HomeMy WebLinkAboutSoutholdIaV~TO L. Pa~o~, ,Ja.
ATTORNEY AT LAW
JAN 2 7 984
January 26, 1984
Southold Town Board
Town Hall
Main Road
Southold, New York 11971
Gentlemen:
The undersigned represents the principals of The
Silver Sands Motel, owners of property at Arshamomaque,
New York, bounded on the North by the Land Island Railroad,
on the East by land of Nelson, on the West by Silvermere
Road, and on the South by Peconic Bay, consisting of 17%
acres.
I enclose herewith copy of Legal Notice (Amendment
No. 69 to Zoning Ordinance) published July 9, 1965 changing
above premises from A-Residential to B-2 Business District.
These premises were subsequently changed to M-1 General
Multiple-Residence District, which is the present designation.
This letter is occasioned by the proposed "Master
Plan" and accompanying map as set out in the January 26,
1984 edition of the Suffolk Times. I understand the actual
map is not available.
This letter is in protest to these premises being
changed to "Open Space (Includes Wetlands & Beaches)" as
indicated on map at Page 5B of said newspaper. While the
uses permitted in said "Open Space District" are not enumerated,
it must be assumed it does not include condominiums nor
motels, as is permitted in present designation of M-1.
Applicant operates a well-known motel on land adjoining
this on the West and which is indicated on new map as "Resort
Commercial". The subject premises were purchased many
years ago as the site of a natural expansion of the present
resort motel.
The subject premises on the new map is bounded
on the North by the Long Island Railroad property, which
is designated LIGHT INDUSTRY/OFFICE, on the West by above'
Resort Commercial and Medium Density Residential, on the
East by Hamlet Density Residential.
IR¥1NG L. PRICE, JR.
Southold Town Board
-2- January 26, 1984
This amounts to poor planning, considering the
neighboring designations, and also is ,'spot zoning" in
that it picks out a parcel of land presently M~i and makes
it "Open Space" surrounded by lower uses including LIGHT
INDUSTRY/OFFICE.
Where people have purchased premises in reliance
on present zoning, intending to use it in conjunction with
their present adjoining legal business, to have' it changed
to "Open Space", (whatever that means) amounts to confiscation
without due process. It is unconscionable.
Please make this letter part of the record and
consider it an application to have' the so-called Master
Plan Map changed to include subject premises in the district
which allows the same use as the present M'i.
Thanking you in advance for your courtesy, I remain,
Very tru. iy yours,
ILP/dg
Eno.
cc: Mrs. Florence Jurzenia
FEB I 9
'~o~ ~,t~,~ ~ou~,rSTATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AT STONY BROOK
LONG ISLAND, NY 11794
516-246-7710
la eebruary 8,6
Southold To~'~ Board
Town Hall
Southold, NY 11971
(NOT in any sense an official letter or representative of an MSRC position)
Dear Board I~embers:
Last night I attended the 51aster Plan hearing in Southold and was again
impressed, as I was at the Orient meeting, by the very high proportion
of public comments %¢hich were based on individual self-interest, pure
and simple. I suppase you in government get used to that, maybe expect
it. I was a little disillusioned. I think your Board deserves a lot of
credit for your patience and persistence in working so hard and long on
a ~.~ster ~lan in the face of that kind of a public attitude. I do think
that mere publicity~ more effort to sell the Plan, might have helped,
but concede it might h~ve worked the other way, too,
Probably needless to say, I support the Plan, what I know of it, mainly
because it will somewhat restrain the self-interest of people like those
who spoke last night. I don't question their right to ask for special
treatment or even~ in special cases, to get it. I do, however, hope the
Board will stick to its original oboectives, as I see them, of tryin9 to
preserve open space, good water and unpolluted shores even for the
people, which I still think are the overwhelmin9 majority in the Town~
who can't be bothered to show up at hearings and support you.
~y own special interest, as might be expected, is in the To~.~'s marine
waters and their preservation in present condition. I think the Plan
may be weak on this point. Commercial development of the Sound shore
is probably acceptabie because of its good flushing characteristics.
Commercial development or dense housing development along the creeks
and bays is'very different, something I think professional planners
may fail to recognize. These areas are not, in general, actively flushed
and also they support shellfish populations (which the Sound shore
mostly does not). Loss of those shellfish, through habitat damage or
bacterial pollution, is a very serious danger, one which I don't think
the Plan has adequately recognized. Obviously the Board can only hope
to compromise on this issue since so many polluting activities are
ready in place. I would like to see you do this by selecting a fe~
bays and creeks to be actively protected, ~ sot% of marine park area
where there will be clean water and healthy shellfish that the public
can still use (including, where appropriate, the baymen). I think pres-
ervation of these bays and creeks is just as important as preservation
of parks and open space on land. They have limited protection under
New York Iidat !fetland Law, of course, but this often fails to pro-
tect from surface runoff and sewage intrusion, as many studies have
sho~. The To~%~, through zoning, can plug at least some of that gap.
This concept applies especially strongly To Orient. Hallock's Bay is
probably The most productive and, so far, least polluted in £ouThold
Tov.~. IT should be kept That way. Fortunately for this purpose, all
~aTer supply studies that I am acquainted with agree on The need to
hold down population increase in Orient. The proposal for 5-~cre
zoning south of Route 25 serves both purposes, not to mention mini-
mizin0 the danoer from hurricane flooding (which mill get worse as
sea level continues To rise). I hope the Board will keep 5-acre
aoning in That are~, even in The face of strong self-serving sTmTe-
menTs by The large landou~ers. They are not, as sometimes claimed,
experts on ~.aTer supply and ihey do not seem to understand That
%viThdrawal in The center of The lens can cause salt intrusion at the
marine edoe. I have lived, and farmed, in Orient as long as most
of Them but That does not make me a water supl)ly expert any more
Than it does Them. I can, I Think, claim some e~perTise on marine
ecology and on That basis ask you To proTec~ Hallock's.
Sincerely,
Orville Terry
;%ssoc. Resemrch Professor
FEB 1. 8 1986
P.O. Box 1621
Southold, N.Y. 11971
February 14, 1986
Mr. Frank J. Murphy, Southold Town Supervisor
Southold Tow~ Board of Councilmen
Town Hall
Southold, N.Y. 11971
Gentlemen:
This letter follows up my protest of the Master Plan presented
verbally at last night's meeting, relative to:
1. The extension of business zoning south of the present Village
Market property line, changing the Foning of my driveway property
from residential to business. Since the Edson property is ~oned
for Hamlet Business and includes a right of way over my driveway,
the business zoning extension change would leave my driveway
property open to virtually public use.
Except for Edson, the four business properties between Youn~s
Avenue and Maple Lane (namely the Village Market, Edson, the
North Fork Bank and Bruer law office) all have a common depth
from the Main Rd. which has been established for many years.
My residential driveway is not suitable for commercial traffic.
Commercial traffic would also compromise the steel fence and
many shrubs and trees that my father and I have put in through
the years along the Village Market boundary.
I wish to keep my property entirely a residential prooerty.
The right of way is wholly unnecessary to the Edson proper~y,
which fronts on Main Street, and I consider the zoning change
amd southwarA extension of the business zone an unnecessary
harassment, and trust it will be deleted from the Master Plan.
2. I also protest the Master Plan introducing the motel business
into boatyards in general, and to Goldsmith's Town Creek Boatyard
in particular. The bostyard business and the motel business
require entirely different equipment and skills, and we should
not encourage their being combined. The motels will also
aggravate the seashore pollution, end compromise the importance
of boatyard services. There is presently a scarcity of boatyards
and little prospect of new yards being sst up.
Sincerely,
Almet R. Latson
~civ,,crd D.
Peeon~ Loz~e
Peeor,~, Hew York 11958
FEB £3 1984
~eb 17,198~
Henry Raynor, Jr., Chairman
$outhold Tow~ Planning Board
Town Hall
Main Rd.
Southold, N.Y. 11971 Re:
proposed Master Plan
Dear Mr. Haynor,
I am a small business owner iN Southold who
currently rents the location from which I conduct
my business. Recently I acquired an undeveloped
parcel of B-1 zoned land on the north side of
Route 48 between Railroad Ave. and Horton's La.
for the pvrpo~es of the future expansion of
my business activities. On the proposed Master
Plan my property is designated for Agricultural
Preserve.
Please be informed that I strongly object to
the designation of Agricultural Preserve for my
property. It is my wish that future updates of the
Master Plan designate this property for business
use as it is currently zoned.
S iz)cer~4y. ~
~Edward ~art
Mr. Henry Raynor,
Southold Planuing
Town of Southold
Main Road
Southold, New York
Dear Sir:
~hairman
$oard
11971
FEB 1984
LOUIS B. BARN]~T
54755 Main Road
Southola, NewlYork
February i8, ~84
I have been informed that the To%~n Board Master !PLan
includes a chan~e 9f zoning for my property at the above
address. This is ~ust east of ~La Gazelle¥, and directly
across the street from Lewis & Nickles RaA1 Estate. ~ince
we are presently in Florida on vacation, I am unablelto come
to any of the hearings on this Master Plan and am mak~ing my
appeal by letter.
We acquired this prdperty in April 1961. Me purchased
it specifically because it was zoned business. I have con-
ducted a business ~ers -- sales and service for lawn mowers
amd other small engines -- continuously since the above date.
In view of the fact that this is also our residence, it would
work a great hardship for me to have this zoning changed.
I respectfully request that the zoning for this pro-
perty be continued as "business".
Very truly yours,
Louis B. Barnett
23 984
P. O. Box A-F
Greenport, N.Y. 11944
February 18, 19~4
Town Planning Board
To~n of Southold
Town Hall
Southold, N.Y. 11971
Gentlemen:
This is a s-mmaryof remarks which I made at the public review of the
draft of the new Tox~mMaster Plan held et the Senior Citizen Center in Peconic
last month, relative to the need for more realistic provision for low-income
housing in the Mmter Plan~ with some amplification on house conversions.
The Town of Southold, like m~ny other Towns, has s~ept the problem of
low-income housing under the carpet for many yes_rs. The draft of the ne~Master
Plan is commendable in recognizing at last that there ~s a need for such housing,
but, as ~e explain belew~ it fails to address the need effectively.
Since the time that two-acre zoning was debated before the Town Board
last year, an erticle in the Suffolk Times on the scarcity of low-paid labor
in Southo!d demonstrated that farms, ~ish-processing plants, restaurants, and
other operations that pay ~uinimum wages or not much above minimum ~ages, are
having great difficulty in obtaining an adequate and reliable body of ~orkers.
No doubt the same problem affects hospitals, nursing homes, stores, garages,
and other employers. One of the obvious causes of this problem is that the rents
for apartments on the North Fork have risen drastically in the last five years
so theta f~mily depending on one ~age-earner paid at minimum wage level cannot
afford to rent an apartment. Gentrification in Greenport, and probably elsewhere,
has been converting houses thet used to be availsble to low-income f~milies to
summer homes of more affluent citizens, and this, of course, by reducing the
supply of rental housing drives up the demand and rents for what rental housing
remeins. This process can be expected to continue and it will drive many low-
paid workers away from the North Fork or into illegal, overcrowded housing.
The Village of Greenport has made some compensation for its loss of
low-income housing by planning a sixteen-unit project ~hich is now under negotia-
tion with the funding authority, and it has set aside a plot of land in its own
new master plan draft (the waterfront revitalization plan) ~or additional lo~-
income housing, but even these steps will not satisfy the Villagers own need for
such housing. Approximately seventy valid applicants for the sixteen planned
units came forth~hen the pl~us ~ere announced. While the Village also has hopes
for some expansion of its fish-processing industry, ~ich ~o~uld require more low-
income workers, its officials feel, rightly, that there is a practical limit as
to how much of its residential property can be devoted to low-income housing, and
this is especially true in view of the failure of the Town government to accept
its responsibility to provide a reasonable share of the low-income housing needed°
The points made above tell us that we face s crippling of plans to
develop fish-processing and other industry on the North Fork as well as a deteri-
oration in the supply and quality of many services residents reouire to sustain
their lives unless sn energetic effort is made to provide a substantial
of housing that low-paid workers con efford to rent.
1
To: Town Planning Board, Town of Southold
February 1~, 1984
Page 2
There are social and htunmnitarian aspects to housing which need to be
considered as well as the economic ones. It is well known that the youth of the
North Fork are awsre that there is not enough housing available to them to allow
them to rent an apartment when they get married° This inevitably generates an
impression for them that the Town fathers have no sympathy for youth, and this
helps spur them to abandon the North ~brk as soon as they are able to seek employ-
ment elsewhere. Naturally, the best of the North Fork's youth is most easily lost
in this process, and the result is a weakening of the vitality of all enterprise
on the North Fork.
Senior citizens who reach the point of no longer being able financially
or physically to maintain a one-family home are also hurt by the lack of ample
rental housing available at reasonable rents. They end up neglecting maintenance
of their homes, skimping on food and medical attention, and ultimately may be
forced to move away from the North Fork or seek welfare aid when their incomes no
longer cover their needs.
Families and individuals on public assistance because of personal calam-
ities or inadequacies must be given housing on the North Fork as elsewhere, and
the scarcity of rental housing forces the payment of exorbitant rents which, in
the end, come out of all taxpayers~ pockets.
It is psychologically and socially unhealthy for any Town to allow its
youth and its senior citizens to be driven away° It is also well known that where
there is a shortage of legal housing for essential workers in a mixed community
illegal housing will mushroom. This causes overcrowding and social ills, such as
crime, violence, incest, etc. It also encourages corruption of public officials
who fail to root out the illegal housing, and this breeds cynicism among the
electorate.
The draft for the new Master Plan for the Town of Southold proposes
plots for low-income housing in the hamlets and sets a maximum density of six
units per acre. Unless specific plots are set aside in the Master Plan, the
ongoing development of the hsml ets may soon e2~mfnate likely plots so that the
cost of condemning sites for projects in the future would he excessive and pro-
bably entail considerable litigation. Sites should be designated now in locations
that are within reasonable distance of shopping, since low-income citizens are
not likely to o~m cars.
The density of six units per acre is unrealistic, and, indeed, is even
lower than the density of eight units per acre which other Towns established many
years ago. Eight units per acre would allow eight single-family houses with fifty-
foot lots, which is the present density of existing housing in parts of the ham-
lets. However, the present cost of constructing a single-family house is really
prohibitive for a low-income home, and, indeed, even if such a house were given
free to some low-income r~sidents, they could not afford its heat, utilities,
upkeep, insurance, taxes, etc. Also, a single-f~mfly house is not what senior
citizens need~
The only economically practical solution for low-income housing today
is apartments, because they require less land per unit, have less surface per
unit for loss of heat to the exterior, and afford a number of economies in con-
struction compared ~.~th single-fsmfly houses. There are apartment complexes now
in the Town of Southold that demonstrate that apartments need not be architectur-
To: Town Planning Board, To~m of Southold
February 18, 1984
Page 3
ally objectionable. It would also be well worth the ~ile of the members of
your board to visit the Totem of Huntington to examine the apartments built there
fow low- and moderate-income families, including the facilities for the care of
children of working parents and the services and controls set up to maintain an
acceptable level of living standards. One feature there especially worth investi-
gating is the use of low do~n payment cooperative o~mershtp of apartments, which
contributes to better care of the premises by the tenants.
Naturally, apartments can aud shot~ld be built at a much higher density
than six units per acre. For that reason, the new Master Plan should not fix a
maximum for the density of low-income housing, but leave it open ~br negotiation
Mhen actual proposals are being worked on.
It is also possible to increase the anount of loM- aud moderate-income
housingby permitting conversion of large one-f~m~ly h?uses ~to two-f~amily ?~
even a~rtment occupancy. This woul~ require a Tow~ zonm~?oro~nan~ce a~ pe~mo±y
additional ordinances if the idea ms to be properly worKeo ou~. 'zne almerammon
of large one-f-m~ly houses for multiple occupancy may require firewalls, fire
escapes, etc. for safety. It would be best to require the registration of all
such conversions, with stiff penalties for 2ailure to obey, and to have the con-
~ersions inspected for health and safety at the time of reg~stratie~n,~ and at
least annually thenafter. A fee paid by the o~mer of such a property would pay
the cost of inspection. Houses already converted illegally could be legalized if
health and safety requirements are met. Houses with multiple occupancy that pre-
exists zoning should also be required to comply with the neM standards, with due
allowance for specific situations.
A side aspect to the point made directly above is the need to crack
down on illegal occupancy that has developed in summer rentals, often causing
deterioration in the tranquility and safety of year around residents. Firm and
reasonable standards should be set for summer rentals to allow a summer influx
without sacrificing the rights of regular tsxpaying residents.
Your board should recognize that, if it does not address the needs for
low- and moderate-income rental housing as recommended above, and as recommended
Me are sure by your planning consultants, the North Fork will, like various other
communities, be turning its back on its historical accommodation of a mix of
economic activities that requires the employment and housing of a substantial
body of low-paid workers. This is usually the result of the snobbishness and
racial prejudices of newcomers to an area who desire an enclave of middle- and
upper-class residences and illogically assume that the low-paid workers who ren-
der the services they desire will somehow be whisked away somewhere else at
5:00 P.M. every day. Eventually, if local government accepts this philosophy, the
social disruption is liable to lead to lawsuits against it or the intervention of
higher authority, causing tragic splits in the community. It would be far easier
to a~end to the North Fork's housing needs today than to insert provisions in
the ~ter Plan which actually negate the chances of doing so, end have'~ nasty
confrontations in the future.
We enclose a copy of a letter from the Hon. Joseph Sawicki that promiseS
support for progressive housing action, and we believe that the sort of Federal
progrmm being tapped by the Village of Greenpart is a possibility to be looEed
into. ~~~~
Incl: Ltr ~W~e~i~k S. L~ht~foo
THE
S TAT E
ASSEMBLY
OF NEW YORK
ALBANY
February 6, 1984 ^,~,.~
Mr. Frederick S. Lightfoot
P.O. Box A-F
Greenport, New York 11944
Dear Mr. Lightfoot:
Thank you for your recent comments concerning the housing
situation on the East End.
I certainly agree that it's becoming more and more difficult
for middle and lower income families, especially young marrieds
to find affordable housing.
Communities must encourage the creation of attractive
affordable housing and I will support state programs to assist
in this area. I don't believe that this position is in any
way inconsistant with my opposition to the Governor's plan for
welfare housing increases.
It is the hard working members of the middle class who can
bearly afford their own housing who are being made to pay increased
housing allowences for those who are on welfare. Welfare costs
are getting out of hand, and will continue to go up, under the
present administration in Albany.
I appreciate your concern for the plight of the working
people in our community.
eph ~, Jr.
! ~4ember of %he Assembly
JS:pr
19 February lqq4
Henry Raynor, Chief
Plannin~ Board for Town
Southold Town Hall
Southold, N. Y, 11071
of Southold
Many of the provisions of the new !taster Plan for Southold
Town seem to have been conceived with some other elate in Mind,
certainly not our slender and fragile oeninsula. With its
undeniable physical limitations, present well-known water
problems, wide-spread erosion and contamination o? various kinds,
how can the Town of Southold possibly benefit by the enormous
increase in dwellin~ units and peculation envisased by the
Planners? The "encouragement of development in and around
existing hamlets" and the glib promise of "efficient and effec-
tive provision of community facilities and services" leave us
wondering how this is to be accomplished witiaout straining to
the breaking point our available resources. Taxes must inevi-
tably increase proportionately with the rate of new develonment,
but the greatest cost to residents will be the damaqe to our
uniquely beautiful environment and a death blow to the quality
of life here.
Changes in land use are inevitable, given the apnarent
weariness of many local farmers and current demand for suddenly
very desireable real estate. Competition among realtors and
land soeculation seem to be at an all-time high on the North Fork.
But the prime concern of Town planners should be to ensure the
best use of those lands consistent with the overall welfare of
the Town and its residents. Preservation of larpe tracts of
valuable apricul~ural land is very important, but should not have
to be counter balanced Uy atlowin0 the oroliferation of sub-
divisions in other less fortunats areas and lame--scale develoo-
merit that threatens to obliterate their rural character.
Long a victim of indifference by Town officials tO flagrant
violations of zonino and buildinu codes, East ~arion has aonarent
ly been traded off as a "receivinq area", where under the Plan~
hiqher densities of everythinq are allowed. Thouqh the Plan
has only lately &opeared, it is clear the decision was made some
time a~o, with the final approval of Hiqh Point, Section I, and
tile temoorary aporoval of H.P. Section II, a combined total of
5~ lots on 58 acres of prime a~ricultural land. The mandatory
roads have already been cut and traced in the patterns typical
of suburban development. They will no doubt soon be paved to
receive the expected onrush of prospective buyers of these
under-sized lots, and to afford access for eventua~ construction.
Until very recently most residents remained unaware of the change
in store for them. In the light of past experience, it is doubt'.-
ful their protests would have been heeded.
It is sad to see one of the very few remaining expanses of
farmland in the hamlet put to this kind of use. Between ?iattituck
and Orient there are already some 2,500 existing mapped sub-
divisions and infill lots, still unbuilt, b!hy allow East k'~arion
to be sliced into small pieces when other more productive ways
might have been found to preserve OUr open spaces?
And there are more goodies to come: a cluster development
of 54 lots on 69 acres is proposed for Cove Beach at East t.larion,
a beautiful and ecologically sensitive area with larpe frontage
on the Sound. Through persistent efforts by the North Fork
Environmental Council and the Nature Conservancy~ in co-oeeration
with the property owners, a portion of the vital area around
Dam Pond may be saved, ttopefully, there will be some "innut"
from East ~larion before and during the open hearings scheduled
for !Jarch 12th, at which time approv, al of this sub-division
as well as Highpoint II~ is sought by the developers.
It would be interesting to know what factors enter into
determining which are to be the "receiving areas" and what
recourse is open to residents in hamlets so designated who wish
to have some voice in a matter which can greatly affect their
lives. The Plan calls for a system of "credits" which may be
purchased by property owners in the receiving areas to apply
to their projects. What is the going market price of these
credits, are there restrictions on the number of credits allowed
one purchasor~ will applications for them be subject to goer
hearings, and finally, where do these monies go2
Respectfully yours,
Stars Road
Eaet ~.~arion
(copy to ~uffolk Ti mss)
February 19, 1984
Planning Board
Town of Southold
Main Road
Southold, N. Y, 11971
Re: Preliminary Master Plan
Gentlemen:
At the public hearing on the Master Plan held February 2 in Peconic, I
mentioned that I would prefer to write my comments rather than to present
them at that meeting. And having said that, I do feel an obligation to follow
through. But I should make it clear from the outset that I do not take this
whole process seriously. It is a political process and the result will be a
political document. I hold out no hope whatever that I can influence directly
any of the political decisions. So rather than to focus my attention on the
details of the Plan, I am going to focus it on the process. Perhaps in this way
I can have a positive influence on the outcome.
Without any question, we are the most adaptive creatures on earth, and
yet we have allowed ourselves to become its most endangered species. For we
are poised at the brink of a nuclear holocaust that threatens to destroy the
very civilization that our nuclear weapons are intended to preserve. What is
it in the nature of man that allows such a possibility?
The most fundamental drive of all intelligent creatures is to attain the
perception that they are competent to meet their own needs. Most of the
animals with which we are familiar live in relative isolation and so have
developed little dependence on others. But an animal that has been raised in
captivity has learned to depend on others and thus may be incapable of
surviving alone in the wild. He has become a social animal just as we have.
But man is unique in having become al~nost totally dependent on others to
meet his own needs. In part this is biological, for he is born at an earlier
stage of fetal development and faces a much longer childhood. In part it is
technological, for he needs to acquire so much more knowledge from others in
order to adapt to his environment. And, certainly, it is economic, for he must
depend on others to supply the skills and the goods that he lacks. So it should
come as no surprise that man exhibits an overwhelming desire to gain control
over others as a means of attaining this perception that he is competent to
meet his own needs.
Government is simply the means by which one group gains control over
another. So each of us will view his government either as extending his power
to control others or as extending the power of others to control him, depending
on his success in the political process. For example, we see our government
as the means by which we can control the Russians, and we see their
government as threatening to control us. That our stockpiles of nuclear
weapons ultimately will destroy both societies is simply overlooked because we
have become so preoccupied with the perception of being in control.
-1 -
As we demand more and more control over others through our government,
we will be forced to adapt to lives of ever-increasing complexity ourselves.
Consequently, there will be a growing number in our society who find it very
difficult if not impossible to adapt and who will lose that precious perception
of being able to meet their own needs. Many of these economiqally displaced
persons will look to that same government to restore their perception of
competence by creating a new program to assist them, say subsidized housing.
The taxes required to support that new program will increase the burden on
those who had adapted previously thereby adding still another group to those
who require a subsidy to live in our society. Ultimately, we will have created
a society of such order and complexity that communism will remain as the only
viable solution. In my observation, we have become so preoccupied with using
our local government to gain control over our neighbors that we have
overlooked the fact that we are destroying our society in the process.
For example, when zoning was adopted in 1957 the approved lot size was
10,000 square feet or one-quarter of an acre. Apparently that size was chosen
to provide for the practical layout of the house on the lot based on the then
Suffolk County Health Department standard for the spacing between a well and
any cesspools. As we became more concerned about polluting the water supply,
that standard was increased and the lot size was increased to 20,000 square
feet or one-half acre, then to 40,000 square feet or one acre and recently to
80,000 square feet or two acres. In the meantime we adopted an official policy
of deliberately doing nothing about providing for public water or public sewers
on the basis that to do nothing would effectively limit the overall development
of the Town. We. had already become so preoccupied with controlling our
neighbors that we were willing to overlook the only rational solution to our
real problem.
The effect of this planning was to encourage the wholesale development of
the very open space that we intended to protect. For such large house lots
required the development of inexpensive land far from the hamlet centers in
order for the price to be competitive with that of the smaller lots that
remained unsold in the older developments. And this repeated upzoning
together with the continual threat of further upzoning greatly accelerated such
development within the Town, far beyond any rate that could be justified
economically. And yet, in spite of such an abundance of house lots, this plan
to restrict the supply and thus to increase the price of house lots has placed
home ownership well beyond the means of most of the young people who are
growing up in the Town and, also, of many of the elderly who wish to remain
here. So now we find ourselves having to accept subsidized housing as a means
of maintaining our perception of being in control.
One official policy we adopted was to encourage tourism and seasonal
occupancy within the Town. The argument put forth at the time was that
part-time residents would lower our tax rate since they would not add to our
school-age population. On the other hand, we adopted a wetlands preservation
plan designed to halt all development along the coastline and thus deny access
to the very asset that attracted these seasonal residents. It is one of the
miracles of the political process that both the local business community and the
so-called environmentalists could be satisfied simultaneously but each had the
perception of being in control of the other.
-2-
Another official policy we adopted was to preserve farming as a major
economic base for the Town. Every government seems determined to gain control
over the farmers for one reason or another and yet I know of no government
that has ever had any success. Farming is just too dependent on the weather
and on the markets to be controlled by any government, howeve~ well-meaning.
And so, in spite of this official policy, farming as we knew it then has
virtually disappeared in just one generation. We now have more truck
gardening and some new vineyards and nurseries, but much of the farmland is
already in the hands of speculators awaiting development. It is interesting to
note that the prime argument used to promote the adoption of this official
policy was that maintaining the land in farming would protect our water supply
from pollution. And yet, just the opposite has occurred, for the pesticides and
fertilizer essential to modern farming have polluted our water supply to an
alarming extent already. Now we are being presented with a new Master Plan
that seeks to sustain our perception of being in control by simply ignoring
these very facts.
Perhaps you have observed, as I have, that the public has a great fear of
any Master Plan that attempts to zone for the future needs of the Town.
Clearly, they want to use the government as a means of maintaining direct
control over their neighbors. And if each new business activity requires a
zoning application, it enhances their perception of being in control. It is for
this reason that I refuse take this Master Plan seriously. Nor do I believe
that any of the public who demanded that it be undertaken ever intended it to
be anything more than a crudely disguised attempt to gain more control over
their neighbors. For they now openly oppose every aspect of the Plan that
attempts to anticipate future needs, whether it is a site for a new airport or a
new business area in their hamlet.
This new Master Plan does address the need to encourage higher density
contiguous development in and around the existing hamlets in order to protect
the farmland and open space areas. In that respect, it represents an entirely
new and, I must say, refreshing approach to the orderly development of the
Town. Had we had such a plan twenty years ago, much of our open land would
still be preserved. Or perhaps we have finally recognized that public water
and public sewers are going to be necessary eventually and that such high
density development is essential to make them economically feasible.
On the other hand, this new Master Plan totally ignores the need to secure
a source of water to supply not only such new development but, more
importantly, the existing areas of higher density and coastal area development.
It proposes instead the sale and purchase of development rights as a means of
compensating the farmers for the loss of development rights sustained as a
consequence of the rezoning. Certainly we must have learned by now that
farmland cannot be depended on as a source of potable water in the future.
Nor is there any logical reason why the cost of preserving this open space or
that source of water, whichever way one chooses to perceive it, should be
borne entirely by the owners of the undeveloped land for the sole benefit of
the owners of the developed land. Are we still living in that dream world in
which open space and potable water are synonymous? Or are we now ready to
accept the reality that we must acquire not just the development rights but the
controlling ownership of any land we will need for a source of potable water
3
and the reality that it must be acquired quickly before the water suffers any
more pollution from pesticides and fertilizer. Viewed from this perspective,
the proposed Master Plan is nothing more than a politically inspired plan to
redistribute the wealth. How can we take it seriously when it completely
ignores the whole problem of the pollution of our water supply by farming, the
very crisis it was supposed to address? Here again we ha~e become so
preoccupied with using the government to control our neighbors that we have
completely overlooked our real problems. Is it any wonder that we have
become the most endangered species on earth?
There was a time when our experts predicted that we would run out of
water so let's examine that possibility. Based on an average annual rainfall of
about 40 inches, each acre receives over a million gallons of water per year.
If only half of that were pumped, it would supply 50 gallons per day to each
of 30 residents of the Town. On that basis one square mile or 640 acres would
supply enough water for 20,000 year-around residents. Clearly there is an
adequate supply of water to support any practical level of residential
development. If we were to purchase the land necessary at a price of $5,000
per acre, the cost would be 3.2 million dollars or $160 per resident to
guarantee a supply of potable water in perpetuity. So neither the adequacy of
the supply nor the cost of the land is the problem. The real problem is to
secure and maintain a pure source. If we werenmt so preoccupied with
controlling our neighbors and redistributing their wealth, this Master Plan
might have offered a solution to our problem.
Our consultants, Raymond~ Parish, Pine & Weiner, Inc.~ are true
professionals so I am confident they have produced just the political document
we asked for. The fact that it doesnmt address our real needs suggests that
we didn't ask them the right questions. I feel certain they can provide us with
a plan that does address our needs if we can find the courage to ask them.
· Sincerely. ~
William W. Schriever
Box 128
Orient, N. Y. 11957
-4-
:KLES
REAL
FEB 17 1984
East Main Road, Southold, New York 1t971 · (516) 765-3416
February 17, 1984
Mr. Henry Raynor, Chairman
Southold Town Planning Board
Town of Southold
Main Road
Southold, NY 11971
Dear Mr. Raynor:
I own a parcel of land where I operate my real estate office on
the south side of the Main Road across from the LaGazelle
Restaurant. I have owned this property since prior to 1935,
and it is now zoned for business purposes and has been so zoned
since approximately 1962. On the strength of that business
zoning, I established my business on this site.
Regardless of the name applied to any new zoning district affecting
this area, the future zoning status of this property should allow
the same uses presently allowed on this site which is opposite a
100 year old restaurant, a small engine repair business and a
professional office. This area is commercial in nature. It
would be inappropriate to change the zoning of this parcel.
It should remain zoned for business.
Very truly yours,
frace R. Lewis
GRL/mdg
MEMBER:
New York State Society of Real Estate Appraisers
National Association of REALTORS
National Institute of Farm & Land Brokers
International Real Estate Federation
Commercial and Investment Division of NYSAR
National Marketing Institute
G~c~ R. LL~US
BI~XI~ON
SOUTHOLD, ~ YORK 11971
FEB 17 1984
February 17, 1984
Henry Raynor, Chairman
Southold Town Planning Board
Town of Southold
Main Road
Southold, NY 11971
Dear Mr. Raynor:
I own a parcel of land south of the Main Road in Southold
opposite Laurel Lane and east of Arshamomaque Avenue.
I have owned this property since 1921. It is now zoned for
business and has been zoned for business in its entirety
since the Town of Southold adopted zoning in 1957. The
property contains eight income producing houses, a marina
and a laundromat.
It is now the proposal, as set forth on the proposed Master
Plan, thatthis property be rezoned so that the southern half
is resort commercial and the northern half is medium density
residential.
The entire parcel should remain zoned, regardless of what it
is called, for the uses that are presently allowed under the
existing zoning.
Very truly yours,
GRL/mdg
FEB 2 8
Clerk Soufhold
3020 Boisseau Ave..
Southold, NY 11971
February 27, 1985
Southold Town Board
Town Hall
Southold, NY 11971
Gentlemen,
I am writi~ this letter to state my strong belief that Southold's
planners should locate a specific area on the M~ster Plan for a
town airport and the Town Board should follow through and see that
airport established.
Southold Town's air space is one of its natural resources that:
most~of its citizens don't recognize and only a few appreciate.
Ztiis a resource that can be used without abuse. I believe it is
the responsibility of t~'~-town to keep that resource available to
its citizens. The town can control access to the air with a
small airport. To erase an airRor$ from the Master Plan would be
to cut that resource and its controloff forever. The one, direct,
easy entrance or exit from this dead-end town would be closed.
Town fathers in the past had ~the vision to~set aside beaches and
launching ramps for the use of ~he p~aple. How stunted our
economic, recreatiqna~, and.se~c opportunities would be today
without the courage and~vision ef those pia~ners. Now we are in
the air-space age. There is Ho~tubning back. Aviation as well
as computers will be common tools in-~the future. Many of our
young people continue to plan carger~ in some aspect of aviation.
An airport:with a single landing ~%rip could Se much more than
a place for the landing and ta~ing off of planes. It could be
a base for orientation, early training and experience for these
young people.
I do not favor a tWenty-four hour, all-weather airport. A single
landing strip with lateeveni~g closing time would be completely
adequate to keep the air space open, to offer business and recre-
ational flying, and provide charter service and training oppor-
tunities. I believe such an airport could be maintained as a
viable operation with no burden to the taxpayer.
Opposition to a town airport appears to be the fear-full cry of
those who have little knowledge of what it entails and no appre-
ciation for the need to control the use of the air space above u~.
I believe it leads to isolationism and an early death to a healthy
community spirit and economy.
I urge the Southold Town Board and the Town Planning Board to
study the matter carefully and to ac~ with vision and courage.
eebruary ~8, 198~
Mr. Henry Raynor, Chairman
Southold Town Planning Board
Southold, N.Y. 11971
Dear Mr. Raynor~
Your invitation to the people of the Town of Southold to
write to you expressing their thoughts on the new Master
Plan was very welcome. I was beginning to feel conspicuous
and lonely as one of the few who stand up in Town Hall to
ask questions and get information relating to East Ma~ion.
Hopefully I think you will find more and more of us at meet-
ings. The citizens here are upset and puzzled by the plan.
The lack of detailed maps for East Marion at the meeting in
Orient (for East Marion and Orient) on February 9th didn't
help either.
I have been interested in and working for this idea since
it started. I went to meetings, talked to neighbors and
was one of those who went around with the petition for the
moratorium. I sat in one workshop to hear two expe~ts dis-
cuss crime and real estate and heard about the "good old
days" instead. This is planning?
To say that I found the map put out by RPPW strange is
putting it mildly. It is not for those who love and work
and care for the irreplaceable beauty and resources here,
who pay taxes and who support local businesses from Laurel
to Orient Point year-round. It is a developer and road
builders' dream.
Mr. Turner prattles about #farmland preservation" and yet
shows a choice of two locations on prime farmland for a
61 acre (for the time being) airport for the use of a small,
private interest. Does this benefit a much, much more needed
and important buslness...farming which feeds us? We see new
roads and widened roads on the map...we are told "not to
worry", "only if", "will never happen." Whom do we believe?
We have empty stores in each town or hamlet, one large,
boarded up shopping center in Mattituck near another under-
utilized one, one maybe mall across from Key Food and three
possibles around Porkyes in Greenport...one next door, one
across the road and one at Brecknock Hall. Don't forget
"hamlet commercial" in East Marion and Orient. Did RPPW ever
ask any of us about this? Did they ever take a look at Jericho
Turnpike further in and notice how all the hamlet centers have
spread out on each side and now make one long, uninterrupted
strip of ugly commercialism?
- Page 2 -
The vacation map widely distributed by the Southold Town
Promotion Committee reads "It was the SIMPLE LIFE that made
LONG ISLAND famous. Sample what remains of the original...
nature,s bounty and tranquillty...stlll to be discovered on
THE NORTH FORK.' Every ad and article about us says the
same. Row much longer will this be true?
You cannot support four such demanding industries.as farming,
fishing, tourism and development on this fragile land and
succeed. Without very limited development and intelligent
use of what resources we have left, the result will be van-
ishing food supplies, beauty will disappear and all that will
be left are Mr. Turner,s roads and developments...some few
of them lucky enough to get a view of what were once un-
polluted, productive waters.
Now for poor little East Marion. We are faced with new
developments to cover what open land is left. Is the new
proposed, enlarged hamlet commercial center for their benefit?
We have a firehouse, post office owned by the community as a
war memorial and a seasonal store. We do not need more than
that.
Please don't let RPPW's 'hamlet commercial zoning" turn the
already over-burdened heart of East Narion into nothing but
a shoddy business and boarding house center. We already
have too much of it with more Just waiting in the wings.
I am sorry my letter is so long but I am one of the many
who cares what happens to our town. We hope you will listen,
lock and act carefully for the future of this very special
and lovely place.
Thank you.
Very truly yours,
Marie Smith (Mrs. George W. Smith)
B~x 122 - Marion Lane
East Marion, N.Y. 11939
cc, Mr. Frank Murphy, Supervisor
RECEIVED
MAR 5 984
Town Clerk Soul'hold
Southold Town Board
Southold Town Hall
Rt 25
Southold, New York 11971
February 29, 1984
Re: Purposed Town Mas~er Plan
Agriculture zoning
Gentlemen:
I wish to inform the board that as a farmer and land owner in
Southold town, I am against up-zoning agriculture property to
the purposed 10 acres as appears in the Master Plan Purposal.
By doing so, I feel you will be pAacing undo hardship on the farmer,
thus, effecting his livelihood, not to mention the eventual future
of the town itself.
y yours,
~Joseph A. Wanat --
RFD 1 Box 247
Bergen Avenue
Mattituck, New York 11952
Southold Town Planning Board
Southold To~n Hall
Rt 25
Southold, New York 11971
February 29, 1984
Re: Purposed Town Master Plan
Dear Sirs:
As an o~ner of farm land within the confines of Southold To~n, I wish
to take opposition to the purposed 10 acre zoning for agriculture
property so designated in your Town Master Plan purposal.
I ~eel you will be placing undo hardship on the local farmer, ~ho
has worked both hard and long~ in some instancss, under adverse
conditions~ to maintain his properties. Such a zoning regulation
will effect the farmers livelihood, not to mention that of the
entire township.
Sincerely yours,
U'~Joseph A. ;'ganat
EFD1 Box 247
Bergen Avenue
?~[attituck, Ne~¢ York 11952
OVdf"-
15695 Soundview Ave.
Southold, NY llg7!
~r. Henry Raynor
Chairman, Southold Town Planning Board
Town Hall, Southold, N.Y.11971
March 9, 1984
Dear Sir~
We have attended the informational meetings,have reviewed the proposed plan
for SoutholdTown's growth, and would like to make several comments for your
consideration.
We grew up in Bayview, moved to Nassau County after World War II, returned to
Bayview in 1977 and therefore gave this part of the plan our closest scrutiny.
The amount of growth has already brought negative changes to this lovely area
which until the late forties was mostly f~rmland. T~e vistas of c~ops, leading
down to Peconic Bay have almost been replaced by houses, and if the new plan is
accepted, will disappear altogether. To further detract from this area, a motel,
~which should not have been permitted in the first place, may be replaced with
bondominium units, which will greatly increase the occupancy at this location.
The heavy vehicular traffic on Bayview Road now makes it risky to cross over to
the mailbox$~what will it be if the proposed population density is allowed?
At the informational meeting the point was made that public waste and sewerage
systems would be prohibitively expensive for Bayview. Bayview's location at the
end of the water table is well known and makes one wonder what the effect of
more housing will be on this limited resource. Overtaxing the roads, threaten-
ing the water supply, and spoiling the natural beauty of Bayvtew makes us
unhappy with the proposed plan. We feel that a much better use of the land
'would be to leave it as faz~and.
.More fundamentally, we question the amount of growth to the town, amd wonder if
a lower ultimate growth wouldn't be a wiser approach. We know firsthand hew the
quality of life is reduced by excessive growth. In Nassau County our backyard
abutted a farm. We had our own well, cesspool, and heard crickets at night
during the summer. There is no need to describe what happened within a few years,
for you have heard the stoz~y many times, but unless,~you have experienced the
transformation from a rural to a suburban community, you can't appreciate the
undesi~ble aspects of such a change.
Some of the criticism of our present size and makeup are the lack of jobs, housing,
and the tax base. More people always requi~e services costing far in excess of
tax revenue. Forexample~ if our present police force of thirty-six was doubled,
it would not be sufficient if the population doubled. The increased expense is
obvious, but doesn't this also suggest something about the life we would have
if this comes to pass?
The makeup of our population, many retirees, Jobs and housing, are interelated in
that an a~ng population means a high attrition rate with a consequent turnover
of housing. Job opportunities in services will remain at a high level. No community
can guarantee jobs for all of its young people nor do all of its young people want
to stay in the place where they grew up. Many will move to environments and
careers that will never be available "at home". To try their talents elsewhere
is not am harsh as it is portrayed; it is nice to return and find their hometown
recognizable.
-2-
Furthermore, while speculators espouse concern for our youth who are unable
to buy a house without two incomes, where isn,t that the case today? Do any of the
people voicing this concern say that they will in anyway contribute to low cost
housing er higher paying jobs? Propez~y in Southold Town is highly desirable,
commands a high price, and will continue to do so. Given these conditions, it is
hard to imagine any changes that ~ll make it less costly to live here.
Doubling the population will only drive all costs higher~
We recognize that some limited growth will ta~e place, but feel that in planning
for it there is a better ultimate than the one proposed. For starters,
why not dr~w the line at a point where public water and sewerage systems must be
installed as a condition of growth? Why not project service increases by no
more than thirty percent, then make population projections from this point? Why
nor apportion farmland to each area where it now exists instead of having "strip
farmland"? Why not give more thought to why people wish to come to this beautiful
area, and make every effort to maintain its character? All it takes is a drive
to the South Fork to see the negative effects of changing from a rural, to an
overbuilt,overpopulated a~ea..
The overall effect of this plan proposes to have everyone pay for something that
only a few stand to gain from. If a doctor proposed to inject a person with a virus
that would make him uncomfortable for the rest of his life, and then asked a high
fee for this service, the off.er would probably be rejected. A parallel can be drawn
between this proposal and what is being offered by the Southold Town Master Plan.
We will appreciate any consideration that you may give to these thoughts.
Sincerely yours i
' Wesle~ and Agnes Dickinson
Bayview Road, Southold, N.Y.
11971
MATTITUCK CREEK WATCHDOGS
~ATTITUCK, NE~.4 YORK
~SuDervisor Frank }~urphy and
/the T?wn Board
Pla~nlnE Roard
Zonln~ Board
Gent lemen:
~areh 9, 1984
With four preliminary meetings now behind ua, it should he
very obvious that there is much amiss with the proposed
'%{aster Plan". Directly affected are the residents in areas
of proposed zoning changes.
This end of the island, will not aeeomodate the type of p~pu-
lation increase that you are so eagerly soliciting,- We have
already reached maximum population density. There are alterna-
tives. Now is the time for very strict zoning, not rezonin~.
Not one person has mentioned the railroad. This is already
established and going to waste, revitalize the railroad for
shipping and transportation by nroviding realistic rates for
the populace. We do not need more roads, another airport,
more bua%nessea, etc. Any and all of these only add to the
total destruction of this tranquil area.
We are supposed to have a wetlands ordinance, yet the Master
Plan itself pro~ose.s the further destruction of considerably
more of the wetlands now existin~ on Mattituck Creek. Our
shellfish at the mouth of the Creek are already polluted, and
now we are discussin~ businesses from Wnollwood Lane on up on
the c~eek. We all have seen what this means with the already
existing marinas, . It is
an ever spreading cancer on our creek, always more, more, m~e .
Yet we have here a '~ASTER PLANNER" who DrODoses even more
destruction. What about the people who have paid to use its
beaches;(now cluttered with garbage) fish, clam and en~oy its
natural,hopefully unpolluted beauty. This master plan will
~OTALL¥ DE~TROY IT, We have already done too much damage to
~attituck Creek. What good is the seafood in our creek if we
cannot eat it, and if you bulkhead the beaches, where are the
estuaries necessary for our fish nurseries going to be? Roads,
and business a~e what destroy an area, any area.
We are a group of sixty-seven (67) families, and wish to
respectfully request your attention to the following items:-
- 1 -
%Je do not need nor want another Airport on the North
Fork, especially on our beautiful, pristine Sound
Bluffs.. This would disturb the peace and tranquility
of the residents with noise, traffic and more pollution
to the environment, especially on Grand Avenue, }{atti-
tuck, which leads to the North Road of the proposed
Airport. ..
No further business to be established .AT THE ~o~rH OF
~IE MATTITUCK CREEK. This should remain natural,
uncluttered and a thing of beauty with beaches and
wetlands undisturbed. This unflushinK area has already
had too much impact put upon it. it cannot stand any more.
~'ro further development of any ~{ARINE COmmERCIAL ~qTAT'~S
above Mnollwood Lane on Mattituck Creek. It is incon-
ceivable that any Master Plan would do this to the resi-
· dents of this Lane. It {.s a definite property devalua-
tion, and most of all another terrible assault on the -
waterfront and creek itself. A FishinM Cannery is unthinkable.
4LL OV TH~, ABOVE WOULn ADD CONSIDERANLY TO THE INCREASE
IN NOISE, TRAFFIC, POLLHTION AND PEACEFHL TP.~NOUILITY OF
THIS REA~rrIFUL AREA. As one person put it at the last
meeting:- "Lea,,e it alone, we like it the way it is ."
We would like to see some thou.~,ht put into the image of
the Villa~.e as it is annroached, particularly from the
Riverhead area. Buildings could be designed to present
a colonial imam,., or something consistent with the character
of the area, as it is we are getting more and more unattrac-
tive. ~No thouqht whatsoever has been ~iven to the appearance
of our Village as a whole.3
This is and ~as been primarily a tourist area, once we lose
whatever it is that has attracted so many peoDle~we cannot
ever remain it. We sincerely trust the Supervisor and Town
Board wil~ consider our wishes with re~ar~! to this Proposed
Master Plan.
Very truly yours
~{ATTITUCK CREEK WATCHDOGS
DOROTH ,A ~. DELEHAL~I~f ~
President '
1984
r~lN~' T'U ~ HILL
P. O. Box 192
n.,~.*~ ~. 11957
JUDITH T. TERRY
TOWN CLERK
REGISTRAR OF VITAL STATISTICS
OFFICE OF THE TOWN CLERK
TOWN OF SOUTHOLD
Town Hall, 53095 Main Road
P.O. Box 728
Southold, New York 11971
TELEPHONE
(516) 765-1801
November 21, 1985
Rudolph H. Bruer, Esq.
Main Road
Southold, New York 11971
Dear Rudy:
In response to your letter of October 17, 1985 relative to the
property of Henry J. Smith at Willow Hill, Southold and the proposed
zoning for this parcel, the Town Board held a map review of the
proposed updated zoning map on November 15, 1985, at which time
this parcel was discussed.
It was the decision of the Town Board to leave this area in the
proposed "Limited Business" district. However, they are exploriri§
the possibility of expanding the scope of uses in the "Limited Business"
district which is outlined in the proposed updated zoning ordinance.
It should be pointed out that their decision is by no means final
at this point in time. There will be hamlet meetings conducted after
the first of the year, followed by public hearings relative to the final
adoption of the map and ordinance. These dates will all be announced
well in advance in the local newspapers.
Very truly yours,
Judith T. Terry
Southold Town Clerk
cc: Planning Board
Appeals Board
Building Department
JUDITH T. TERRY
TOWN CLERK
REGISTRAR OF VITAL STATISTICS
OFFICE OF THE TOWN CLERK
TOWN OF SOUTHOLD
Town Hall, 53095 Main Road
P.O. Box 728
Southold, New York 11971
TELEPHONE
(516) 765-1801
REMINDER
The Town Board, at your November 7th Work Session, said you would discuss
the request of Henry J. Smith for a change of zoning classification on his property
on the south side of Main Road, at Willow Hill, Southold. Perhaps you would like
to address this at the November 15th meeting with the Planning Board.
October 17, 1985
Southold Town Board
Town Hall
Main Road
Southold, N.Y. 11971
Att: Frank Murphy, Supervisor
Dear Mr. Murphy:
Please be advised that we represent Mr. Henry J. Smith, the owner of
premises on the south side of Main Road, Southold, at Willow Hill,
adjacent to the Chevron Station. It has come to Mr. Smith's attention
that these premises, under Southold Town Proposed zoning Regulations,
is listed to be "Limited Business". We feel that this proposed zoning
is inconsistent with the present use of the premises, and Mr. Smith's
intended use of the premises. We feel that the proposed zoning should
be the equivalent of the present business zone or, at least,"Hamlet
Business" as set forth in the new regulations.
The subject premises are located between a restaurant/bar to the west
and a commericial full-service gasoline station to the east. Across
the street and east of the premises is a commercial marina abutting a
hardware store. To change the zone of these premises to something of
a non-conforming nature will be a hardship and in our opinion improper
planning. We are sure that the proposed zoning for this property is
the result of an oversight and was not what was intended by the Town
Planners or the Town Board.
We therefore request that you correct the proposed zoning for this
property. My clients and I would be happy to discuss this with you
any time. We would appreciate hearing from you in the very near
future regarding this matter.
at
SincL~rely,
Rudolph/H. Bruer
cc: Henry F. Smith
Certified Mail
FEB ? 19BI~
I VING L. Proof, Jrt.
P.O. Box E a~s~-~o~rrs'mzz'r
GREENPORT, L. L. N. Y. i1~)44
February 12, 1986
Southold Town Hoard
Town Hall
Southold, NY 11971
Gentlemen:
It has come to our attention that under the
proposed Zoning Regulations (,Master Plan") my clients' vested
rights in his property would be eliminated.
My client, Richard F. Mullen, Jr., owns property on
the south side of the Main Road in Southold occupied as an
automobile showroon, repairs, mnd car lot; a typical automobile
dealership. The use of this property as such commenced over
thirty (30) years ago. It is an upgraded facility that moved
from premises across the road, the use of which as a dealership
was commenced nearly sixty (60) years ago. See request of
Esther Pilles submitted simultaneously.
It is proposed to include these premises in "Hamlet
Business {HB) District, Article IX-l" which does not allow the
use of the premises for an auto dealership.
The continued use of these premises as now used is,
however, permitted under proposed "General Business (B-i)
Districtt Article X.
It is adcordingly requested that the use of these
premises be Changed to proposed General Business (B-l) District,
Article X, before the proposed zoning regulations are adopted.
This should be to the depth of the present district lines.
Very truly yours,
ILP/lg
CERTIFIED MAIL
RETURN RECEIPT REQUESTED
Irving L. Price, Jr.
FEB 2 6
SOUTHOLD FLOOR COVERING, INC.
ROUTE 48
PECONIC, N.Y. 11958
FEBRUARY 13, 1986
Ladies and Gentelmen of Southold Town Board
Southold Floor Covering, east of Carrol Ave. on
route 48 in Peconic ! I came to Southold in October
1974 and bought my business from Mr. Daniel Smith, at
that time he also sold his store on Main Rd. in Southold.
The only store I could find to rent at the time was on Rt.48
in Peconic. In October of 1976 we bought the two stores
in between EeCo Electrical Corp., owned and operated by
M~.. Cliford Cornell and North Shore Canvas, owned by Mr, Helmut
Hass. Our property was two Real Estate offices at that
time, which were also owned by Helmut Hass, The time before
that the property was ova. ed by Charlie Habbard, and was used
as a saw mill and heavy industrial.
Helmut Hass property is to the west of me, which is
presently Zone ~. Cliford Cornell whos prgperty is to the
east of me is also ~ Zone.
On one map I see my property is Zoned light business
and on another map it is down as Agricultural. I would
appreciate it if you would look into this matter, we feel
that since our property was the only one in this given area
used ~sr heavy industrial, it should also be Zoned ~.
Sincerely:
/FIoor Covering, Inc.
IrEl110
The Southold Town Board
Town Hall
$outhold, NY 11971
FEa 2 41986
Wiss~nthia Halsey
55 Oaklawn Avenue
Southold, NY 11971
Dear Members,
I am concerned about a new category
in the proposed revision of our Town ~aster P~an.
of zoning
The ~rea in which I lave, at present zoned Residential-
Agricultural, appears in the proposed new zoning as Residential-
Office. (RO)
~n Southold hamlet, RO includes the south side of
5rain Road ( Rt. 25) from tho Presbyterian cemetery on the east
to the Universalist ch~rch on the west, the north side of ~ain
Road from Horton's Lane to the Catholic church and bo~h sides of
Oaklawn A~enue including the southwest corner and on the east
from the Main Road corner to the cemetery gate.
This area is to be included under revised article VII.
In section lO0-71 B~2 ~iness offices are included. Nowhere
can I find a definition of busingss ~-~e, although professional
offices and ali other proposed/penmitted uses are defined.
I urge you mo~t emphatic&ly to define the meaning e~
business officer before such a use is included. It will h~ve to be
de~'ined smetime ao~ it is m rely better to do it early rather t~uan
late.
~ince I own and reside in the property on the soushwest
corner of Wain Road at Oaklawn Avenue this matter is of great
concern to me, both with regard to the sta~e of my property and
the agreeable character ~f living in it.
Thank you for your attention to this matter. I look
f~ward to receiving a copy of y~ur definition as soon as it is
avai la ble.
Sincerely,
Cynthia Blyth Halsey
MAR 31986
Ma-~n Road
So~thold, New York
February 25, 1986
Southold Town Board
Southold, New York
Dear Board Memberst Re~ Master Plan for Southold
It has come to my attention that the Master Plan includes
a change of classification for my property ( on north side of Main
Road, between properties of Dr. Ross and La Gazelle) from "business"
to "residential/office".
This property has been zoned "business" since at least 1928,
when it was listed as Point oC View Inn. I bought the property in
good faith as bus~ess propertv, and I have been conducting my
small en%ine repair shop there for the last 25 years.
Since I am presently on vacation in Florida, I feel I must
out in writin% ~V objection to your plan to remove us from the
"business" classification and put us in any other category. Ihis
would reduce the value of the property now, and for any future sale
or exchanges
Thank you for your consideration of my situation.
Very tn]ly yours,
Louis B. Barnett
ESSEKS, HEFTER, CUDDY ~ ANGEL
FEB 2 ?
COUNSELORS AT LAW
P. O. Box 279
RIVERHEAD, N.Y. 1~90I
(516) 369-1700
TELEX-EHCA 6852318 UW
February 26, 1986
WATER MILL OFFICE
MONTAUK HIGHWAY
P. O. Box 570
WATER MILL~ N,Y. 11976
(5~6) 7~6-6633
Town Board
Town of Southold
Main Road
Southold, New York
11971
Dear Board Members:
We represent Grace R. Lewis who owns approximately six acres of
property on the south side of Route 25, east of the
intersection of Town Harbor Road and Route 25. She has owned
this property since 1921 and has operated a real estate office
on said property since 1962.
This property is presently zoned for Light Business purposes
pursuant to the existing zoning code. The proposed revised
code would have this property placed in the Residential Office
("RO") District together with nearby parcels.
It is submitted that the RO District proposal is inappropriate
for the subject property and will have an adverse economic
effect upon the subject owners of the parcels, without a
corresponding benefit to the Town.
The zoning status of the area is already established through
the existence of the following business enterprises: Veterinary
Hospital, car dealership, florist, delicatessen/grocery store,
repair shop and restaurant.
To make these parcels nonconforming, in an
to establish a rural character to the area,
damaging without attaining the end sought.
after the fact attempt
is economically
The Town's experience with attempts like this is similar to the
experiences of other east-end communities. To establish non-
conforming uses is to perpetuate, often, economically and
unusually unattractive (but existing) businesses. Where uses are
nonconforming, the property owners have a choice of continuing the
nonconforming use rather than allowing the property to be used
only for the conforming (here residential) use permitted by the
revised code. Thus, the community is vested with economic and
visual stagnation.
Town Board
Town of Southold
Page Two
February 26, 1986
Finally, most owners and neiqhbors neither want the nonconforming
uses nor the vacant parcels for the then conforming uses. No one
is happy. The area is then locked in a conflict between the
conforming and nonconforming uses. A more reasonable approach
would be to arrive at a business use with appropriate setbacks and
architectural and sign controls which allow existing business uses
to be either continued or modified as economics dictate and the
vacant parcels to be developed in an econominical and intelligent
fashion.
I ask the Town Board to reconsider its position with regard to
this and surrounding parcels and to determine and adopt a more
approgriate business use district.
Very truly yours,
William W. Esseks
W~WE :cf
JUN 41986
I VIN L. Praxis., JR.
ATTORNEY AT ~W
June 3, 1986
Southo~d Town Board
Town,~all
Southold, NY 11971
Gentlemen:
Re: Mullen and Pilles
On February 12, 1986 I wrote you with regard to the
change of zone under the proposed Master Plan for
the premises of above in Southold, which together are
used as an automobile dealership.
I enclose copies of said letters.
I have examined the proposed revisions of the map and
observe that this dealership'is to be made a non-conforming
use, which I believe is confiscatory.
The situation can be remedied by two methods:
1) Change the zoning to "General Business (B-i)
District"under Article X.
2)
Amend the provisions of "Hamlet Business (HB)"
Article X-1 to allow automobile dealership as a
permitted use.
If you wished, the suggestion 2) above could be limited to
a certain premise area so as to prevent any proliferation.
Thank you for your consideration.
ILP:fae
Enc.
CC: Southold Planning Boar~
Mullen Motors, Inc.
Yours very truly,/~ /~
Irvin~ L. Price, Jr.
RECEIVED
AUG t986
Town ~oard
Town of Southold
Southold, ?~ 11971
July 29, 1986
Gentlemen:
We are the present owners ~ the Ceneral Wayne Ihn ~estaurant
in the town of Southold, ~,~ew York, 11971.
At the present time we are studying the master plan where
indication is that the property we now own will not be zoned
for ~-1 ~ltiple hotels, motels units and restaurant combined,
instead it will be changed to "Limited Dusiness" which we are
very concerned about.
Both Duane Seaman and Victor Farinha have on purchase of
the property the existing CO which states clearly what can be
done ther. This was the understanding upon acquiring~the
General Wayne Inn Restaurant.
Sirs, as you must already realize, much work, time and
money was spent improvin§ and building a proper place of beauty
and a decent type of restaurant. ~ most certainly want to keep
improving and expanding within reason. Ey limitin§ our
business it would mean taking our rights away and turning us
into a hardship case.
Limitin§ our business will decrease the value of the
General Wayne Inn as a whole. Taking away the value and
restricting its use will prove to be unsatisfactory for the
benefit of the town and for all who have worked, planned and
added ~x~ra income to their weekly paychecks around the area.
Increasing the General Wayne with all the help we can get
should prove to be beneficial for other people and families
flocking to such a lovely area.
We do have plans and the need of adding extra rooms (hotel)
(motel) for all our catering needs when we have weddings and
parties of all types including tourists coming for the summer
and all year round.
When we took the "Wayne" it was in bad shape, it is over
200 years old and looking §ood because much loving intentions
have been put into it.
Ail this should be taken into consideration. A response
will be greatly appreciated.
Most Respectfully Yours,
The families of
Duane Seaman
and
Victor Farinha
DS/rd
THOMAS A. TWOMEY. JR.
STEPHEN B. LATHAM
JOHN F. SHEA. Itl
CHRtSTOPHER D. KELLEY
LAWRENCE M. STORM'
MAUREEN T. LICCIONE
'ALSO A~)MITTE[} IN CONNECTICUT
TWOMEY, LATHA~{, SHEA & KELLEY
ATTORNEYS AT LAW
RIVERHEAD, NE%V YORK 11901
$16-727-2180
February 13, 1987
9 NORTH MAIN STREET
EAST HAMPTON. N.¥, 11937
516-324't 200
RECEIVED
FEi i 7 1987
T~ 0~'~' ~n,~hold
Town Board
Town of Southold
Main Road
Southold,. NY 11971
RE:
Proposed Master Plan for the Town
of Southold, Sage Boulevard and
Adjacent Area
Dear Supervisor Murphy and Members of the Board:
Thank you for your time and patience in listening
and considering the expert testimony presented at
Wednesday's public hearing on the Master Plan. In the
Memorandum of Law that I submitted, I attached exhibits
A and B which were letters from Bayview Realty
Development Corp. I enclose herewith the originals that
were not submitted on Wednesday. As I explained at the
hearing, I hope to have the final written report of Mr.
Reuter for submission the first part of next week.
Sin~e r el.Y,
to Kelley
CK/bb
encs.
cc: Henry Weismann
Frank Flynn
BAYVIEW REALTY DEVELOPMENT CORP.
120 Mineola Boulevard
P.O. Box 31
Mineola, New York 11501
January 21, 1987
Twomey, Latham, Shea and
Kelley, Esqs.
33 West Second Street
Riverhead, New York 11901
Attention: Christopher Kelley, Esq.
RE:
Proposed Master Plan for Town of Southold
Sage Boulevard and Adjacent Area
Southold, New York
Dear Chris:
Enclosed herewith you will find a copy of my letter to the Town
of Southold.
As we have discussed on numerous occasions, we believe that the
existing zoning for our property on Sage Boulevard should remain low
density residential.
In connection with a plan which we submitted to the Town, we
had agreed to donate the underwater land to a nature conservancy
wherein its natural beauty and resource could be preserved for
future generations. In addition, we denied enlarged access for
commercial uses to show our commitment against further commercial
development on Sage Boulevard.
JDF/js
We hereby authorize you to advise the Town Board of the Town
of Southold that we are opposed to the proposed zoning for the Sage
Boulevard area and hereby authorize you to submit the enclosed let-
ter to the Town Board on our behalf.
Very truly yours, ,, ~
/
~EY . . FO~LLI, President
BAYVIEW REALTY DEVELOPMENT CORP.
120 Mineola Boulevard
P.O. Box 31
Mineola, New York 11501
January 21, 1987
Hon. Francis Murphy, Supervisor
and
Members of the Town Board
Town of Southold
Main Road
Southold, New York 11971
RE:
Proposed Master Plan for Town of Southold
Sage Boulevard and Adjacent Area
Southold, New York
Dear Supervisor Murphy and Members of the Board:
I write this letter to express our strenuous opposition to the
proposed Master Plan wherein same would rezone a portion or our
property and the adjacent property on Sage Boulevard in Southold.
The proposed zoning constitutes poor planning, spot zoning and
would devalue the adjacent residential properties which include the
balance of our property on Sage Boulevard.
The area is presently committed to residential use and we be-
lieve it should remain residential.
We are opposed to the proposed zone and request that the exist-
ing zone be left intact.
JDF/js
Very yours,
truly ~ ~.
By~ . FO~HELLI, President
5130 North Road to Bayview
Southold, New York 11971
January 22, 1987
The Town Board
Town of Southold
Town Hall
Southold, New York 11971
Attention: Ms. Judith Terry
Dear Sirs:
As a voting resident of S6uthold, this is to register my
opposition to the new Marine Business District proposed by the
current version of the Master Plan. The expanded usages
permitted by the MB zone are inappropriate for most of the
town creeks where the Master Plan indicates MB zoning. For
obvious reasons of pollution, congestion and general
deterioration of the environment, both physical and aesthetic,
the new MB zone should be kept out of the town creeks, or at
least those which are not already fully commercialized (e.g.,
Stifling).
The suggestion of the Conservation Advisory Council that
Article XII, Marine Business, be restricted to fully
commercialized creeks and the bays, and that a new, more
limited use Article XI, Marina - Recreational, be applied to
the balance of the town creeks, would seem to be a good
solution.
On a separate subject, I understand that the Agricultural-
Conservation zone is effectively the same as the R-80 zone
(i.e., 2 acre residential), except that Subdivisions over 10
acres require mandatory clustering of one acre housing/one
acre open space. Just how the A-C zone helps to preserve
farming, open space and our rural environment - so important
to many residents and to the continuation of our tourist
economy - eludes me. Add to this an undetermined number of
previously applied for and approved subdivisions for one acre
zoning which have been or may yet be "grandfathered,,, and we
have a further erosion of the theory of the Master Plan.
The A-C District seems not to be what it's name implies. The
long term reality of the currently proposed Master Plan will
be far different than the stated objective of controlled
growth coupled with preservation of open spaces, unless some
teeth are given to the A-C zone definition and administration.
The Town Board
January 22, 1987
Page Two
I urge you to give these issues due consideration before
legislating the current version of the Master Plan into
existence. I have been appalled at the time it has taken the
Board to get the Master Plan in place - some four years now, I
believe. Be that as it may, now that the Board seems to be
refocusing its energies on the Plan and trying to get it
finished at last, please don't make the mistake of
overreacting to past inaction and push a still not fully
refined Plan into being.
Finally, as one of many w~ekend residents in the town of
Southold, I resent the continued disregard of this segment of
the population by always scheduling public hearings on
weekdays. On such important matters, weekend work by all of
us is what is called for. Should tonight's meeting be
postponed by the snowstor~ now raging, please consider
rescheduling on a weekend with sufficient advance notice.
Thank you.
Sincerely yours,
Paul E. Hale
cc: Ruth Oliva