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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHeritage at Cutchogue 800 Crown Land Lane Cutchogue, NY 11935 May 18, 2007 RECEIVr;D Elizabeth Neville Southold Town Clerk 53095 Main Road MAY 2 3 2007 Southold, NY 11971 SoutF~old Toren Clerk Deaz Ms. Neville: Enclosed, please find a copy of a letter that I sent to all members of the Town Board. Would you please include it in the Heritage Condo file? Thank you. Sincerely, 1 L~L1.~+-`- Barbara McAdam I think we all agree that the North Fork is a unique place to live, and Cutchogue is one of the jewels in its crown of appeal. Have we learned no lessons from the rest of Long Island about the urgency of preserving what little rural chazacter we have left here? We are a tourist destination and we are tiny. We all know that our population doubles during the summer, particulazly on weekends. Just try to drive anywhere near Main Road. Making a left turn onto Main Road is neazly impossible: the shoppers at the many local farm stands and wineries, travelers to Greenport as a destination, or a fair or festival on Cutchogue's Village Green make most roads impassable. So now the Town of Southold wants to exacerbate the problem by adding 139 units of condominiums smack in the center of Cutchogue! If we consider two cazs per unit along with the vehicles that will be driven by staff to maintain the complex, an additional 300 cars will become part of the already existent gridlock on a daily basis. One "brainstorm" to funnel traffic away from Cutchogue's hamlet center at Main Road is to cut two access points from Bridle Court and Spur Road onto Highland Road, thus dumping a constant caravan of vehicles into an established residential area of 60 homes. This might seem wise from a planner's perspective on paper; for already existing neighborhoods this will be catastrophic. Let's look at the human factor. Fifty children of all ages live and play here. Imagine how that will change: a steady flow of cars, trucks, motorcycles and their occupants whizzing by all day long where once only residents of this neighborhood drove. Let's face it -everyone driving through this part of Cutchogue will be using the new "shortcut" that will take them all the way to Depot Lane heading eastwazd and onto Main Road at Crown Land Lane heading west. Residents of Griffing Street, Depot Lane and Schoolhouse Lane will also be directly impacted. And since shortcuts aze meant to save time, how fast will these cars be going? Also consider the construction phase of this project: the years of heavy construction vehicles plodding down our streets in a steady stream of noise and air pollution. Health and safety spell quality of life! By itself, the traffic issue is a cleaz signal that this type of development is all wrong, not only for Cutchogue, but for the whole azea we so cherish. None of us moved here in the hope that we would become another Miracle Mile, Sunrise or Nesconset Highway, Route 109 or Route 58 -all shining examples of suburban blight that results from lack of vision and a Master Plan. Let's not become like the good people of Orient -embroiled in a series of lawsuits and controversy because no one was planning over a decade ago for the ferry traffic fiascq. qu<Nprth Folic neighbors can j{?spuc« qs Well; lei's qse ouf heads as planners and good steyvards of the laud. Deject this condo project. Don't let Cutchogue suffer for Southold's lack of a Master Plan. ' Monday, May 14, 2007 RECEIVeD TO: PLANNING BOARD MAY 2 3 2007 MEMBERS Jeri Woodhouse George Solomon Southold Tcv~n Clerk Joseph L. Townsend Kenneth L. Edwards Martin H. Sidor COPY: TOWN BOARD MEMBERS Scott Russsell Louisa P. Evans William P. Edwards Thomns H. Wickham Daniel C. Ross Albert J. Krupski, Jr. COPY: TOWN CLERK Elizabeth A. Neville FROM; Julia H. Rapunno Monday, May 14, 2007 TO: PLANNING BOARD MEMBERS Jeri Woodhouse George Solomon Joseph L. Townsend Kenneth L. Edwards Martin H. Sidor FROM: Julie Rapuano 1140 Crown Lnnd Lane Cutchogue SUBJECT: THE HERITAGE -HAMLET OF CUTCHOGUE WHAT'S GOOD? NOTHINGI Are the PROPOSED condo's moving forward or does it just nppear that way. It's so upsetting to see the destruction of land that is full of what? We are talking about 47 acres! Has anyone with knowledge like a botanist nctually been in the field of trees (comment by Mr. Trezza, Suffolk Times, April 19r" 2007) to do a report, to the powers that be, of our numerous concerns beside traffic! I am sure the neighborhood of Crown Land and Highland would rather look at trees, wildlife and even weeds than homes on quarter acre zoning. And this same neighborhood does not want Spur Road and Bridle Court opened at all! Emergency or otherwise. Mrs. Barbara McAdam brought this issue to the table via Letter to the Editor, Suffolk Times, January 18, 2007. The in-depth explanation of impact on our town is clear and detailed and should be read by all. WATER -The residents of Crown Land Lane, Highland Road and Bridle Court addressed the water issue and outlined the horrible impact in n letter to Scott Russell in March 2007. Mrs. Lisa Tettelbach reported about the severity of the problem a second time in her letter to the Editor and published in the Suffolk Times April 26, 2007. This also should be read by all. DENSITY - A comment was made at n private meeting -here it is: This will be an over 55 community. Most of the people that will live here will winter some place else. Now, this is not a quote but the context is accurate. I nm still laughing because who cares about winter? It is summer that's the problem. Further, the winter furlough is maybe 3 - 4 months. So here is the scenario: our children are home from school, our local weekenders are living full swing, and there is not a rental to be had. We-now have more homes filled with residents (if they get sold - please look at the current market) that will cause the traffic to quadruple, further pollute our beaches, clog the sewers, add to our water quality issues and what about the additional chemicals and pesticides for lawn maintenance. Try to exit Crown Land Lane now! When there is a festival or fair forget about leaving home. There are times now when I cannot get to Riverhead is less than an hour. Heaven forbid we need to access a hospital -better call 911. Money is not everything - to us anyway. It is more important to maintain a quality of life that is fading. Our children, our seniors, our pets, wildlife, and vegetation - nll contribute to our life on this planet. If we destroy the little we have left we will eventually destroy ourselves. Supervisor Scatt Russell / Southold Town F ~ENED P_O.Box 11795outhold NY 11971 ~ 82007 Subject: Heritage Condominiums at Cutchogue Dear Supervisor Russell 5~;, j0?+'fl Clerfi The purpose ofthis feller is to express my serious reservatians about the planned development of 139 condominiums in Cutchogue. My main concerns, in order of priority are traffic, density and water. 1 am also mindful of N{MBY {not in my back yard3 and LhP deleterious effect of that concept as our community grows and dcvelaps. L live at 1865 t{ighiand Road, which is at the intersection of Spur and f{ighiand Roads. 1 am a Senior citizen and 1 brought my existing home after carefully considering many alternatives. 1 was at#racted to Cutchowe and the village feel of the community. t was especially attracted to Highland Road. I am a refired school teacher and I love small children and quiet streets. This would be a great home for me and my little dog Oscar. Highland Road was the answer to me. And it has been. t have watched small children grow and develop. Homeowners improve and beautify the neighborhood. LVe are a loving, helping safe and contained neighborhood. The proposed development has the potential to change a great deal. My single greatest concern is TRAFFIC. As 1 understand the propasal, it would extend Spur Road and accordingly make Spur a convenient by-pass for existing Main Road traffic. The quiet privacy I now enjoy will be lost as week-end visitors try to by-pass Main Road congestion. Neighbor hood children and adult walkers now safely play, exercise and traverse our quiet streets. They will be at much greater risk of traffic injury. 1 can reasonably predict that many of the residents of the proposed development will use this by-pass as they go about their daily activities. Over time others who live in the area will become aware of the ease whereby they can by-pass the light on the Main Road and the traffic will correspondingly increase. A second concern is density. Cutchogue is a Village. We are a community of single family homes. Condos change that. There are alternatives that will maintain the Village feel and perhaps still accommodate affordable housing. I just know, 1 did not come to Cutchogue to live in an urban environment. A final concern is water. My home is on well water. 1 have no knowledge of aquifers, deep or shallow, but 1 do believe it is incumbent upon the town to assure me that 1 will not have to incur additional forever cost just because of a planned development that could adversely affect me and my neighbors. So in summary, 1 am opposed to the Heritage Condominium at Cutchogue Project. If i1 must go forward, there must be significant mitigation measures to assure existing Highland Road, Crown Land Lane, and Bridle Cour[ Residents that our legitimate concerns are addressed. Planning and tragic studies can insure that we experience no increase in traffic. Hydrology studies can assure us that our wells will not be adversely impacted. And careful residential design can assure us that we will maintain a Village charm that identifies our community. I welcome your comments and request your reasoned and careful analysis and response my letter. This planned development, as now presented, will seriously impact my life. Does it have equal impact upon yours and each and every other member of the Town Board? Respectfully and Sincerely Your Elisa R Barker1865 Highland Road Cutchogue, NY 11935 cc: Each Town Board Member and Town Clerk RECEIVED T6,-c'w- SEP 4 2W7 September 4, 2007 Southold Town Clerk To the Southold Town Planning Board: Hello. Please add my voice to the record on the proposal for the development referred to as "Heritage at Cutchogue". Twenty four yeazs ago essentially this same proposal was rammed through the back doors of Southold Town government. All the impacts of Heritage at Cutchogue are no different than the impacts of the development proposed on the same site well over twenty years ago referred to as "Seacroft". Oversized impacts, with negative effects on everything, traffic, water supply, cesspools, character and azchitectural integrity of a village that has stood for 300 years. The original development public hearing for the change of zone was done in the middle of winter on Februazy 1"' 1983. Despite that the planning board recommended denial of the zone change "Seacroft" got a zone change from the Good `Ole Boys on the Southold Town Boazd on July 19"', 1983. The Suffolk Times reported that the developer said everyone was in favor of the project. Everyone I knew strongly opposed it. After getting over 900 signatures on a Petition, I handed it in to the Town Boazd. They refused to let me speak and would not accept the Petition. When this was reported in the Suffolk Times, I was overwhelmed by support, including legal assistance by environmental lawyer Robert D. Pike and encouragement from many local residents. In 1984 Southold Town Planning Boazd required an Environmental Impact Statement. The developers stalled, and the Plamung Board denied their site plan application. The developers sued Southold Town in the Supreme Court and lost. Our current Town Supervisor, Scott Russell, quoted in The Suffolk Times Feb. 5°i, 2007, said rezoning and other Town Board actions could be considered if the developers don't meet the needs of the town and no significant investment is made on the property. Undoing the spot zoning applied to this property is simply common sense. Please include rezoning in the final scope. The proposed "Heritage at Cutchogue" is bigger than the hamlet of Cutchogue. It will change the historic character of our town. There is already a traffic problem in the village. The landfill is in Cutchogue, it brings traffic from all over Town. King Kullen always has a traffic jam. All the wineries in Cutchogue bring in traffic. What about the sewage from such an oversize development. Wbat impacts will that have on our town? Grcenport's sewage treatment plant is already coaxed out. Is the development going to have a Cromaglass system? Lighting with such a lazge project would obliterate arty views of our Town's night sky. This development's is considerably larger than an average adult retirement community. Developers like to use the promise of an adult retiremer community to get a tax break, but will the impacts of this development be less, will their tax break raise taxes for regulaz taxpayers? A 5,000 squaze foot clubhouse in a gated community will not be accessible to the townspeople of Cutchogue, yet the residents of this development will use all the amenities in the neighborhood. They will use our roads but not allow us to use theirs, It's not fair and should not be legal. How will water quality be protected? This project will be over the most shallow aquifer on the North Fork. The Suffolk County Water Authority (SCWA) commented on December 12°i, 2006, "Southold Town's drinking water supply is limited." This is a big red flag for Southold. Who will monitor the water in this development? The SCWA strongly urges that the town of Southold impose conditions on this project permitting the irrigation of only 15% of the area of any single lot. Who will enforce, and who will pay for enforcement of such "conditions". Also SCWA suggests adopting methods to reduce the potential of degraded water from recharging to the aquifer. Do you really expect me to believe that "luxury, high-priced" condos will care about protecting the aquifer. When the water runs out they just move to another "luxury, high-priced" place to live or go to their second homes. Traffic signals are not the answer. There is not enough room to fit all the cars between the traffic signals. Will our Volunteer Fire Department be able to handle the volume of emergency calls from a "senior communit}~'. The calls to Greenport Volunteer Fire Department never stop from "Peconic Landing". Who will be the volunteers for the Fue Department when Cutchogue is a town of all senior citizens? Not that I'm prejudiced, as I too am a senior citizen. The whole project is not what Cutchogue needs or wants. A new 47 acre private neighborhood should not be built in the heart of Cutchogue. The proposed uniform architectural style with little village-type insignias on lamposts presuming to honor our village will in reality be contemptuous and disastrous for the authentic country ambiance Cutchogue presently enjoys. The ordinary residents of Southold need our Planning Board to step forward to represent us and plan for us, rather than the real estate interests. How is it that developers with ink, paper, and a little cash overnight can completely change the character, nature, and architectural integrity of a village that has stood for 300 years? Please, say no to this development. Sincerely, 1~, k~ Nancy Sawastynowicz 1845 Fleetwood Road Cutchogue, NY 11935 (631)734-5093 CC: Southold Town Board ~ January 25,2008 Bryan C. Knipfing 64 Bums RoadIP.O. Box 3015 Shelter Island Heights, NY 11965 Scott A. Russell, Supervisor Southold Town Board ,P.O. Box 1179 Southold, NY 11971 To Supervisor Russell: I am writing to express my deep concern for and opposition to the 139 condominiums, the "Heritage at Cutchogue," planned to be developed within the Town of Southold. I believe that the Town of Southold is one of the final locations on Long Island where the beauty and quality of life of rural living has been maintained. I believe that Cutchogue, in particular, has been saved from overdevelopment, commercialization, and land corruption that has become so widespread in surrounding areas. As town supervisor you have the ability to ensure that open-space, environmental protection, and a rural atmosphere is continued for future generations within the Town ofSoutbold. We have come to a point where preserved, undeveloped land is becoming obsolete on Long Island, and so I hope that you take this opportunity to save and protect one of the [mal parcels of open land to be enjoyed for our children and grandchildren. In my estimation, the "Heritage at Cutchogue" is in fact a contradiction. Because once that land is built upon and 139 condominiums sit where acres of open space once existed, our heritage, our tradition of farming and rural living will forever be lost. Please take into consideration these thoughts and all of the thoughts expressing concern over the threat to the quality oflife posed by this developmental endeavor. Please keep Southold rural! Thank you for your time. Sincerely, ~ r54f-7 Bryan C. Knipfing [i5)[~~~U~ If\l JAN 2 8 2008 lW SUPERVISOR'S OffiCE TOWN Of SOUTHOlO TB TA Mr. Scott A. Russell, Town Supervisor 10 June 2008 Town of Southold RECEIY'ED 53095 Route 25 P.O. Box 1179 Southold, New York 11971 JUN 1 1 2608 Dear Mr. Russell Southold Town Llerk I am writing, as a resident of Cutchogue and as a professional biologist, to express my grave concerns over the proposed `Heritage at Cutchogue' project. While 1 have not yet seen the revised DEIS that the developers recently submitted to the Town of Southold, I would like to comment on the first DEIS, the plans for the Heritage project, and the serious impacts this project would have on Cutchogue and the entire North Fork if it is approved. In general, the DEIS minimizes or trivializes the potential impact of the proposed development on the Hamlet of Cutchogue and its residents. Let's be clear - this is a huge project, the largest of its kind on all of the North Fork. The proposed units aze large-very large (many > 3000 sq. fi) and, at the planned density of 3 per acre, this development will be totally out of chazacter with the rest of Southold. Unless the proposed landscaping is >30 ft high, it will stick out like a proverbial sore thumb. The Heritage ll1;1S states over and over that the proposed development will not have any real impacts on the people and the character of Cutchogue. I can't believe that anyone would agree with this statement - I don't, and neither do the > 1100 local residents who have signed the petition to stop the development from proceeding. While it is customary for a developer to hire an environmental consulting firm to prepare DEIS and EIS reports, the truth is that these contracted agencies aze hired to help the developer gain approval of the proposed development -therefore the potential impacts are often understated and the alternatives to the development being given full, unwnditional approval are not very creative. The Town of Southold has taken the appropriate step by hiring an independent consulting group to review the DEIS. This independent group rejected the fast llE1S quickly, noting the generally poor quality of the document. l urge you and other members of the Town Boazd and the Planning Boazd to take the next step and require that the data gathered for the DEIS (e.g. traffic studies, analyses of vegetation and wildlife species present on the property) be conducted by independent organization(s) that have expertise in these respective areas. For example, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) should be contacted and designated as the agency to do a thorough assessment and analysis of the flora and fauna of the property to determine what is there and the ecological significance of the existing species. Another agency should be designated to do the traffic studies in Cutchogue as the one prepazed for the first DEIS, which was based on a few rainy days in October, was undeniably flawed. The December 2007 ll1;1S is filled with outrageous statements that are blatantly incorrect, contradictory to those made elsewhere in the same document, and/or misleading. For example: "there will be minimal removal of vegetation from the site, as only a small amount of vegetation exists at the site (pg. 51). 'there are 2 problems with this statement: (1) the property is covered with vegetation: "the successional old field now rapidly transitioning to successional shrubland" (pg. 21) and (2) all of the "existing successional vegetation will be removed and replaced with the planned development" (pg. 9). Other absurd statements include: "the waters below the 't'own of Southold contain only saltwater" (pg. 16) (and I thought I was drinking freshwater from my well all these yeazs) and "there will be no impacts to the groundwater from this project" (pg. 20). The proposed mitigation plan for groundwater rechazge (pg. 20) suggests that the development will be better for groundwater than if the site was left alone because rechazge to goundwater will occur faster due to all the vegetation being removed. The DEIS also contends that the topsoil of the property should be completely removed to protect the residents of Cutchogue from high levels of pesticides and heavy metals: "This cleanup will protect the neighbors from continued exposure of these chemicals in the drinking water and in the soils azound the site" (pg. 45). In fact, the opposite is probably true -that by disturbing soils during construction there exists a greater likelihood of local residents being exposed to soil contaminants when they are introduced into the air. Furthermore, the standard way of "disposing" of soils with the noted levels of contaminants is to blend them with subsurface soils and to leave them on site, not remove them. Thus, the proposed "mitigation" measures would do nothing to reduce the eventual movement of contaminants into the groundwater. An additional concern is the purported presence of a former gas station at the SE corner of the property proposed for the Heritage development, i.e. next to the current trailer park. This area does not appear to have been adequately sampled and thus may not have even been included in the DEIS. The potential presence of toxins in the soil that may be associated with this former gas station, and their potential for dispersal, also need to be assessed by a qualified, independent agency such as the DEC. As a professional biologist, I take issue with the way in which the vegetation and wildlife on the site were assessed and the conclusions which were drawn in the December 2007 DEIS. This land is portrayed as dangerous to the local area because it is a "regional invasive seed bank" (pg. 3) and has other non-native species. This train of thought is very misleading. Undoubtedly there are many desirable native species on the property and very likely these faz outnumber the non-natives in terms of biomass and diversity. Native wildflower species were very likely underestimated in the DEIS survey because they don't flower in October, the only time at which surveys were conducted for the DEIS. The methods of assessment are not described in any detail. How are we to trust the conclusion that there are no Federal or State-listed 'Threatened, Endangered, or Special Concern species on the property? Replacement of existing vegetation with landscaping and non-native ornamentals is not desirable from an ecological standpoint. 1'he statement that "it is expected that alt existing species will remain and continue to use the landscaped portions of the site" is patently absurd. When you destroy an organism's habitat the animals either leave and/or die. A 10 ft wide buffer is not equivalent habitat to a 47 acre tract of fields and woods. Some species have very specific habitat requirements (food, shelter, etc.) and so would not be expected to return to ahigh-density housing development, even ifthey survived the destruction of their ecosystem. The statement that after high density development the site's biodiversity will remain at an equivalent or higher level than under existing conditions is completely unfounded. Natural ecosystems take time to develop. This is exemplified by the much greater ewlogical value and high biodiversity of old-growth forests versus rows of trees planted for timber production. Removal of all natural vegetation and replacement with "landscaping" does not mean that the area will serve the same ecological function to native animal and plant species. It is more likely that the opposite will occur. Only those species which are highly tolerant of humans can be expected to thrive there; some of these, incidentally, are introduced species such as house sparrows and starlings. The argument that the ponds on site will amact wildlife is somewhat defensible but often these types of ponds are heavily treated with algicides and other chemicals to reduce growth of `nuisance' algae -thus, they aze not likely to teem with a "plethora" of life or "myriad wildlife species". This is a beautiful piece of land in its present state, it is not dangerous or undesirable; it will not be improved by a massive housing development. It currently is a functioning ecosystem that supports native wildflowers and ferns, cedars and aspen trees, rabbits, deer and fox, and owls, bobwhites, merlin and hawks. This is a piece of property that seriously deserves consideration for saving so that al( residents of Cutchogue and the North Fork can enjoy its natural beauty. The calculations of projected water usage, sewage flow, and nitrogen loading from the project are suspect because of the implicit assumption that only seniors (55+ yrs) will be living in the development. It is never unequivocally stated in the llE1S that families interested in living there would be turned away if they have children or if there are more than 2 occupants per unit. The fact that nearly '/z of the proposed units are 3-bedroom houses (many of which are >3000 sq. ft, with full basements) suggests that the stated maximum number of people for most units (2) may well be exceeded. If in fact more than the minimum number of projected occupants should live in the 139 unit development this would have several important impacts above and beyond those that have already been raised. First, if more people than the projected number of occupants live in the development, the amount of wastewater generated will be higher than is currently projected. Since the projected amount of generated wastewater is barely under the minimum at which an on-site sewage treatment facility would be necessitated, even a slight increase in the number of projected occupams may require that a sewage treatment facility be built on site. This would degrade the quality of life in downtown Cutchogue for obvious reasons. if school age children live within the proposed `Heritage at Cutchogue', then they would add to the student population while their parents are paying reduced taxes because the units are designated as "condominiums". This would be completely unfair to those of us who pay full taxes and would further add to a heavy tax burden for current, local residents. I don't believe for 1 second that the proposed Heritage development will have minimal or no impact on the quality of life in Cutchogue and the Town of Southold, as is stated continually in the DEIS - it will have an enormous impact. If the proposed development opens onto Spur and Bridle Roads, as is currently planned, this will put the 50 children who live in the Highland Road/Crown Land Lane neighborhood at risk. It doesn't take too much imagination to realize that these access roads will become thoroughfares to bypass traffic in downtown Cutchogue. There is no doubt that this will threaten the health and safety of our children. This can not be permitted. 1 implore you to "Save What's Left". Approval of the mega-development that would be the `Heritage at Cutchogue' will forever change the landscape and the quality of life in Cutchogue and all of the North Fork. Please uphold the wishes of the majority of the residents of the Town of Southold - who are against this development. Please require an independent, professional assessment of the existing flora and fauna on the property, at all seasons of the year, and require that swell-designed and thorough assessment of existing traffic and realistic impacts to local neighborhoods be done at multiple time points throughout a full year. Please work towards the goal of having the Town of Southold purchase this land, all of it, so that it will be spared from development and available for all to use and enjoy. Sincerely yours, Stephen T. Tettelbach, Ph.D. 1530 Crown Land Lane Cutchogue, NY 11935 and Professor of Biology C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University Brookville, NY ] 1548 cc: Elizabeth A. Neville, Town Clerk