HomeMy WebLinkAboutSouthold Zoning Update Forum Input Southold & Peconic 2025_5_20Tuesday, May 20, 2025 77 attendees
Topic Feedback from Attendees
Code Enforcement No dumping on empty lots -> enforced!
Community Character No parking on lawns
Community Character When new houses go up, can't cut down all trees
Community Character No outside clutter in front of homes. I.E. using outside for unenclosed storage.
Community Character Beautify end of road access to water
Community Character Designate more roads as ‘scenic byways’
Community Character Need to address height of hedges
Community Character Promote walkable hamlets
Community Character
More street trees in the HMU or CB zones in front of commercial development wherever
appropriate (I.E. Feather Hill)
Community Character Save old trees
Community Character Stop Airbnb! Require more than a month for rental duration
Community Character Retention of open space
Community Character Apartments over shops - allow them
Community Character Preserve smaller hamlets by not increasing size
Community Character Regulate business exteriors to maintain North Fork charm
Community Character Parks and beaches are part of our community character. Also, schools and libraries.
Community Character
Aquaculture processing shouldn’t be in residential neighborhoods – we need co-op location
(central)
Community Character
In hamlet business districts, parking lots should be behind businesses, not in front (like
Feather Hill). Which is both dangerous & ugly. Make it easy for us to walk from business to
business!
Community Character
Save the woods (reduce deer overpopulation that has reduced Southold Town woods to
“Eco Slum” said U.S. Botanist: Rawinsk 2013
Community Character
STOP AIRBNB that is devouring our apartments & houses that should be (and were) year-
round rentals.
Community Character
Zone map lines must follow either parcel boundary lined or closes center road like (No split
zone lots)
Community Character 50% of trees left on lots
Community Character Beautify beach road-ends
Community Character Retention of more open space
Community Character House size - prevent overly large houses, outdoor lighting
Community Character Better enforcement of outdoor lighting to prevent light pollution
Community Character Stop hotels and chain stores & Large buildings
Economic Development More year-round business
Economic Development
Year-round occupancy of homes promotes year-round business and increase class sizes at
schools experiencing lower enrollment like Southold
Economic Development Beter management of tourism – Traffic, control Airbnb
Economic Development Incentivize full time residency with reduced taxes for year-round residents
Economic Development
Residential Developments – require year-round residency (which supports year-round
business)
Economic Development
Economic Development office to help facilitate new business openings & Existing business
relocation &/or expansion
Economic Development Building department cooperation & training on zoning
Economic Development
More commercial development on RTE 48 – less in center of Hamlet- reroute busses and
add bus stops on 48 - to make traffic in hamlet center better
Southold Town Zoning Update Forum - Southold & Peconic Hamlet Focus
Economic Development Limit farm housing use – don’t'a llow it to be used for short term vacation rentals
Economic Development No out of proportion hotel development
Economic Development Tax strategies – higher rates for any proposals that would be considered overdevelopment
Economic Development Keep business centralized in hamlet/bus area to maintain open space & vistas
Economic Development Transitional zone expanded along HMU Business zones (creating buffer zones & expanding)
Economic Development Intensive business use should have transitional zone before/between residential zone
Economic Development Flexibilities for multiple uses and buildings is helpful
Economic Development Strengthen tourism & marine support
Economic Development Sewers
Economic Development
Add a fee for destruction of existing home to construct new one for part time residents - fee
can go to community housing fund
Economic Development Host “buy local/shop local” days in each hamlet (less shopping on Amazon)
Economic Development
Viability of business in Modern Agriculture & Reasonable Tourism so local business can
survive
Economic Development Limits on hotels
Farms
Existing Comprehensive Plan does not correctly address Southold as a tourist & agritainment
Destination
Farms Processing should be included as means of production within the Town Code
Farms Acreage/Lot size re-evaluated (10-acre requirement current code)
Farms Housing provision/limitations
Farms Specific provisions for marijuana “processing”
Farms Focus of aquaculture
Farms Worker housing limits agritourism support
Farms How can zoning lessen dangerous traffic due to partying business on farms
Farms
Need more flexible housing options, such as: Dormitory housing, Modular, Barn
conversions/adaptive reuse, Seasonal/year-round employees
Farms SCDHS/Waste water management limitations (get them to partner with objectives)
Farms Buy local wine & produce
Farms Maintain farms
Farms Must have housing for employees
Farms Retain farm stands roadside
Farms Too many limitations for wineries
Farms Let farms be creative with interesting events & activities
Farms
Do not let ‘farm stands’ sell more than 25% of things not from the farm! They import from
southern states!
Farms In addition, for farm worker housing, allow farmers to build Accessory Dwelling Units
Farms Agritainment: good or bad? Is this sufficiently addressed in code?
Farms Food sales on vineyard/Farms?
Housing Only rent to people working in jobs needed by the community (teachers, nurses, etc.)
Housing Approach to ADUs is good
Housing Code enforcement is lacking currently
Housing Topic is critical!
Housing
Community Housing Overlay cannot be fully realized without sewer districts outside of
Greenport.
Housing It’s too difficult to bring AHD projects to completion at present.
Housing Allow 2 story ADUs
Housing Tear-downs for larger houses require deposit in community housing fund
Housing Allow existing large homes to become multi-family
Housing Mid-income market rentals
Housing Larger multi-family buildings
Housing Seasonal homeowners should be eligible for ADU’s
Housing Tax incentives for homeowner who builds ADU; esp. septic system or grants
Housing ADU rental income needs to cover the cost of creating the ADU
Housing Agree that homeowners who are not full-time residents should be able to build ADUs
Housing
Since a lot of work in Southold is seasonal, does occupancy of ADUs & Affordable housing
have to be for 3 years?
Housing ADU’s need full time/year-round owners
Housing With increase of transitional zones, more affordable housing has potential
Housing Legalize apartments that are currently considered illegal
Housing The new accessory buildings & Apartments don’t appear to have changed much particularly
Housing Affordable Housing Overlay District makes it difficult to bring proposals to fruiton
Housing
Who will benefit from the affordable housing? Needs to be people employed long term in
job needed by the community.
Natural Resources Enforcement & penalties needs to accompany codes
Natural Resources
What’s the ideal population size for our limited natural resources? (Comprehensive Plan
address this?)
Natural Resources Conservation supports natural occurring eco-systems
Natural Resources Protect overlay for naturally occurring forests/eco-systems
Natural Resources Consider woods clearing restrictions to promote water catchment
Natural Resources Preserve native forest for clean drinking water
Natural Resources
% of lots should be required to remain undisturbed (Limit lawns and their irrigation &
fertilization
Natural Resources Groundwater recharge zones (overlay) surrounding public supply wells
Natural Resources
Provide education for homeowners and businesses on proper septic techniques (I/Aowts) &
discharge of chemicals (NOGO) to septic
Natural Resources Requirements for pump out of septic tanks – worker RV’s on farms
Natural Resources Active management of wetlands to protect resource and residential character
Natural Resources Is it possible to limit water use by individual parcel owners?
Natural Resources NO use of lawn irrigation (EVER) – wait for rain!
Natural Resources No use of fertilizer (except organic) – Round-up causes cancer
Natural Resources
Reduce Deer population by implementing commercial culling to prevent destruction of
understory with causes more runoff & to reduce tickborne diseases
Natural Resources Relax fence regulations for the owner
Natural Resources No clearcutting; trees should be cut down for building footprint only
Natural Resources Provide funding to homeowners near water with old septic & modernize septic’s
Natural Resources There are limits to population growth because of our limited drinking water supply.
Natural Resources
Aquifer overlay district should require retention of naturally occurring trees to the maximum
extent possible. New plantings should be of native species.
Natural Resources
Southold groundwater protection area between Rte. 48 and Soundview Ave. needs
particular protection for native forest, vernal pools, unused geologic features and
connections via vegetation to maritime freshwater (unreadable) to the north.
Natural Resources Groundwater, drinking water and pollution from septic, marina uses, hotels
Natural Resources Land preservation ongoing - continue to preserve land
Natural Resources
Southold Town is NOT protecting nor maintaining land/woods that the Town owns. The
woods have become “Eco Slums” due to too many deer destroying understory & eating
young trees.
General Feedback Southold Main Road is getting too developed, want it pushed up to Route 48
General Feedback
Support beyond local community to subsidize more advanced septic systems to protect
groundwater
General Feedback Possible apartments above stores at Feather Hill
General Feedback How will the Town enforce all these new zoning laws?