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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPlum Island Planning Study - 07/15/2013 Plum Island Planning Study Southold Planning Board July 15, 2013 Plum Island consists of an 816 acre island about 1.5 miles from the tip of Orient Point. There are two other parcels associated with Plum Island and located in Orient Point, a 9.5 acre waterfront parcel containing the ferry terminal for Plum Island, as well as another parcel (0.2 acres) near the tip of Orient Point (an in-holding in Suffolk County's Orient Point County Park containing the electric power transfer station). Plum Island has been entirely under the control of the federal government since 1901, with some federal ownership on the island beginning as early as 1826. It was used by the government for military purposes, first as an army base, and then as a military research facility. Later the island became an animal disease research facility, which has operated on the island since 1954 under the US Department of Agriculture and currently controlled by the US Department of Homeland Security. The island has never been officially assigned a zoning district by the Town, largely because land being used by the federal government for a public purpose is exempt from local zoning laws. Now that the island is scheduled for sale into private ownership by an act of Congress, it is prudent for the Town to assign a zoning designation. Plum Island infrastructure & resources Currently the island contains 554,109 square feet of building space in 47 buildings, including the Plum Island Animal Disease Center (PIADC) and associated buildings, historic Fort Terry buildings in various states of repair, the Plum Island Lighthouse, and various other buildings, some currently in use, and some vacant. There is an electrical system connected by underwater cable to the main power grid on Long Island, as well as an emergency generator designed to keep the lab in operation should electricity from the mainland fail. The water system is supplied by freshwater wells on the island, and includes a 200,000 gallon water tower and water distribution system, with a sustainable capacity of about 150,000 to 200,000 gallons per day (gpd)z. There is ~ The area of Plum Island is reported differently in different sources. We chose to use the size calculated by the Town of Southold's GIS system, with line-work based on the Suffolk County Tax Map. The true size of the island can only be determined by a survey. z BMT Entech, Inc. 2002. CERCLA program report for Plum Island Animal Disease Center. Contract No. 43-3K15- I-0006. Prepared for U.S. Department of Agriculture. 1 a wastewater treatment plant with a capacity of 80,000 gpd (although it is currently permitted at 60,000 gpd)3. There are also about eight miles of roads on the island. Though used intensively at times in the past, a majority of the island has been left to grow wild over time as the activity has been concentrated on the small area in the immediate vicinity of the active lab buildings and support infrastructure. This has allowed natural habitats to re-grow undisturbed, and the island is host to diverse populations of flora and fauna, including one of the highest concentrations of rare plants in New York State. Plum Gut, the adjacent waterway between Orient Point and Plum Island, is designated by the State as a Coastal Significant Fish and Wildlife Habitat. It is also identified by Audubon as an Important Bird Area for the 187 species of birds observed there, including thirteen New York State Species of Greatest Conservation Concern that use the island as a breeding ground. In addition, the island is located in the Atlantic Flyway, providing essential resting and feeding habitat for migratory birds. The flora is also diverse, and includes at least 25 different natural communities, including four considered significant from a statewide perspective: maritime dunes, maritime beach, maritime bluff, and marine rocky intertidal. The marine environment at the edge of and surrounding Plum Island is home to the state's largest seal haul-out site, and productive eel-grass meadows, and has been shown to be a highly productive area for marine fish species.4 Rationale for creatin¢ new zonine districts for Plum Island The existing zoning districts, as well as the other islands in Southold which are currently zoned, were examined for their applicability to Plum Island. Upon review of the issues related to the future potential uses of the island should it become privately owned, it is clear that none of the current Southold Town zoning districts are suitable. Plum Island is unique in size, location and uses, and new zoning designations must be crafted to adequately address the situation. The rationale for creating new zoning designations to regulate future uses for Plum Island is based on a study of the limited infrastructure, both on the island and in the eastern portion of Southold Town, the community character of the Town, including along the main route to the island through East Marion and Orient, the economic value of the current use of the island, the value of the natural resources supported by the island, and the historic resources. A study of the other islands' characteristics and zoning demonstrated that Plum Island is unique among them for many reasons. Plum Island, at 816 acres is the only island of its size in the Town. The three other islands of considerable size are Fishers Island at 2,644 acres, Robins Island at 455 acres and Great Gull Island at 17 acres. The other seven islands range in size from one tenth of an acre to three acres. ' Details about the infrastructure of Plum Island are from the Draft Environmental ]mpact Statement dated July 13, 2012, for the Public Sale of Plum Island, New York. ° Schlesinger, M.D., A.L. Feldman, and S.M. Young. 2012. Biodiversity and ecological potential of Plum Island, New York. New York Natural Heritage Program, Albany, New York. 2 i_ Plum Island is unique in its recent past and current uses, both on the mainland and among the other islands in Southold. Although other Southold islands are/were owned by the federal government and used for various purposes (military and aids to navigation), Plum Island is the only island with a major research facility (PIADC). After some history as a military fort, Great Gull Island has been owned since 1949 by the American Museum of Natural History for the purpose of a bird sanctuary. Robins Island was and is privately owned, and is protected by a perpetual conservation easement held by The Nature Conservancy, which limits future development to only a few structures. It is zoned R-400 Residential Low-Density District (ten- acre minimum lot size), Southold's most restrictive zoning district, and the conservation easement restricts the uses even further. Both Great Gull and Robins Island have issues similar to Plum Island with regard to potential development, however both are protected from development making it unnecessary for the Town to take any further steps to mitigate the potential impacts of any future development. Fishers Island's recent past and current use is very different from that of Plum Island in that it has been developed primarily with residences with a small commercial center. More important than its land use is the island's geographic location as a reason for it being unsuitable as a comparison for zoning of Plum Island. Because of its proximity to Connecticut, Fishers Island's residents have direct nearby access to necessary services in New London, CT, while Plum Island's nearest access to services is through Orient, NY. It is the difference between these two access points that make the case for Plum Island's uniqueness as compared to Fishers Island. New London is a small city through which a major interstate highway runs. The city contains the basic services that the residents need, including doctors, a hospital, and retail stores. Orient, by contrast, is a small hamlet served by a two-lane road. The nearest grocery store, hospital and other services are over eight miles away in Greenport, and these are limited in size to that typically found in a small village. Once on the mainland, the nearest interstate is over 31 miles away (a 45 minute drive). Plum Island is also unique with regard to the mainland of Southold Town by the fact that it is a small island located at the end of the peninsula, with its main access through the most sparsely developed part of the Town. There is no other land in Southold Town with a comparable situation. For all the reasons stated above, Plum Island was found to be a unique situation not contemplated in current zoning districts. All the existing zoning districts allow one or more uses that are contrary to the goals for Plum Island to continue to provide high quality employment opportunities, while minimizing the impact to the Town's most rural hamlets, and preserving the ~ natural and historic resources on the island. f 3 i Rationale for the nroposed zonine Transportation and access When considering zoning for Plum Island, we must take into account the community character and quality of life along the transportation route to and from the island and through the neighboring hamlets. The nearest hospital, grocery store and other services to Plum Island's ferry landing in Orient Point are located in Greenport and farther west, requiring a trip of at least eight miles along atwo-lane road through the hamlets of Orient and East Marion. They are the most rural hamlets in Southold Town. Both are primarily residential hamlets with low density. For example, Orient Hamlet includes a total of 765 residential units at an overall density of about 5 acres per unit. Both hamlets are already adversely affected by intense pulses of traffic caused by the Cross Sound Ferry operation. Any additional traffic would degrade the community character and quality of life by adding noise, decreasing air quality from added vehicle emissions, and decreasing the safety of the main road. The transportation route is also a New York State designated Bike Route, and a New York State designated Scenic Corridor. Adding traffic to this corridor would decrease the safety for cyclists, and erode the scenic qualities. Most of the current zoning districts in Southold Town Code, should any be applied to Plum Island, have the potential to create adverse traffic impacts by nature of their minimum lot size requirements and lack of detail and sensitivity to the unique situation of Plum Island. The proposed zoning districts are designed specifically for Plum Island's unique situation as it relates to traffic and transportation and the nearby communities that would be most affected by it. Plum Island as a source of high-quality employment Plum Island has long been a source ofhigh-paying technical jobs for Southold Town residents. Currently the lab employs 60 people who live in Southold Town. Retaining a research and/or an educational facility that will provide a similar number of jobs is of great importance to the Town. The Plum Island Research District is designed to encourage this type of development by clearly stating that type of use is allowed, and also by limiting the ability for the island to be subdivided. This subdivision limitation (accomplished by the large minimum lot size), will ensure the site of the research facility remains large enough to contain and maintain its own infrastructure, as well as containing enough land for future expansion, and to retain flexibility in future design . Preservation of natural and cultural resources Water While Plum Island's aquifer could support some level of future additional development, it is in the best interest of the overall Town to limit the use of this precious resource. Having a nearby i - 4 I source of potable water could be critical to the Town's future infrastructure and ability to provide clean water for its citizens, especially in Orient which is served by their own sole source aquifer. Orient's sole source aquifer is already suffering from some pollution and salt water intrusion. Therefore it is good planning to preserve Plum Island's aquifer as a future source of potable water for the Town. The Plum Island Conservation District will accomplish the goal of protecting Plum Island's aquifer by limiting the amount of development that will occur over the majority of the island, and also limiting the type of development to that which would use very little water, and contribute little or no pollution to the groundwater. It has been well documented that intense development can contribute significant amounts of pollution to the groundwater in the form of excess nitrogen and other pollutants through stormwater runoff, septic systems, and the application of fertilizers, and pesticides. Habitat & Wildlife Plum Island contains flora and fauna unique to the state in their quality and should be preserved with as little disturbance as possible (see above for more details). The proposed Plum Island Conservation District will accomplish this goal by limiting the amount of human disturbance on the island. The new zoning will provide additional protection to wetlands and surface waters, both of which contain important sensitive wildlife habitats, by ensuring that all structures and impervious surfaces are set back at least three hundred feet from surface waters and wetlands. In addition, the limited ability to subdivide will help ensure the habitat qualities of the island remain intact. Historic Resources Plum Island contains unique historic resources, including the Plum Island Lighthouse and Fort ~ . Terry. In addition to any federal historical designations, the proposed zoning districts will preserve and protect those historic resources by allowing uses of the island that are complementary to historic preservation including educational facilities and museums. Public Safety and Emergency Response. Serving the public safety and emergency response needs of an island are challenges for small Towns such as Southold. The rural Fire Districts have limited revenue and personnel. In the case of Plum Island, the nearest Fire District is Orient. Presumably this Fire District would be called upon to serve the emergency and fire needs of any development on Plum Island. Southold Town il. Police would be the nearest law enforcement agency. The proposed Plum Island Research District and Conservation District are designed to limit the potential strain on local first responder and public safety resources by limiting the amount of development on the island and concentrating the majority of potential development in one area. Currently the PIADC has their own fire equipment, and some future similar use that fits in with the proposed zoning could presumably do the same. 5 Navigation The Plum Gut and other waters adjacent to Plum Island are important navigation channels. The Cross Sound Ferry travels through Plum Gut, as well as other boat traffic on its way to CT, Fishers Island, and Block Island. The proposed zoning districts address this by limiting the uses to those that would not interfere with navigation. Commercial & Recreational Fishing Commercial and recreational fishing are important to Southold's economy. The waters surrounding Plum Island are productive fisheries. The proposed zoning districts protect the nearby fisheries by limiting future uses of the island to those that will not interfere with fisheries. Conclusion The federal government, and more particularly the U.S. General Services Administration, have begun the process to sell Plum Island. While zoning was not necessary while the island was in federal ownership (local zoning does not apply to the federal government), the Town of Southold has found it prudent to zone the island in the event the island is sold into private hands. The island has many resources important to the Town, is unique in many ways, and warrants its own zoning designation to best regulate its future uses. The new zoning designations accomplish the multiple goals for the island of protecting its exceptional natural resources, while also providing for future economic opportunities. They also provide the necessary balance with the nearest mainland connection at Orient Point, ensuring that the rural character of the hamlets of East Marion and Orient is maintained. I 6