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Home My WebLink AboutUSCG Station, FI, Change of Zone OFFICE LOCATION: hO��OF S��yOl MAILING ADDRESS: Town Hall Annex O P.O.Box 1179 54375 State Route 25 Southold, NY 11971 (cor.Main Rd. &Youngs Ave.) Southold, NY 11971 �Q Telephone: 631 765-1938 CuT`I,�c� LOCAL WATERFRONT REVITALIZATION PROGRAM TOWN OF SOUTHOLD MEMORANDUM To: Alberti. Krupski Jr., Town Supervisor Members of the Town Board JUN 1 Denis Noncarrow, Town Clerk 7 2024 From: Mark Terry, AICP P Assistant Town Planning Director 071n; CTG.rk �-- LWRP Coordinator Date: June 14, 2024 Re: Local Waterfront Revitalization Coastal Consistency Review for U. S. Coast Guard Station,Fishers Island Change of Zone SCTM# 1000-12-1-4.3 The Southold Town Board proposes changing the subject parcel zoning from General Business (B) to the Marine I(MI) zone to support a working waterfront. The parcel is currently improved with a U. S. Coast Guard Station building and dockage use and is located adjacent to and south of Silver Eel Cove on Fishers Island. The continuance of the B zone on this parcel conflicts with the Southold Local Waterfront Revitalization Program because the B zone does not allow for the continuation and development of water-dependent uses within the existing concentration of maritime activity in a critical water-dependent island harbor. The proposed action has been reviewed to Chapter 268, Waterfront Consistency Review of the Town of Southold Town Code and the Local Waterfront Revitalization Program (LWRP) Policy Standards. Based upon the information provided on the LWRP Consistency Assessment Form submitted to this department, is recommended as CONSISTENT with the LWRP following policies. Policy 1. Foster a pattern of development in the Town of Southold that enhances community character,preserves open space, makes efficient use of infrastructure, makes beneficial use of a coastal location, and minimizes adverse effects of development. .... .......... .. ....... . 1 � :('agc Policy 10.3 Allow for the continuation and development of water-dependent uses within the existing concentration of maritime activity in harbors, inlets, and creeks. A. Ensure that public actions enable these harbors, inlets and creeks to continue to function as concentrations of water-dependent uses. Silver Eel Cove is an integral component of the Fishers Island transportation system. The Fishers Is Ferry operates a vehicle/passenger ferry on the shoreline's south side. This area abuts the subject parcel. The continuance of requiring a water- dependent use that would not conflict with their operations is paramount. D.Maintain existing ferry services to Fishers Island and to Orient Point. Pursuant to Chapter 268, the Board shall consider this recommendation in preparing its written determination regarding the consistency of the proposed action. Cc: Paul DeChance, Town Attorney i 1 . ................._........................_..... . ... ................ ................ . 211" age OFFICE LOCATION: MAILING ADDRESS: Town Hall Annex rjF S0� P.O. Box 1179 54375 State Route 25 O�� yOl Southold,NY 11971 (cor.Main Rd. &Youngs Ave.) h O Southold, NY � � Telephone: 631 765-1938 www.southoldtownny.gov �ycoum,� PLANNING BOARD OFFICE TOWN OF SOUTHOLD MEMORANDUM z To: AlbertJ.Xrupski, Jr., Town Supervisor Members of the Town Board , -: Denis Noncarrow, Town Clerk J U N f 7 2024 Paul DeChance, Town Attorney From: James H. Rich III, Chairman SOuthold-Town Clerk Members of the Planning Board) Date: May 20, 2024 Re: U. S. Coast Guard Station, Fishers Island Change of Zone Recommendation SCTM# 1000-12-1-4.3 The Planning Board has reviewed the proposed Town Board action to rezone SCTM#1000-12-1- 4.3 on their own motion from General.Business (B)to the Marine I (MI) Zoning District. Attached please find their recommendations. Should you have any questions,please contact the Planning Department at 631-765-1938. Encls. Planning Board Recommendations U. S. Coast Guard Station, Fishers Island Change of Zone Recommendation SCTM# 1000-12-1-4.3 May 20,2024 The Planning Board has reviewed the proposed Town Board action to rezone SCTM#1000-12-1- 4.3 on their own motion from General Business(B)to the Marine I (MI)Zoning District. Parcel Characteristics The .781-acre parcel U. S. Coast Guard Station is located adjacent to and south of Silver Eel Cove on Fishers Island; is waterfront and improved with a building and dockage. The use is a Coast Guard Station. The Suffolk County Land Use code for the parcel is 661 Military Installations. !I Famomm O - --- Tax Map k/00D-012.00-01.00-M.0D3 PARCELID ':000100004003 ADDRESS CITY ZIP CODE ACRE 0781000 CALCULATED LAND USE 661:MILITARY CODE INSTALLATIONS UNITED STATES OF OWNER AMERICA it_9_[4 ... , %OOtr Subject Parcel. Fishers Island, a unique and water-dependent island, relies heavily on water-dependent uses such as marinas, dockage, and ferries, especially for the daily transportation of residents and visitors who rely on Connecticut to provide services and support, and evacuations during storm events and emergencies. Fishers Island School District students depend on waterfront access and transportation to access the school. On the island,parcels strategically located with supporting road networks and navigable deep- water inlets and ports are of significant value to the sustainability of the island. Moreover, waterfront parcels play a crucial role in supporting the island's working economy,providing a base for boating, commercial fishermen, and aquaculture operations. Southold Town Planning Board Page 12 May 20,2024 Zoning The subject parcel is zoned General Business (B). To the southwest, a 5.07-acre parcel (including roads) is zoned Marine II and is owned by the Fishers Island Ferry District, which operates the Fishers Island Ferry,the main form of water-dependent transportation and commerce to and from the island. The 4.66-acre parcel to the south is zoned B and owned by the Town of Southold; the Fishers Island Ferry manages the property and the buildings for storage, housing, and island commerce. It is the assessment of the Planning Board that the potential uses allowed in the B zone are too intense for the .781-acre waterfront parcel. Of the permitted and special exception uses listed,not one is water-dependent. Fishers Island Land Use Committee Recommendation for the Parcel In 2015 the Fishers Island citizens formed a Fishers Island Land Use Committee to work with the Southold Town Planning Staff in assessing, mapping and making recommendations on zoning. The committee evaluated the historic build-out of the island and assessed several parameters that took in account the existing regulatory and advisory land use restrictions. It was evident that historic uses needed to be updated to reflect FEMA and Coastal Erosion Hazard Areas, environmental significance and designations, sea level rise, water quality protection, and economy. Some existing uses and those permitted in the zones were not optimal for existing and future conditions. The recommendation for the Coast Guard Station lot at the time was to change the current B zone to a new zone called Fishers Island Marine Zone (FIM)to include more water-dependent uses centered on transportation, economy, and recreation. The purpose of the zoning district was to recognize the unique situation of the island, support the existing business economy, and create new business and housing opportunities for waterfront areas while preserving the traditional working landscape and critical transportation modes. However,the FIM zone was never adopted in anticipation of a future comprehensive plan. The proposal also considered the MII zone directly to the east. The Southold Comprehensive Plan was adopted in 2020. The Fishers Island Land Use Committee recommendation for the parcel was included in the Plan to further assess the B zone on the parcel: Objective B I Evaluate the General Business zoned "gateway" area west and south of the Ferry Dock on Silver Eel Cove expands on the Town of Southold Hamlet Study (2005), a community-based planning effort where nine community groups known as the Hamlet Stakeholders were formed representing each hamlet. This objective recognizes the community concern that the B zone west of the "Ferry Dock" conflicts with the community objective of retaining the waterfront for working waterfront-dependent use. Southold Town Planning Board Page 13 May 20,2024 The continuance of the B zone on this parcel is inconsistent with the Southold Local Waterfront Revitalization Program. Conversely, retaining water-dependent uses on the parcel is the CONSISTENT with the following policies. 10.3 Allow for continuation and development of water-dependent uses within the existing concentration of maritime activity in harbors, inlets and creeks. A. Ensure that public actions enable these harbors, inlets and creeks to continue to function as concentrations of water-dependent uses. Silver Eel Cove is an integral component of the Fishers Island transportation system. The Fishers Islands Ferry operates a vehicle /passenger ferry on the shoreline's south side. This area abuts the subject parcel. The continuance of requiring a water-dependent use that would not conflict with their operations is paramount. D. Maintain existing ferry services to Fishers Island and to Orient Point.. Zoning District Recommendation The Planning Board,taking into account the work by the Fishers Island Land Use Committee, supports the Town Board changing the parcel zoning from General Business (B)to the Marine I (MI) zone supportive of a working waterfront. The benefits of the MI Zoning District zone change include: 1. Would support the adjacent MII Zoning District to the east,providing a transition of less intense uses towards Fishers Island Sound and Silver Eel Cove, a New York State Critical Environmental Area. 2. Would support the elimination of build-outs that are too intense for the size of the parcel. For example, a convenience store is permitted in the B zone. 3. Would support the Southold Town Local Waterfront Revitalization Program Working Coast Policies. 4. It would focus water-dependent uses on critical waterfront parcels in a protected harbor. The purpose of the zone is: The purpose of the Marine I(MI) District is to provide a waterfront location for a limited range of water-dependent and water-related uses, which are those uses which require or benefit from direct access to or location in marine or tidal waters but which are located within the Town's tidal creeks or natural coves. The Planning Board finds that the change of zone supports and preserves the working waterfront of the parcel. Please contact the Planning Department with any questions.