 2023 118
1 it be consistent? It is inconsistent .
2 To support arguments for the
3 excavation, there ' s been assertions that
4 the entire area set for removal is
5 composed of dredge spoils and therefore
6 somewhat not natural . On this note,
7 please, review the soil boring data
8 contained in the Appendices and the DEIS
9 and look at the historical aerial
10 photos , which prove that this just isn ' t
11 the case. The proposal is also
12 inconsistent with Goal Two, to protect
13 the upland habitat and trees .
14 Specifically Objective 2 . 1 .
15 Unfortunately, once it ' s removed, it ' s
16 virtually impossible to mitigate the
17 effects of the loss of this much habitat
18 in a single area. And therefore offering
19 to donate 50 very small trees to the
20 Town and re-vegetate a small area is a
21 nice gesture, but is in no way
22 considered true mitigation according to
23 SEQRA standards . The proposal is
24 inconsistent with Goal Two and Three of
25 the Water Resources Section to protect
JUNE 5, 2023 119
-- 1 groundwater quality and surface water
2 quality. Eventually, as the DEIS makes
3 note on Page 113 and page X or 10 of the
4 Introductory, the Climate Change
5 Section, components of the sanitary
6 system will eventually be sitting in
7 groundwater due to sea level rise. And
8 that ' s documented in the DEIS . So
9 although this might not happen, you
10 know, X number of years from now, these
11 are unavoidable impacts . And the DEIS
12 makes no mention of who will be
13 monitoring this situation or enforcing
14 upgrades and modifications or what the
15 direct impacts of discharge of
16 wastewater into the groundwater are . The
17 Comp Plan also directs the Town under
18 Objective 2 . 1 D, to evaluate "the uses
19 and the bulk schedule of the Marine
20 Zoning Districts , to ensure that they
21 continue to support the goals of the
22 Town . " Are the goals of the Town to
23 allow the complete removal of natural
24 features? The removal of woodlands to
25 create severe traffic and community
JUNE 5, 2023 120
1 character related impacts? And the list
2 goes on. We can engineer our way in and
3 out of anything. But should we given
4 what ' s at stake? The other major issue I
5 wanted to address was the analysis of
6 the alternatives . I am out of time .
7 JESSICA MICHAELIS : You have 30
8 seconds .
9 JENN HARTNAGEL : SEQRA directs that
10 the DEIS provide for a comparison of
11 reasonable project alternatives at a
12 level of detail that is suitable for
13 comparative assessment . The alternative
14 section is lacking, and it provides
15 little analysis but rather describes why
16 they aren ' t viable in order to bolster
17 the support for the proposed action. So
18 we would ask that the alternatives be
19 given an honest assessment. So that you
20 can fairly judge this project . We
21 implore this Board to require a deeper
22 examination of the issues that were
23 addressed here tonight, and require a
24 more thorough analysis of the impacts of .
25 this project, which we believe
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1 illustrate that the impacts cannot be
2 appropriately mitigated and that this
3 project should be denied. Thank you
4 for the opportunity to speak tonight .
5 We ' ll be providing additional comments
6 in writing .
7 MEMBER JAMES H . RICH III : Thank
8 you . Thank you very much . Yes , ma ' am.
9 PHOEBE PUNDYK: Hi . My name is
10 Phoebe Pundyk, and I live down the road
11 from where the project will be . And I
12 want to talk about our neighborhood.
13 Our neighborhood lives outdoors year
14 round. Personally, I run the loop from
15 West Mill to Breakwater Beach 12 months
16 a year . When I ' m out, I see my
17 neighbors . They ' re walking their dogs ,
18 riding their bikes , going on jogs .
19 Picking up their kids from the school
20 bus stop. The neighborhood is home to
21 young entrepreneurs having lemonade
22 stands and selling girl scout
23 cookies . Friends walk to one another ' s
24 houses . One neighbor walks that same
25 loop every morning and photographs the
JUNE 5, 2023 122
1 changes he sees every day. My neighbors
2 are spending time in West Mill
3 Preserve. We live outside . This project
4 would be a major disruption to our
5 lifestyle and it is the antithesis as to
6 why we choose to live here, and it is a
7 threat to our safety. West Mill Road is
8 tight . There is no shoulder . There are
9 no sidewalks . We cannot safely use the
10 road if there are 18-wheelers driving in
11 each direction all day long . No matter
12 how slow they go . As the consultant ' s
13 helpful suggest -- And the consultant ' s
14 helpful suggestion is that we stay
15 inside with our windows closed. So that
16 we aren ' t bothered by the noise and the
17 traffic , which is quite absurd. I
18 understand that the construction phase
19 is considered to be temporary. I also
20 know that no project big or small stays
21 on schedule . This one will be at least
22 a year long. At least . For a
23 neighborhood that lives outside, it ' s
24 not a brief or short term inconvenience .
25 It ' s a major change to our lifestyle .
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1 It a year or more of not being able to
2 safely walk is not just an -- it makes
3 it impossible for this neighborhood to
4 live the way in the way that we have
5 chosen . It will be detrimental to our
6 physical and mental health. Will
7 isolate many of our neighbors . It will
8 destroy the character of the
9 neighborhood. We are your neighbors .
10 We are your community. Please consider
11 the short term and long term physical
12 and mental toll that this will have on
13 us all .
14 MEMBER JAMES H . RICH III : Thank
15 you . Yes , ma ' am.
16 KATHERINE KENT : Good evening.
17 Thank you for the opportunity to speak
18 tonight. My name is Katherine Kent . I
19 am a lifelong resident of the North
20 Fork. I grew up on my family property,
21 just off of Sound Avenue . Nestled
22 between two farms and I still live there
23 today. Our community has numerous
24 concerns in regards to Strong ' s Yacht
25 Center project . Since the project
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1 involves tractor trailers taking 40
2 trips per day, I would like to speak on
3 traffic safety. As a resident of Sound
4 Avenue , the number of tractor trailers
5 already moving along Sound Avenue at
6 high speeds is alarming. Sound Avenue
7 is an historic corridor . Not
8 particularly a wide road with turns and
9 hills . It is lined with residential
10 homes , wineries , small businesses and
11 farms stands . As an agricultural area,
12 our farms are a huge draw for locals and
13 many visitors . We regularly see
14 families excited to pick their own fruit
15 and vegetables . Loading them in their
16 trunk. Even picnicking by the back of
17 their vehicles with children close to
18 the road. In the warmer months , we see
19 groups of bicyclists riding along Sound
20 Avenue as well . Now throw in the mix of
21 fast moving tractor trailers with heavy
22 loads . Today I was running errands .
23 Thinking about the meeting and I
24 thought, let me just -- let me just
25 count how many tractor trailers I see .
JUNE 5, 2023 125
1 And within a few minutes and a few
2 miles , I counted 15 tractor trailers
3 carrying loads , such as sod, fill and
4 oil . This combination of people not
5 paying close attention to traffic and
6 massive vehicles moving at fast speeds
7 is a dangerous combination. When does it
8 stop? As a former Riverhead
9 Councilwoman, I was part of a task force
10 where we discussed traffic and possible
11 solutions to alleviate it . We made
12 positive changes . Turning lanes
13 adjusted the timing of lights . Added
14 traffic officers . But we must take into
15 consideration the number of massive
16 vehicles that are -- we are allowing
17 onto Sound Avenue, and the main road.
18 The question at hand is whether the
19 benefits of this project outweigh the
20 negative impacts to our quality of life
21 for the greater good. I think not. We
22 must work together to protect the future
23 of the North Fork for our children .
24 Thank you .
25 MEMBER JAMES H . RICH III : Thank
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1 you . Yes , sir .
2 JOHN MARA: I ' m John Mara . I live
3 about a quarter mile from the marina.
4 And I ' ve lived here for 19 years . I
5 wrote an article that was published in a
6 Suffolk Times , an editorial . It was
7 entitled a "Public Nuisance" . That was
8 about a year and a half ago . And I
9 wanted to briefly go over two
10 points . The first is scale and the
11 second is stewardship. First scale .
12 North Fork is a small quaint, unique .
13 The inlet is also very small . Saturday
14 at high tide , I went to the inlet and I
15 -- for people that haven ' t been there , I
16 was able to throw a small stone halfway
17 across the water . And I ' m no pitcher .
18 Just to show you how small the inlet
19 really is . And to think this is -- this
20 is a massive , massive project . Two
21 propane large buildings that are 100
22 times the size of the first floor of my
23 house . 100 times . 600 trees will be
24 removed. The landscape will be leveled.
25 That has been there for generations .
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1 Using about 800-900 trucks . Depositing
2 a lot of sediment . I 'm told by some
3 experts that sediment will endanger
4 water more than boats . Sediment run
5 off . So this is going to result in a
6 tremendous environmental . Second,
7 stewardship. My question was , will the
8 owners represent the Mattituck community
9 or will they cater to the needs of the
10 yacht owners? Well , I have a little bit
11 of experience . For the past 2 to 3
12 years , I ' ve been writing e-mails perhaps
13 10 , to the president of the
14 Mattituck-Laurel Civic Organization.
15 Noise from rock bands as late as 10 : 00
16 P .M. , emanating from the marina, I can
17 hear the words and lyrics to the songs
18 in my house with all the doors and
19 windows closed. I can hear the words
20 from Jeremiah was a Bullfrog.
21 Everything over and over and over again,
22 at 10 : 00 P .M. , and the next day is a
23 workday. To these e-mails , I ' ve
24 received zero . Zero response . And I
25 can only conclude from that , that the
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1 entertainment needs of out-of-state
2 visitors is put ahead of the comfort of
3 local residents . Thank you.
4 MEMBER JAMES H . RICH III : Thank
5 you, sir . Yes?
6 JEFF PUNDYK: Hi . My name is Jeff
7 Pundyk, and I live in Mattituck . I ' d
8 like to focus on what ' s really actually
9 at issue . The character of the developer
10 is not in dispute . It ' s the character
11 of the community, that ' s what fake .
12 Throughout these sessions , we ' ve heard
13 nice stories about the developer .
14 JESSICA MICHAELIS : Make sure you
15 speak into the microphone , please.
16 JEFF PUNDYK: Throughout these
17 sessions , we ' ve heard nice stories about
18 the developer . None of which we doubt . I
19 assume that the point of these stories
20 is that we can take it on faith that the
21 developer will do the right thing, but
22 we don ' t have to take it on faith. It ' s
23 all written down by the developer, and
24 the DEIS . That ' s what ' s so great about
25 this process . It takes the guesswork out
JUNE 5, 2023 129
1 of the thing . There ' s absolutely no
2 ambiguity about the scope of this
3 project. The size of the buildings , the
4 amount of sand to be removed. The
5 number of trucks , the number of trees
6 coming down . The proximity to public
7 space. The disruption during
8 construction to the neighborhood and to
9 surrounding towns , and the lasting
10 impact on the project -- on once the
11 project is done, is all spelled out in
12 the DEIS . The question isn ' t what ' s
13 going to happen? The question is , do we
14 care? And the question isn ' t whether
15 the developers are good people . The
16 question is , what would we think of this
17 exact same project if it came from
18 somebody else? What we -- what would we
19 think if it came from somebody from
20 outside of our community? This could be
21 a precedent setting development . One
22 that paves the way for even more
23 misguided land use and further erosion,
24 the character of our community. I ask
25 that you consider the DEIS and not the
JUNE 5, 2023 130
1 developer . Thank you .
2 MEMBER JAMES H . RICH III : Thank
3 you . Yes , ma ' am.
4 DONNA BOSCOLA: Hello, I ' m Donna
5 Boscola, and I ' m from Mattituck. And I
6 live at 5106 West Mill Road.
7 Specifically, 120 feet from the
8 project. Now my comment is -- now that
9 the Suffolk County Water Authority has
10 completed the water main extension from
11 Nagle ' s Drive to the entrance of the
12 Strong ' s Yacht Center, there should no
13 longer be a mention of the fact that
14 this is a project benefit . Since it was
15 done independent of the
16 project. References to this benefit
17 should be removed from the FEIS . The
18 DEIS scientifically underestimates the
19 amount of cement trucks required for
20 this project . It states that 89 cement
21 trucks will be traveling to and from the
22 site . When the actual number is closer
23 to 400 full trucks for a total of 800
24 trips . The DEIS does not state the route
25 for these trucks either . More
JUNE 5, 2023 131
1 importantly, the DEIS does not discuss
2 the timing of these trucks as they are
3 typically staged together . Since
4 concrete needs to be delivered and
5 poured in succession without significant
6 delays . The staging of these trucks ,
7 which will be high idling to power the
8 onboard mixers , will create a hotspot of
9 exhaust fumes , as well as , amplified
10 noise from the combination of trucks
11 running. The DEIS needs to discuss the
12 cement trucking process in detail, as
13 that will impact all roadways and
14 neighboring homes , and is now
15 downplayed. I would also like to point
16 out that in a February 18 , 2020 staff
17 report , from Suffolk County Planning
18 Commission, the staff noted "no soils
19 should be removed. It is questionable .
20 If the excavation and removal of
21 approximately 130 , 000 cubic yards of
22 soil off site is necessary. The intended
23 excavation will create a bowl on site
24 where storm floodwaters from, Mattituck
25 Creek will surge into . " This staff
JUNE 5, 2023 132
1 report was not referenced in the DEIS .
2 And lastly, I will leave you with this .
3 Over the past three years , we currently
4 as SMI have 3 , 716 people who have signed
5 a petition to stop the environmental
6 destruction of this project . Thank you.
7 MEMBER JAMES H . RICH III : Yes ,
8 ma ' am.
9 THERESA DILWORTH : Hi . I ' m Theresa
10 Dilworth from Mattituck. I ' m a corporate
11 income tax attorney and I ' ve spent my
12 entire career analyzing corporations
13 profitability. As a finance
14 professional , my first question was , how
15 much is this project going to cost and
16 how much profit is Strong going to make?
17 I focused on Pages 278 and 282 of the
18 DEIS , Tables 48 and 51 and the sales tax
19 projections . Contrary to popular
20 opinion, I don ' t think the Strong ' s are
21 going to make money, but rather will
22 lose about a half a million dollars a
23 year for 20 years . Some of my
24 observations are , Number One, Strong ' s
25 main business is buying and selling new
JUNE 5, 2023 133
1 and preowned boats . About 850 of the
2 business . In 2020 , the Strong ' s made
3 $16 million from boat sales out of a
4 total of $17 . 3 million . In 2024 , they
5 project $18 . 7 million in boat sales out
6 of a total of $21 . 4 million . Their other
7 lines of business are small service
8 merchandise sales , fuel sales and boat
9 storage. Boat storage is only 3% of
10 their business . Even assuming they get
11 to the full 88 super yachts , which could
12 take years , this new line of business
13 will only result in a 1 . 9% increase in
14 revenues . It can ' t be said that the
15 Strong Yacht Center needs this new
16 marketto survive. Even if they were to
17 eliminate their storage business
18 altogether, both for small boats and for
19 super yachts , their revenue will still
20 increase by $2 . 2 million in 2024 .
21 Currently, the Strong ' s make $600 , 000 a
22 year from storing small boats . 88 new
23 super yachts would bring in an
24 additional $496 , 000 . $496 , 000 divided by
25 88 yachts , means they are charging
JUNE 5, 2023 134
1 $5700 . $5 , 700 dollars per super yacht
2 per year in storage fees . This is
3 consistent with their sales tax
4 projections . My calculations assume a
5 project cost of $6 . 3 million for the
6 whole project . Public statements by
7 Mr . Strong confirm that my estimate is
8 pretty accurate . When you capitalize
9 between $6 and $7 million a year over 20
10 years , you end up with losses of over
11 $300 , 000 per year . When you add interest
12 expense, it adds up to over $500 , 000 a
13 year in losses every year for 20
14 years . The Strong ' s need to bring down
15 the cost of their project tremendously
16 in order to be financially feasible . I
17 suggest Alternative Six, where they
18 raise the roof height of their two
19 existing steel sheds and perhaps also
20 slightly increase their length and their
21 width. They appear to have some room to
22 expand on all four sides of their
23 existing two buildings . And they also
24 have quite a bit of dead space between
25 their two buildings , which could be
JUNE 5, 2023 135
1 better utilized. Such an alternative
2 would reduce their costs tremendously
3 and alleviate most of the community ' s
4 concerns . Thank you .
5 MEMBER JAMES H . RICH III : Sir?
6 JIM GROENEVELD : Good evening. I ' m
7 actually reading on behalf of someone
8 that could not be here today . But --
9 MEMBER JAMES H . RICH III : For the
10 record, we need your name .
11 JIM GROENEVELD : Jim Groeneveld.
12 I 'm also the CFO of Strong ' s Marine .
13 And I would first like to say before I
14 start with this , while I appreciate the
15 numbers and the analytics there , the
16 majority of that was incorrect . That
17 being said, to the Southold Town
18 Planning Board from Alfred W. Cook, that
19 it was written on June 3 , 2023 . The
20 Cook Family has been a waterfront
21 neighbor and customer of Mattituck Inlet
22 Marina, now Strong Yacht Center since
23 1964 . Strong ' s Marine has revitalized
24 two marinas in the inlet . The
25 improvements have been accomplished with
JUNE 5, 2023 136
1 a positive effect on the community, and
2 the environment . Repainted sheds are
3 attractive from the water and shows that
4 the marina is well maintained. By
5 purchasing a new boat lift and replacing
6 the bulkhead, Strong ' s is keeping the
7 inlet safe . They provide quality
8 service and dockage . There is very
9 limited MII waterfront property for
10 accommodating the boating industry on
11 the North Shore . Mattituck Inlet is the
12 only harbor for 50 miles on the North
13 Shore between Port Jefferson and Orient .
14 The trend seems to be that people are
15 purchasing larger vessels that need
16 special accommodations . Strong ' s storage
17 project is a necessity for the North
18 Shore boaters , as well as , the East End
19 boaters . Strong ' s improvements have been
20 responsible and their workmanship,
21 dependable . Strong ' s Marine Storage
22 building project would be another asset
23 to Mattituck Inlet . I fully support the
24 project encourage Southold Town Planning
25 Board to approve the project . Sincerely.
JUNE 5, 2023 137
1 Alfred W. Cook. Thank you.
2 MEMBER JAMES H. RICH III : Thank
3 you. Sir?
4 GREG WILLIAMS : Good evening. My
5 name is Greg Williams . I ' m a business
6 owner in Mattituck, and just wanted to
7 go through a few things . I was
8 reviewing the Town ' s Comprehensive Plan
9 and Chapter One, the Vision Statement
10 ends with, "our citizens cherish
11 Southold ' s small town quality of life
12 and wish to preserve what we currently
13 value. While planning for a productive
14 and viable future . " In small business,
15 you ' re either dying or growing . So to
16 be viable, this business needs to grow
17 as all businesses do. In the second
18 paragraph, it talks of future planning
19 " shall be compatible with existing
20 community character, while supporting
21 and addressing the challenges of
22 continued land preservation, maintaining
23 a vibrant local economy, creating
24 efficient transportation, promoting a
25 diverse housing stock, expanding
JUNE 5, 2023 138
1 recreational opportunities and
2 protecting natural reef resources . " So
3 we want to maintain and grow a local --
4 vibrant local economy and also expand
5 recreational opportunities . In Southold
6 Town, which is roughly 33 , 350 acres ,
7 Marine MII , we have 111 acres of that in
8 town. It ' s not even a percent . That
9 needs to be built out to create jobs and
10 strengthen our economy. So people can
11 stay here and work and make a living .
12 In Southold Town, if you combine the
13 commercial and industrial properties ,
14 it ' s 2 . 4% of the acreage . Of that
15 33 , 000 acres , Southold Town has done a
16 great job. We preserved over 11 , 000
17 acres to stop, you know, preserve open
18 space . Keep farms working. With every
19 project and every growth, there ' s
20 growing pains . And this is going to be
21 a strain on the community. I
22 acknowledge that . Moved into a house
23 seven years ago . The next door neighbor ,
24 he knocked down his house , built a new
25 one . Across the creek. They built one
JUNE 5, 2023 139
1 the next summer . Following summer, the
2 next door neighbor , he renovated his
3 house. It was a pain, but the projects
4 are done . And I 'm able to enjoy my
5 backyard. The other thing I ' m gonna
6 bring in there is best practices . You
7 know, when we take on a project , you --
8 your Board and the Building Department
9 is going to encourage and make sure best
10 practices are used. So as these projects
11 move forth, I ' m sure the applicant will
12 maintain best practices . Do the best to
13 preserve the neighbor ' s quality of life
14 and mitigate any harm to our Town . This
15 will create jobs . This will also bring
16 more business to our business community.
17 The applicant bought the property with
18 MII zoning and property rights , and
19 those rights should be honored. Thank
20 you .
21 MEMBER JAMES H . RICH III : Thank you
22 for your comments . Sir?
23 JERRY ADLER: My name is Jerry
24 Adler . I ' ve a resident of Mattituck. I
25 -- one of my predecessors here , referred
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1 to the importance of Strong ' s providing
2 11 full-time year round jobs . I would
3 urge every members of the Board to look
4 carefully at the DEIS , which refers to
5 11 full-time jobs , but does not anywhere
6 specify that they will be year round
7 jobs . And ask yourselves whether a
8 facility that will be empty for half the
9 year is going to provide full-time jobs
10 for -- full-time career jobs for 11
11 residents . Thank you .
12 MEMBER JAMES H . RICH III : Thank
13 you .
14 JOHN COSTELLO: This is my
15 turn . Okay. My name is John Alexander
16 Costello. I ' ve been a marine contractor
17 and involved in the marine
18 waterfront for over 6 -- well over 60
19 years . I ' ve done every dock in Montauk.
20 I ' ve done every dock in Sag Harbor over
21 a period of time . I worked at the Old
22 Mill . Worked at Peterson ' s . I worked
23 for Consolidated. I ' ve done the Old
24 Mill high beams . I put them on there .
25 And I ' ve been doing it, the marine
JUNE 5, 2023 141
1 contracting business . One of the things
2 I ' ve never worked for is Strong ' s .
3 Haven ' t worked for them and nor do I
4 need to work for them. I have a list of
5 clientele and I will, and I do handle
6 all my paper . All my clients , including
7 the ferry companies . We handle them.
8 We handle them and we try to handle them
9 in good condition. The Strong oil has
10 the reputation of being total
11 professionals . Quality people and
12 professionals . I ' m surprised our paths
13 have not crossed. Nor do I look for any
14 additional work. But I can tell you
15 that I have done much and more of it
16 over the period of time . Robbins Island,
17 customer . Everything in North Haven,
18 all customers . I ' ve done it . I don ' t
19 wanna brag about it, but they ' re
20 customers and know why they ' re still
21 customers , given professional service .
22 We need in Southold Town, waterfront
23 jobs . , We need those jobs . They ' re being
24 taken by condominiums and multi-cars and
25 people . And that -- that ' s -- that is
JUNE 5, 2023 142
1 contrary to the plans that were here
2 originally in Southold. I would ask the
3 Indians if they would want it back, and
4 I can tell you the answer would probably
5 be, no . Thank you .
6 MEMBER JAMES H . RICH III : Thank
7 you. Yes , ma ' am.
8 BRIDGET ELKIN: Hi . My name is
9 Bridget Elkin . I share a property line
10 with the North Forks largest working
11 waterfront MII zoned area in Greenport
12 Village. I am an advocate and active
13 supporter in preserving and continuing
14 our region ' s working waterfront . While
15 I respect the applicant ' s right to
16 develop the subject property, I don ' t
17 feel the project is in line with our
18 Town ' s vision as outlined in our
19 LWRP . First, I would like to comment
20 that the LWRP itself is meant to be read
21 and understood as a whole document . I
22 encourage the Board to ask the applicant
23 to expand the benefits section on Page
24 16 of the DEIS to include the paragraph
25 text that surrounds the LWRP excerpts ,
JUNE 5, 2023 - 143
1 eight quotes . New York ' s stated goal in
2 preserving our working waterfront is to
3 advocate an equitable , resilient and
4 healthy waterfront for all New Yorkers .
5 This includes expanding public access ,
6 enlivening the waterfront , supporting
7 the existing working waterfront ,
8 improving water quality, improving
9 government oversight and increasing
10 climate resilience . It is hard to
11 imagine a yacht storage operation will
12 enliven our waterfront and improve our
13 water quality. It is certainly not going
14 to increase climate resilience. And it
15 does not support our existing and
16 localized working waterfront community.
17 Where is the merit in improving a
18 project that involves significant
19 environmental hardship and community
20 disturbance to the benefit of out of
21 area yacht owners? The business model
22 the applicant is proposing needs access
23 to the water , but it does not need
24 access to the North Forks water . The
25 claim that yacht storage qualifies and
JUNE 5, 2023 144
1 exists as an existing and enhanced
2 use, feels like a stretch. This is a new
3 business for the applicant and it
4 requires significant environmental
5 disturbance to realize it . Had this
6 project been proposed by an out of town
7 developer, it would have been deemed
8 inappropriate for our working waterfront
9 from the start . Let ' s be sure not to
10 conflate the benefits of the community
11 with the benefits of one local
12 family. This project is not a good fit
13 for Southold Town ' s vision and creates a
14 North Fork problem for a non-North Fork
15 issue.
16 MEMBER JAMES H . RICH III : Thank
17 you . Sir?
18 CHIP CHEEK: Good evening. My name
19 is Chip Cheek. Resident of Cutchogue,
20 Nassau Point . My wife and I have been
21 working here on the North Fork since
22 2005 . Previously to moving over to the
23 North Fork, ,we lived in Hampton Bays for
24 over 25 years . I ' ve been in this
25 industry as a working captain. I ' ve
JUNE 5, 2023 145
1 been fortunate enough to work for
2 Strong ' s over the last two seasons as an
3 instructor with their water club at
4 Mattituck Bay and also Southampton. I
5 also keep my boat in Broadwater Cove,
6 which has been purchased by Strong ' s end
7 of last season. And I have seen nothing
8 but improvements . I think his family
9 does a very good job in the industry .
10 They support local businesses . Local
11 business is very important. Family run
12 business , I find that -- I have worked
13 my whole career also here on the North
14 Fork and around the country for family
15 run businesses . And that is a big part
16 of our community, and our country. I am
17 very much in support of this project .
18 Thank you for your time.
19 MEMBER JAMES H . RICH III : Thank
20 you , sir .
21 HENRY MARTIN RANDALL : My name is
22 Henry Martin Randall . I ' m Marty. I live
23 in Peconic . The applicant has made
24 statements in the DEIS and in the press
25 about the need for his -- his project to
JUNE 5, 2023 146
1 protect our "maritime heritage" . And my
2 remarks address this . Know a little bit
3 about Long Island ' s maritime
4 heritage . My grandfather , Captain Henry
5 Randall, born in 1844 , the Sea-Faro
6 sailed wooden square rigors all over the
7 world out of Port Jefferson . In the
8 1800 ' s and early 19th -- in the early
9 20th century. ( Inaudible ) was a very
10 important regional shipbuilding center.
11 He served in the Union Navy during the
12 Civil War . Captain Randall had my father
13 late in life . My father , Henry, Jr . ,
14 was a merchant mariner for four years
15 during World War II and continued
16 sailing for recreation after the war .
17 Maritime heritage are personal to my
18 family. I grew up in Port Jefferson .
19 Spent my early days on the water . As a
20 teenager and young adult, I worked on
21 lobster boats and fishing trawlers .
22 Sailed all around the island. Sailed
23 and had a job in the marine construction
24 industry. These activities are just
25 some examples of Long Island ' s maritime
JUNE 5, 2023 147
1 heritage . Storing yachts for
2 billionaires has nothing to do with Long
3 Island or Southold maritime
4 heritage . It ' s called warehousing.
5 Warehousing yachts is a service that is
6 not water dependent . Even though it is
7 water related. Dominating yacht
8 warehouses on this site that have
9 devastating environmental consequences .
10 Ruining a coastal forest . A coastal
11 buffer zone is counterproductive to fish
12 breeding grounds , which support water
13 quality, affecting marine industries and
14 our maritime heritage . Please don ' t
15 allow huge warehouses for large yachts
16 at Mattituck Inlet, which is an historic
17 maritime center . Warehouses belong
18 elsewhere . Thank you .
19 MEMBER JAMES H . RICH III : Thank
20 you . Yes , sir .
21 LAWRENZO REIT: Lawrenzo Heit from
22 Greenport, New York. So I ' m a PE , and
23 I 'm really into the data of things . And
24 many years ago I worked for the
125 Environmental Protection Agency to
JUNE 5, 2023 148
1 develop some of the permitting
2 structures . But what struck me was a
3 few things that seemed to be not even
4 discussed or brought up in the
5 environmental assessment . That is
6 specifically they ' re bringing -- I
7 believe it was 4 , 000 gallons of propane .
8 Why do they need propane? I ' m gonna
9 burn the propane . But where is the
10 environmental impact of producing all of
11 that carbon footprint? The State of New
12 York is now in the process of saying
13 you ' re not even allowed to put a stove
14 in new construction, but we ' re going to
15 put in a, you know, a heated facility
16 for boats that ' s going to burn a
17 tremendous amount of propane? And then
18 the boats don ' t exist now here on Long
19 Island . So whatever emissions they
20 generate were not included in that DEIS
21 either . So I think that they ' re missing
22 pieces and the full impact because the
23 project doesn ' t end when they finish the
24 construction. We ' re still -- they ' re
25 still gonna be contributing to the
JUNE 5, 2023 149
1 environment in a negative way for many,
2 many years . So I think that part needs
3 to be included, and I think it ' s missing
4 from their current offering . Thank
5 you .
6 MEMBER JAMES H . RICH III : Valuable
7 information. Thank you.
8 LOUISE HARRISON : Good evening,
9 Louise Harrison . Save the Sound . I ' m a
10 Conservation Biologist with decades of
11 professional experience in environmental
12 review and land protection on Long
13 Island. Through my work for Federal
14 State and local government agencies and
15 not-for-profits . Potential adverse
16 environmental impacts of this proposal
17 on Mill Road Preserve should be a
18 concern for every Southold taxpayer.
19 Found records show that when the
20 preserve was purchased, it was to remain
21 in its natural state and be reserved for
22 nature trails . A preserve paid for with
23 the public ' s money is supposed to
24 provide benefits in perpetuity for the
25 price . Adverse impacts of a development
JUNE 5, 2023 150
1 project on an adjoining property that
2 would harm the preserve should be
3 completely avoided. There is no
4 acceptable level of destruction of this
5 public resource by a private party. Even
6 if a hired consultant purports the long
7 term impacts can be calculated to a
8 highly specific numerical value . Is the
9 public expected to accept this asserted
10 percentage of impact in perpetuity?
11 Hikers will need to avert their eyes
12 from artificial installations . Wildlife
13 will lose habitat . This diminishes the
14 public benefits intended by Southold in
15 creating the preserve . The DEIS
16 downplays destroying the New York State
17 listed vulnerable Coastal Oak Beach
18 Forest, with which the preserve ' s forest
19 is contiguous . The properties are
20 connected ecologically. With
21 destruction of over five acres of
22 forest, including more than 630 trees ,
23 the overall forest is reduced in size .
24 What had been a forest interior now
25 would be at the remaining forests open
JUNE 5, 2023 151
1 edge . This will expose what was once
2 shady, dark and moist habitat for many
3 forest species to increased solar
4 radiation . Wind throw of more trees .
5 Drying of soils . Loss of habitat for
6 scores of species , including some that
7 are endangered. And a rapid
8 insurgence -- rapid insurgence of
9 invasive plant and animal species , which
10 favor disturbance . This will change the
11 preserves microclimate plants and
12 wildlife and will harm crucial forest
13 soils . Please take seriously the
14 potential adverse impacts on the Eastern
15 Box Turtle . In a Federal Register
16 Notice on February 21st of this year,
17 the U. S . Geological Survey, which called
18 for Citizen Science on this topic , noted
19 the order to ( inaudible ) which
20 encompasses tortoises and freshwater and
21 marine turtles , is among the most
22 threatened group of vertebrates in the
23 world. Consider Two noise effects on
24 the Mill Road Preserve . The hammering
25 -- I 'm done . Hammering, loud drumming
JUNE 5, 2023 152
1 of heavy rain on over two acres of metal
2 rooftops adjoining the preserve will
3 disturb wildlife and people alike . A
4 walk in the rain in this highly valued
5 nature preserve will produce an urban
6 warehouse district experience --
7 MEMBER JAMES H . RICH III : Thank
8 you --
9 LOUISE HARRISON : Opposite the
10 benefit residents and other hikers
11 deserve. We ' ll provide our written
12 comments by July 10th . Thank you.
13 MEMBER JAMES H . RICH III : Thank
14 you very much . Yes?
15 STEPHANIE VILLANI : Hi . I ' m
16 Stephanie Villani . My husband and I
17 have operated a commercial fishing
18 business from Mattituck Inlet for over
19 30 years and counting . There ' s an
20 awful lot of misinformation going on
21 here . A lot of speculation . This is
22 not about exploding propane tanks or
23 sand mining. This is about allowing a
24 business owner to improve his property
25 to better service customers . And Strong
JUNE 5, 2023 153
1 Marine provides services that we need.
2 They do not only serve yacht owners .
3 They serve the commercial fishermen,
4 recreational fishermen, boaters who live
5 here and boaters from out of state .
6 They support the clam boats that are --
7 work with Cornell ' s Receding Project as
8 well . Marine businesses are an important
9 part of the North Fork and the Town
10 needs to support a working waterfront .
11 And you have the chance to do that here
12 today by approving this project .
13 Frankly, it ' s insulting to see how
14 little regard were held by our
15 neighbors . But I bet those same
16 neighbors like to eat fresh fish,
17 scallops , clams , oysters and you can ' t
18 have those things without having
19 businesses like Strong for us , as we do
20 our work. I don ' t think it ' s greedy to
21 ask for a working waterfront . I don ' t
22 think it ' s greedy for the owner of a
23 property to improve it . As long as they
24 follow the code . Strong ' s is not asking
25 to build a hotel or a restaurant or
JUNE 5, 2023 154
1 condos . Their plan fits the zoning and
2 the character of the area . I live in
3 the neighborhood. I live on Breakwater
4 Road. And I walk and bike it regularly
5 and I can live with the truck traffic
6 because it ' s temporary . And once this
7 project is done, I think it ' ll be a net
8 positive for Mattituck. I think the
9 Planning Board is sensible enough to
10 realize the difference in a necessary
11 project put forth by a reputable local
12 business . And one that does not fit in
13 with the culture of the North Fork, like
14 maybe the resort hotel project proposed
15 for the main road in Mattituck, with the
16 water park . When it comes time to make
17 your decision, I trust you will tune out
18 the noise . Base it on the facts
19 submitted to you . And the experts that
20 spoke today I thought were quite
21 impressive . I ' d like to see this project
22 go forward. Thank you for your
23 consideration . Thank you .
24 MEMBER JAMES H . RICH III : Thank
25 you .
JUNE 5, 2023 155
1 GEORGE MAUL : My name is George
2 Mall . I ' m a resident of the Town of
3 Southold. I live in New Suffolk . Every
4 time I make -- try to make a left hand
5 turn, I feel like an endangered
6 species . This is a large project . The
7 environment that we live in has a lot
8 of tourism. The Town of Southold has
9 trouble managing the tourism that we
10 have now. Stretch of road from here to
11 Mattituck this year, I ' ve -- several
12 times found myself in a line of cars
13 that isn ' t moving. That ' s a new
14 development for me . I ' ve been here 30
15 years . This project is a marine
16 project, but it also represents a huge
17 impact on the tourism of our area . It
18 doesn ' t seem to my mind to be serving
19 residents of the Town of Southold. And
20 I think that government of the Town of
21 Southold is supposed to serve the
22 residents of the Town of Southold. Of
23 Jeff Strong seems like a really nice
24 guy . He has a lot of friends , but this
25 project is a lot of money. And the
JUNE 5, 2023 156
1 character of the North Fork is more
2 important than the money of one
3 business . I think that the problems
4 that we have on the North Fork now are
5 not that we don ' t have enough money or
6 we don ' t have enough jobs , it ' s because
7 we don ' t have enough housing for people
8 who want to live here . The problem is
9 not that businesses that are here need
10 to be bigger . We need to be more
11 sensitive of the life , the way the
12 people live on the North Fork. When my
13 parents grew up in Baldwin, there were
14 farms there . And when I grew up in
15 Patchogue, there were farms there . And
16 Long Island is an island and the North
17 Fork is the last of it . ( 60 ) 88 foot
18 boats or ( 88 ) 60 foot boats . I don ' t
19 really know what it is , but I don ' t know
20 how many 70 foot boats there are on the
21 North Fork now, but this represents a
22 lot more . And I don ' t understand why
23 the project has to be this big . I think
24 the Comprehensive Plan is supposed to be
25 about the balance of the rural nature of
JUNE 5, 2023 157
1 the North Fork, and the economy of the
2 North Fork. And I don ' t see any balance
3 here in this project . It ' s just a lot
4 of money. That ' s all I have to say.
5 Thank you .
6 MEMBER JAMES H . RICH III : Thank
7 you .
8 JEFF STRONG: I can go last if you
9 like?
10 MEMBER JAMES H . RICH III : Yes . I
11 just appreciate your patience . Thank
12 you .
13 DOUG COOPER: Good evening, ladies
14 and gentlemen . Doug Cooper . I live on
15 Mattituck . I have met Jeff Strong once
16 or twice . I don ' t know him. I don ' t know
17 that I ' ve spent more than one or two
18 minutes talking to him. I have nothing
19 to gain or lose from this application,
20 but I strongly support it . If we don ' t
21 support other people ' s rights , how can
22 we expect them to support our rights?
23 And this project, it ' s zoned for . It ' s
24 a legal use of the property and that
25 should be respected. It ' s gonna provide
JUNE 5, 2023 158
1 jobs and some good paying jobs . It ' s
2 going to increase our tax base . And
3 jobs and tax base is what we need in
4 this Town . We don ' t have enough
5 commercial businesses to help pay the
6 taxes . And they pay most of the taxes .
7 That ' s it . Thank you .
8 MEMBER JAMES H . RICH III : Thank
9 you . Jeff?
10 JEFF STRONG: My name is Jeff
11 Strong , applicant but also a Mattituck
12 resident with my wife Ree for over 50
13 years . Before I get into what I wanted
14 to say, I think there were a couple of
15 questions from earlier that the Planning
16 Board had that I ' ll try and answer .
17 MEMBER AMELIA JEALOUS-DANK: So you
18 talk about the documented demand for
19 storage of yachts . Where does it come
20 from?
21 JESSICA MICHAELIS : I 'm sorry . I 'm
22 not gonna start the timer because Board
23 members have questions for the owner of
24 the project . Thank you .
i 25 JEFF STRONG: Thank you . Several
JUNE 5, 2023 159
1 areas over the last 10 years , we ' ve seen
2 a big trend. We had one client speak
3' earlier, Mr . ( Inaudible ) That is just
4 one example of many, where oftentimes
5 boats of this size will want to go down
6 south to Florida . And that has been a
7 fairly common thing to do . They boat up
8 in this area . Whether they keep him in
9 Mattituck, somewhere on the North Fork,
10 Port Jeff , Westchester, Sag Harbor,
11 Montauk, somewhere in the fairly
12 regional area, and take them down south .
13 So with the hurricanes that have been
14 increasing pretty significantly in
15 Florida, insurance during the wintertime
16 there is like just -- in some cases ,
17 become not even available in other cases
18 available, but like just through the
19 roof and a lot of restrictions on what
20 people can do . So we ' re seeing a big
21 shift of people that have typically been
22 comfortable being up here in the Summer ,
23 traversing down south in the Winter and
24 not desiring to do that any longer for
25 those reasons . So that ' s one big group.
JUNE 5, 2023 160
1 And then the secondary group would be
2 other people that -- I think in our
3 application, we ' ve put that, you know,
4 technology has changed a lot since, you
5 know, these buildings that are on our
6 property now. Were mostly built in the
7 70 ' s . And boats and yachts obviously
8 existed then . But the technology was
9 dramatically different . Technology now
10 doesn ' t like to be old. You know,
11 basically just no different than your
12 home . Not good things happen . So
13 there ' s an increased pressure and demand
14 on our business to be able to provide
15 indoor heated storage for the larger
16 vessels that have this fairly
17 sophisticated technology. That ' s
18 another big shift .
19 MEMBER AMELIA JEALOUS-DANK : So of
20 the 11 new employees that you have
21 during the six months or seven months
22 that you ' ll be moving boats in and out,
23 that seems fairly reasonable that
24 they ' ll have full-time employment . What
25 happens the rest of the year? What will
JUNE 5, 2023 161
1 they be doing?
2 JEFF STRONG : So I ' ll answer that,
3 but I ' ll give you a little context
4 first . Currently, we have 135 full-time
5 employees since we ' ve owned the place in
6 1992 . Even during the recessions , we
7 never had one layoff . Not one . We kept
8 them and paid them out of our pocket
9 because we believe it ' s a way to attract
10 people and it gives us a competitive
11 advantage by getting extremely talented
12 people . Also why we pay matching 401k,
13 profit sharing and health benefits . So
14 that ' s the context of it . We would see
15 these 11 jobs as being no different than
16 what we ' ve done since 1992 for what is
17 now currently 135 full-time jobs . What
18 do they actually do? We own a good
19 amount of properties . This being one of
20 them. Things on the waterfront need a
21 lot of maintenance . So when we have down
22 time, when they ' re not working on
23 customers , they ' re able to help whether
24 it be dock work or fixing . Just again,
25 just my son Ryan is here . He ' s heads up
JUNE 5, 2023 162
1 improvements and repairs for us . There ' s
2 a never-ever ending list . So they get
3 shifted to do what we call internal
4 maintenance work instead of customer pay
5 work.
6 MEMBER AMELIA JEALOUS-DANK: Thank
7 you . Final question. You are proposing
8 to construct both buildings at the same
9 time? Not a phased construction?
10 JEFF STRONG : That is correct .
11 In fairness , some people have asked that
12 question to me and the way we ' re
13 absolutely proposing it that way. But
14 we ' re also business people and we ' re
15 realist. So if the world were to crash,
16 right, which we ' re all hopeful that --
17 we would for sure do the excavation. We
18 would for sure do the 100% retaining
19 wall . We would for sure do all the
20 cement work for two buildings , and
21 would for sure do one building . So all
22 of that, I can say with 100% assurity,
23 it ' s not about being able to afford it,
24 it ' s a matter of severity of what goes
25 on in the world. So would we be
JUNE 5, 2023 163
1 prepared to build the second building?
2 Absolutely be financially prepared. I ' m
3 not gonna tell you that if the world
4 were to, beyond its knees , that we would
5 commit to building, erecting the second
6 building at the same time . That just
7 wouldn ' t be prudent , but we would
8 absolutely do all the other work that I
9 said. The infrastructure work, the
10 evergreen retaining wall , the pads . All
11 versions of infrastructure work . Our
12 desire would be to do the entire project
13 at one time .
14 MEMBER AMELIA JEALOUS-DANK: Thank
15 you .
16 JEFF STRONG: Any other questions
17 before I -- I did have a couple of
18 comments , I wanted to -- no? Okay.
19 Thanks .
20 MEMBER JAMES H . RICH III : Thank
21 you . Thanks for your patience .
22 JOEL KLEIN: Yes . My name is Joel
23 Klein. I live in Mattituck. I 'm
24 sorry -- I thought you were done .
25 JEFF STRONG: No . Well , I was done
JUNE 5, 2023 164
1 with answering the questions , but I
2 just had a statement that I wanted to
3 read.
4 JOEL KLEIN: Please go ahead. I ' m
5 sorry.
6 JEFF STRONG: That ' s all right .
7 My name is Jeff Strong . I 'm President of
8 our family ' s business , Strong ' s Marine .
9 After sitting through these two
10 hearings , as well as , Civic meetings , I
11 feel it ' s necessary that I ' d like to
12 speak to a few things . First, I would
13 like to thank the Planning Board for
14 organizing these meetings and for the
15 diligence and attending to the details
16 and trying to have them be fair and
17 reasonable . I ' d like to also thank
18 everyone who ' s taken the time to learn
19 about our project, and engage in this
20 process . We appreciate all viewpoints .
21 No matter which way you wanna look at it
22 for or against whatever, we appreciate
23 all the viewpoints and concerns that
24 have been expressed in these forums . I
25 do wanna tell you a little bit about
JUNE 5, 2023 165
1 myself , our family and our business .
2 I ' d also like to explain why this
3 project is a necessary step for the
4 continued vitality of our business . And
5 how it will benefit the Town . My dad
6 was a bayman who made his living,
7 clamming and scalloping before my mom
8 and dad started On Marina in James Creek
9 in Mattituck in 1965 . My wife , Ree and
10 I have raised our sons on Mattituck
11 Inlet, where we still live today for
12 over 35 years . We live right on the
13 same inlet as the project is . We ' ve
14 grown our business by listening closely
15 to our clients and evolving with their
16 needs . Over the years , boats have
17 definitely gotten larger and taller .
18 Often equipped with advanced
19 electronics as I was alluding to
20 earlier. These boats need larger
21 buildings to accommodate them, and newer
22 electronics do best in a temperature
23 controlled environment . In addition,
24 Florida ' s rising hurricane risks and
25 related insurance challenges mean that
JUNE 5, 2023 166
- 1 many yacht owners who would typically go
2 south for the Winter, are desiring to
3 keep the boats up north. There has
4 historically been limited indoor
5 storage in our region, but now the
6 shortage has become critical . The
7 storage buildings currently on site
8 were built in the 70 ' s to meet the needs
9 of boaters and business at that time,
10 but they don ' t allow us to meet the
11 needs of today ' s boaters . We just
12 simply want to keep our place as a
13 shipyard. We wanna be able to hand it
14 onto our next generation as a shipyard.
15 This is a massive investment for us . We
16 wouldn ' t be doing this massive
17 investment if we didn ' t wanna turn it on
18 to our next generation, and keep it as a
19 shipyard. As to the benefits to the
20 Southold Town, as addressed in the
21 DEIS , many Southold residents use our
22 Yacht Center facility and our Strong ' s
23 Water Club facilities currently. And we
24 would expect that they will use the new
25 indoor expanded heated service . After
JUNE 5, 2023 167
1 all , they are the ones who have told us
2 they need it . In addition, we directly
3 tend to create at least 11 new full-time
4 and they are year-round positions , with
5 increased businesses in addition to
6 local maritime suppliers . Lastly, I
7 wanna address the claims that are real
8 amos to sell the excavated sand from
9 this project . I can tell you owning
10 eight locations , and 135 employees , we
11 have a lot better things to do than just
12 go through this exercise to sell sand.
13 That ' s the last thing in the world we
14 need to do, and the value of it , is less
15 than 100 of the project . For five
16 years , we ' ve invested time, effort and
17 funds to do extensive studies on all
18 aspects of this proposal , as required by
19 the Town . Just about done .
20 MEMBER JAMES H . RICH III : We ' re
21 gonna let you go . We ' re gonna let you
22 continue .
23 JEFF STRONG: I can assure you that
24 we would not be going through this if we
25 did not intend to complete this project
JUNE 5, 2023 168
1 and bring it to its fruition . As we ' ve
2 built our business in Mattituck over the
3 years , we have worked hard to do so with
4 sensitivity, care and respect for our
5 environment, our neighbors and
6 community. If we see an approval for
7 this project , we will continue to do the
8 same. Thank you .
9 MEMBER JAMES H . RICH III : Thanks ,
10 Jeff .
11 JOEL KLEIN: My name is Joel Klein.
12 I live in Mattituck . A lot of things
13 said tonight that I could respond to,
14 but I ' m just gonna pick on a few of
15 them. Several people have referred to
16 the fact that the sand that ' s being
17 removed is dredged spoil . That ' s
18 absolutely untrue . I ' ve provided the
19 Board with extensive comments ,
20 documenting that fact . Apparently that
21 originated with misinterpretation of an
22 Army Corps of Engineers report by the
23 project consulting archeologists . The
24 boring logs , included in the DEIS refer
25 to potential dredged spoil, and several
JUNE 5, 2023 169
1 coring ' s at depths of 4 to 10 feet below
2 the surface. Well , that raises the
3 question, if it ' s 4 to 10 feet below the
4 surface, what ' s the soil on top of it
5 and where did it come from since 1940?
6 and how did you get 80 foot high trees
7 on top? The idea that that is dredged
8 spoil is just non-viable . Secondly,
9 Dr . Bowman, I read his report . Heard
10 what he said tonight. Dr . Bowman has not
11 presented an analysis of projects , the
12 impact on ecology within the project
13 area. He has presented a report
14 documenting impacts what he would term
15 project site, but is in fact the project
16 ax parcel , including both the R-80 and
17 MII zones . The result of this is on a
18 percentage basis to diminish the
19 impression -- a significant by comparing
20 number of trees destroyed over the
21 entire project site, as opposed -- the
22 ax parcel as opposed to just within 6
23 acre project area. Not the 34 acre
24 parcel . In regard to Mr . Strong ' s
25 claims that he intends to build both
JUNE 5, 2023 170
1 buildings . Qualified that again
2 tonight. This came up. I asked him the
3 same question at a meeting of the
4 Southold Peconic Civic Association six
5 weeks ago . And he ' s recorded, and I
6 have that in comments that have been
7 submitted to the Board, his statement
8 that, well , it would really depend on
9 the price of steel and construction
10 materials coming down . And as he said
11 tonight, his intention is to put in --
12 excavate the sand, put in the retaining
13 wall , build the slab. However, last
14 week, he was quoted in the New York
15 Times as saying he intended to build
16 both buildings on the get ( sic ) . So I
17 don ' t know which project he ' s talking
18 about. The Planning Board actually
19 reviewing project intends to build. It
20 sounds like it ' s going to be one
21 structure, which would involve virtually
22 all of the same environmental impacts ,
23 but a few benefits that do accrue,
24 including property tax advantages ,
25 employment would be half . Someone else
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1 tonight mentioned the fact that the
2 proposed water line , which is
3 identified in the DEIS as one of the
4 major benefits of the project, which in
5 fact would benefit only two properties .
6 One of which is owned by Mr . Strong.
7 The other being the Old Mill Inn was in
8 fact completed several weeks ago. Thank
9 you .
10 JESSICA MICHAELIS : Thank you.
11 MEMBER JAMES H . RICH III : Thank
12 you very much . Anyone else wish to --
13 JESSICA MICHAELIS : We have Jessica
14 Roberts on Zoom with her hand raised. .
15 MEMBER JAMES H . RICH III : Okay.
16 JESSICA MICHAELIS : Is there
17 someone else? Go ahead.
18 BILL WITZKE : Good evening. I ' ll
19 be brief . I want to thank you for your
20 time tonight . I just am here in --
21 JESSICA MICHAELIS : I 'm sorry,
22 state your name .
23 BILL WITZKE : I ' m sorry, Bill
24 Witzke , here in Southold. I ' m here in
25 favor of this project . One of the main
JUNE 5, 2023 172
1 reasons , I ' ve known a Strong Family a
2 long time . They ' re my competitors in
3 some aspects , but also people I do
4 business with . And my main concern of
5 why I want to approve this , is property
6 rights . Plain and simple, right? It is
7 zoned from Marine II . It is zone --
8 everything they ' re proposing is within
9 the parameters of what ' s allowed under
10 the law. For environmental stuff , we
11 can talk till cows come home and none of
12 us will agree on everything. We all
13 know that . We ' ve done a tremendous
14 amount of time, money and effort in
15 trying to make sure they ' re doing it as
16 good a neighbor as possible . And I just
17 want to thank you for your time . I wish
18 everybody the luck with this project,
19 including the Strong Family. Yeah.
20 Thank you so much, Jim.
21 MEMBER JAMES H . RICH III : Thanks ,
22 Bill . Thank you . Jess , you have --
23 JESSICA MICHAELIS : I have a few.
24 Jessica Roberts . I ' m gonna let her go
25 first. Sorry, Annie . Go ahead,
JUNE 5, 2023 173
1 Jessica. Just state your name .
2 JESSICA ROBERTS : Thank you . I ' m
3 Jessica Roberts , staff attorney at Save
4 the Sound. Save the Sound has tracked
5 this proposal since 2020 , when we
6 submitted extensive DEIS scoping
7 comments . We are pleased to see our
8 comments in the final amended scope, but
9 this DEIS is a poor tool for
10 decision-making . It contains misleading
11 and inaccurate information, and
12 graphics . Does not describe adequate
13 mitigation and dismisses , ignores or
14 denies a significant adverse
15 environmental impacts . The document has
16 not changed our position . That the
17 project is grossly inappropriate for the
18 site . First of all , excavating 134 , 000
19 cubic yards of an inherently unstable
20 natural feature poses the danger of a
21 catastrophic collapse or slumping during
22 excavation . This could harm a Federal
23 navigational channel . New York State
24 designated significant coastal fishing
25 wildlife habitat, tidal wetlands and
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1 water quality . Not to mention property
2 and people . The depth of soil borings
3 was insufficient to prove the absence of
4 a clay layer in the hill that might
5 cause slippage and sudden mass soil
6 movement. Secondly, removing over 630
7 mature trees and all understory
8 vegetation from a state-listed
9 vulnerable forest ecosystem that
10 protects Mattituck Creek is contiguous
11 with the publicly owned Mill Road
12 Preserve, and provides habitat for
13 endangered species would be
14 irreversible . Planting individual trees
15 is not mitigation, and it cannot
16 recreate a forest ecosystem. Also,
17 installing sewage, stormwater and fuel
18 station infrastructure only 10 feet
19 above mean sea level could endanger
20 water quality. Given storm
21 intensification and climate change, the
22 project ' s placement of this
23 infrastructure too close to fluctuating
24 groundwater levels and saltwater
25 inundation is a recipe for water
JUNE 5, 2023 175
1 pollution. Additionally, the project
2 offers little to no meaningful
3 mitigation for significant adverse
4 environmental impacts . And finally, it
5 is inconsistent with the LWRP ' s
6 policies . As lead agency, you are
7 responsible for preparing the final
8 EIS . And we are pleased to see that the
9 Town has requested a proposal to do
10 this . Your subsequent SEQRA finding
11 statement must rely on facts . Your
12 findings must demonstrate that you took
13 a hard look at adverse impacts ,
14 evaluated mitigation, fully described
15 and compared your feasible alternatives
16 and tested conformance with Southold ' s
17 Comprehensive Plan . Your decision must
18 be consistent with the Town ' s LWRP .
19 And to reach project approval , you must
20 prove that the public benefit of this
21 proposal outweighs its many adverse
22 environmental impacts . Save the
23 Sound will submit detailed
24 comments before the comment period
25 closes . Thank you .
JUNE 5, 2023 176
1 JESSICA MICHAELIS : Thank you.
2 Annie, go ahead.
3 ANNIE CORREAL : Hello, can you hear
4 me?
5 JESSICA MICHAELIS : Yes .
6 ANNIE CORREAL : Great . Good
7 evening --
8 JESSICA MICHAELIS : State your
9 name?
10 ANNIE CORREAL : My name is Annie
11 Correal . I ' m a resident of Mattituck.
12 I live off a tributary of Mattituck
13 Creek. I ' m not affiliated with any
14 group. I wanna thank you -- everyone
15 here for your comments and your
16 perspectives . I ' d like to voice my
17 objections to this proposal and call
18 attention to some gaps , omissions and
19 unsubstantiated claims in the revised
20 DEIS . The following claims made by
21 Strong ' s Marine in the DEIS lack
22 concrete documentation and any detail .
23 First, the economic benefits are
24 overstated and not aligned with local
25 needs . The market demand for the
JUNE 5, 2023 177
1 proposed heated indoor yacht storage
2 facilities is not documented or
3 substantiated anywhere in the DEIS .
4 According to Mr . Strong ' s media
5 interviews , it comprises wealthy boat
6 owners from outside the community who
7 seek storage options for their luxury
8 yachts . Mr . Strong stated this clearly
9 when he purchased the site . "Upon
10 purchasing this site from the Pape
11 Family in 2016 , Mr . Strong told the
12 Suffolk Times , Strong ' s other locations
13 in Southampton and Port Washington will
14 feed customers to the Mattituck site . "
15 He more recently was quoted in the New
16 York Times . "The yacht storage facility"
17 he said, "will offer heated indoor
18 Winter storage that fills a gap in the
19 market for wealthy boaters from
20 Hampton ' s communities , like Sag Harbor
21 and Amagansett, as well as , Westchester
22 County and Connecticut . " Mr . Strong
23 spoke today of only one or two local
24 yacht owners . Quote, "they told us they
25 need it. " In the DEIS , there is no
JUNE 5, 2023 178
1 actual market analysis that shows the
2 need for large yacht storage or records
3 why Strong ' s existing indoor storage on
4 the premises is insufficient to meet
5 that demand. Further, there is no
6 documentation that the developer ' s
7 customers will have any stake in the
8 short and long-term health of Mattituck
9 Creek, and the community and will
10 maintain their boats within the
11 standards required for safety and
12 emissions . According to the DEIS ,
13 building the storage facilities is a
14 business venture that appears to be a
15 gamble and a way to connect Mattituck
16 to Mr. Strong ' s other investments around
17 Long Island. One moment . Next , I ' d
18 like to draw attention to the issue of
19 jobs . Strong ' s Marine states in the
20 DEIS that the yacht storage facilities
21 will improve the local economy by
22 creating jobs , but the DEIS provides no
23 specific information about the character
24 of and qualifications for these jobs .
25 The revised DEIS indicates that 11 new
JUNE 5, 2023 179
1 jobs will be generated. Some of them
2 connected to expanding a parking lot .
3 There ' s no explanation of what sorts of
4 jobs will be connected to the expansion
5 of a parking lot to 57 stalls . There ' s
6 no documentation in the DEIS of whether
7 these jobs -require special skills and
8 training . Whether these jobs will be
9 offered to local residents first, and
10 whether such training will be offered
11 to local residents . Likewise, there ' s
12 no written documentation .
13 JESSICA MICHAELIS : Thank you . I ' m
14 sorry, your time ' s up .
15 MEMBER JAMES H . RICH III : Anyone
16 else wish to --
17 JESSICA MICHAELIS : Yes . We have
18 someone else on Zoom. There ' s also a
19 Zoom user, you ' d have to change your
20 name if you ' d like to speak. I can ' t
21 allow you in as a Zoom user . Michael
22 Levitt?
23 MICHAEL LEVITT : Hi . How is
24 everyone tonight? So thank you for the
25 time . So my name is Michael Levitt .
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1 I 'm one of the lead partners of
2 Entertainment Made Easy. We are a
3 marine electronics , home and
4 commercial , audio/visual and computer
5 networking business serving Long Island
6 for over the last 20 years . We ' ve been
7 both a vendor and customer working with
8 Strong ' s in that time . Probably a
9 different type of item I ' d like to bring
10 up and address , which Jeffrey certainly
11 touched on. Is we do see a fairly
12 substantial demand for heated storage
13 here on Long Island. We wind up having
14 traveled to New Jersey and Connecticut
15 many times . Because that does not exist
16 here on the North Fork. Jeff alluded to
17 it when he spoke , but we see tremendous
18 damage to the residential electronics
19 used in a lot of these larger vessels
20 today. Television, satellite boxes ,
21 etcetera, do not enjoy 20 degree or
22 below weather, which does require
23 either a relocation of these vessels to
24 warmer water or sometimes the removal
25 and storage of this equipment, which
JUNE 5, 2023 181
1 causes breakage on its own. You know,
2 we do look at the heated storage is a
3 driver of business , which allows us to
4 operate effectively in Mattituck through
5 the Winter , which is something we don ' t
6 do in the colder sheds , worker safety,
7 shorter days , temperature-wise . Also
8 damage to the boats . We can ' t really
9 drill and work in fiberglass in those
10 temperatures without creating spider
11 cracks , and gel coat and other damage to
12 the vessels . So we have to wait for
13 warmer weather, which causes a bit of a
14 springtime rush, where it allows us not
15 to take work we would take on when the
16 vessels are moved to Florida . Driving
17 those dollars off of Long Island.
18 Really the additional heated working
19 areas in Mattituck brings us the ability
20 to work throughout the Winter, service
21 those clients and service our existing
22 clients in a better way. So we look at
23 adding this kind of facility to Long
24 Island, especially in the North Fork,
25 as a major addition to the economy .
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1 Thank you .
2 MEMBER JAMES H . RICH III : Thank
3 you .
4 JESSICA MICHAELIS : Thank you.
5 MEMBER JAMES H . RICH III : Anybody
6 else , Jess?
7 JESSICA MICHAELIS : No. Oh, yes .
8 STEPHEN BOSCOLA: Hi , Stephen
9 Boscola. Just want to address what
10 Michael just said. Because it ' s
11 inaccurate . And you ' ll see my
12 submission too, is that cruisers yachts
13 are made in Wisconsin . And as you can
14 know, their climate is much colder than
15 ours . And the manufacturers that
16 Strong ' s represents clearly have stated
17 that heated storage is not essential for
18 these boats . In fact, it ' s actually not
19 even necessary. And just wanted to note
20 that, and we ' ll be including that in our
21 submission, as well as , you know, Jimmy
22 Orioli , he brings his boat to Florida to
23 go fishing . And, you know, some of
24 these other folks , they have no
25 intention of the heated storage . So
JUNE 5, 2023 183
_ 1 it ' s not essential . We ' ll address that
2 in our comments , but from the
3 manufacturers , that ' s not my opinion,
4 that ' s the manufacturers . Sunseeker,
5 Regal , Cruisers Yachts , built in
6 Wisconsin, heated indoor storage is not
7 essential , nor required for boats . And
8 I just want to get that on the record,
9 please . Thank you very much . And I
10 know it ' s late . Thanks to everyone for
11 your time .
12 JESSICA MICHAELIS : Thank you.
13 MEMBER MARTIN SIDOR: Anyone else?
14 (No Response ) .
15 MEMBER MARTIN SIDOR: I guess I want
16 to thank everybody.
17 JESSICA MICHAELIS : I ' m sorry.
18 MEMBER MARTIN SIDOR: Got somebody
19 else?
20 JESSICA MICHAELIS : Yes , a phone
21 number . I ' m sorry, Annie, you already
22 spoke. You can submit written comments
23 to the Planning Board if you ' d like . .
24 MEMBER MARTIN SIDOR: Once again, I
25 want to thank everybody for their
JUNE 5, 2023 184
1 patience and also their courtesy.
2 JESSICA MICHAELIS : We have
3 someone. I think it ' s *9 to un-mute
4 yourself . maybe it ' s *6 to un-mute
5 yourself . 804-5945 . Would you like to
6 speak?
7 (No Response ) .
8 JESSICA MICHAELIS : Okay. All
9 right. Go ahead, Jim.
10 MEMBER JAMES H . RICH III : Again, I
11 want to thank everybody for your
12 patience, the input and also your
13 civility. It was really, on both sides ,
14 I think we had respect, and I
15 appreciate it .
16 MEMBER SIDOR: Make a motion to
17 close tonight ' s hearing and set
18 July 10th, as a deadline for any written
19 comments .
20 MEMBER AMELIA JEALOUS-DANK :
21 Second.
22 MEMBER JAMES H . RICH III : Motion
23 made by Martin. Seconded by Mia .
24 Any discussion?
25 (No Response ) .
JUNE 5, 2023 185
1 MEMBER JAMES H . RICH III : All in
2 favor?
3 MEMBER AMELIA JEALOUS-DANK: Aye .
4 MEMBER PIERCE RAFFERTY: Aye .
5 MEMBER SIDOR: Aye .
6 MEMBER JAMES H . RICH III : Aye .
7 We got a motion for adjournment?
8 MEMBER AMELIA JEALOUS-DANK: Motion
9 to adjourn .
10 MEMBER JAMES H . RICH III : Thank
11 you. Thank you, everybody. Have a nice
12 evening.
13
14 (Whereupon, the meeting concluded
15 at 9 : 40 P .M. )
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JUNE 5, 2023 186
1 C E R T I F I C A T I O N
2
3 I , Jessica DiLallo, a Notary Public
4 for and within the State of New York, do
5 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 hereunto
14 set my hand this day, June 27 , 2023 .
15
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17 ( jesVic D Lallo )
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