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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPeconicEARL & GLQRIA FULTZ Box 146 (Soundview Ave.) F'econic, N.Y. 516 76~-.a~10/I._78 February 20, 1984 11958 TO: SOUTHOLD TOWN PLANNING BOARD RE: Initial Draft of Town Plan As property owners on Soundview Avenue~ Peconic, we want to go on record immediately and strongly as opposing the first version of the 8outhold Town Master Plan. Our opposition is based not only on personal concerns in that our property and our way of life are threatened by some of the suggested land use but, equally important, that the character and resources of Southold Town are being threatened. We will confine our remarks to the suggested use of the beachfront between Goldsmith's Inlet ("Peconic Inlet" on the map) and the Peconic Dunes camp; we also will comment on proposed airport site. the I - The suggestion that the beachfront between Goldsmith's Inlet and Peconic Dunes should be used for recreational purposes wo~ld be an arbitrary abuse of our rights as land owners and~e~t~hers who live in the same section between Goldsmith Inlet and P~conic Dunes. II - The dunes on the Sound are extremely fragile. We have forbidden horses and dune buggies on our property because they were destroying the dunes and increasing the likelihood that water would inundate the wetland areas between the beach and the higher ground several hundred feet back. If even light recreational use erodes the dunes, we can anticipate that heavy use would obliterate them and the fragile ecology of wetland area. One good Northeaster and dozens of acres of wetland would be damaged, perhaps permanently. III - This has been an area of some controversy already and it is generally acknowledged that the previous "recreational improvement", the jetty at Goldsmith's Inlet, has scoured out a .t~ considerable amount of beachfront to the East. (We have ~l aerial photos to support this.) --~ pg. 2 IV - This area was earlier considered for a county park by the Suffolk County planners and abandoned for a number of reasons, including, as we understand it: - any recreational facility would severely damaSge the fragile ecology of the area. it would serve as a magnet for an influx of day visitors who would greatly increase costs for police and maintenance with little or no balancing economic contribution. it would be another huge step in the destruction of the unique character of Southold Town & the North Fork. - the cost to acquire the land would very likely be considered prohibitive. property owners have rights which the government's right of Eminent Domain needs to respect. The present public recreational facilities are more than adequate for Southold residents. The only purpose in acquiring such property would be to attract non- residents. At the time Suffolk County was showing an interest in this property, local residents responded with thousands of signatures on petitions. There is reason to believe the response would be even greater now. V - We see no similar suggestions for recreational areas on Pe- conic Bay or shorefront where housing density is higher. Our error would appear to be that we are trying to preserve the area in something like its original state and have not rushed into a high-density housing plan or mis-used the wetlands. VI - Any use of the beach by the public seriously lessens the value of our property and our own enjoyment of it. The view from our property is serene and uncluttered and in this age of high density housing, that is a valuable commodity. pg. 3 We bought this property in 1968 as an investment _as well as a home. The investment is for our later years. I am self employed and I will have no pension upon retirement. VII - Unfortunate as it is, ~particularly in a recreational of vandalism, crime and casual an increased volume of people, setting, increases the probability trespass. We do not believe we would be as secure if the beach area is made public. We do not believe any amount of policing will keep visitors from casual trespass (especially with OTV's and ATV's -- we have this trouble now) and vandalism. (A home was burned in our area. Robberies have occu~ed. Firewood is stolen. More people -- especially those with no obligation to the community -- will inevitably cause these kinds of crime to increase. We can see very little value to the community if this area is turned into public recreation and absolutely none for those of us who live there. In respect to the suggested sites for an airport, we think this is poorly conceived. Few residents in this area have -- or want to have -- airplanes. An airport is primarily a convenience for people who live outside the area. Planes are a noisy nuisance, once again destroying the character and charm of the North Fork and Southold Town. Pilots already fly very low along the beach, too low for us to read their ID numbers. If pilots want a landing strip, we suggest they follow one of the methods used out West where housing developments are created just for fliers, with the homes abutting the runway just as they do on golf courses. That way, those who are flying buffs absorb the prime effect of noise and odors created by their aircraft. In other words, why not let private enterprise take care of the fliers. Let the governing bodies strenuously work at perserving the character and charm of Southold Town. Making it attractive for outsiders to buzz in for breakfast is not the way to do it. Pg. 4 SUMMATION: We have only begun to indicate our opposition do want to restate some of the key points: to the plan but we I - the Sound beachfront between Goldsmith's Inlet and Peconic Dunes Camp is extremely fragile. II - the wetlands area behind the dunes is even more fragile. III - It would be impossible to make the beachfront public and not diminish the value of the remaining property. IV - Any large recreational facility will attract large numbers of non-residents, increasing the problems (and cost) of policing, maintenance, roads, etc., and do very little for the economy. Day visitors bring their lunch. V - The County already considered and rejected the idea of turning this area into a recreational facility. Certainly Southold Planners should be even more sensitive to the needs of the area and the rights of property owners. Dept. of Agriculture statistics indicate that something on the order of a million acres of farmland a year is taken out of production because of housing and industrial developments. Since the North Fork is one of the few agricultural areas left on Long Island, it seems essential we forego boosterism and growth to protect it. Sincerely, (MRS.~LORIA E. FULTZ EARL L. FULTZ ps - we do agree with the need to make special efforts to provide housing for the young and the lower-paid. KEVIN KNOBLOCH LAWN CARE /_,/iM,~cape Contractor Route 48 Peconic, New York 11958 February 10, 1986 I TOW~ GF 8OU¥1'IOLD (516) 765-2575 Supervisor Francis J. Murphy Town Board Town Hall Southold, NY 11971 Dear Mr. Murphy: I am the owner of property on the North Road in Peconlc, enclosed is a copy of a tax map for the parcel. This property is currently zoned Agricultural-Residential and is proposed for R-80 on the Master Plan, see the enclosed copy of the Master Plan map. The adjoining property on the East is proposed for Limited Business and there are additional properties in the area which are proposed for LB. I respectfully request that the Board give consideration to zoning my property as Limited Business. This proposed zoning district permits a garden center which is what I would like to open in the near future. Thank you for your consideration. Very truly yours, Kevin 3'. Knobloch KJK:ml cc: Rudy Bruer, esq. LONG $OUNO R-80 ,/ , R-80 // 30 / /A-C' ! / L/FTLE PEGONIG - I ~" COUNTY OF SUFFOLK