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HomeMy WebLinkAboutDevelopment Plan - 1978 DEVELOPMENT PLAN OF THE TOWN OF SOUTHOLD Resolution to accept, approve and submit to the Town Board dated September 14, 1978 S~Y OF PLANS FOR DEVELOP~ENT IN THE TOWN OF SOU~HO¥.D BEGINNINGS .~_ND HISTORY Planning began in the To~n of Southo!d with the creation of a Planning Board on April 25, 1955 by resolution of the Town Board,' Norman Klipp, Supervisor. Shortly thereafter, the members of the Pl~ming Board were also named as a Zoning Commission by the To%m Board and charged with the preparation of a proposed Zoning Ordinance. The Piamming Board ~u.d Zoning Commission consisted of John ~ickham, Chairman; Robert Giiiispie, Jr., Vice-Chairman; Harold R. Reeve, Sr.; Charles Var_ Duzer; Serge Doyen from Fishers Island. _They were fortunate'in having the assistance of John M. Mu~eman, a Planning Consultant retained by Suffolk County to help to~s. It is interesting to note that, in reality, Southold had certain land use controls long before this in its Duck Farm OrdinanCe enacted May 2~', 19~9 ~ud a Trailer Camp Ordinance on J~ue 30, 1953. The proposed Zoning Ordin~uce that was prepared was based largely upon the ordin~uce of the To~ of Ithaca, New York, being one of the very few ordinances in the state at that time that combined agriculture with the residential district. In due time, bh~ proposed ordinance was presented to the people of the to~ in a~series ofwell attended information meetings. After deliberation and fulfillment of ~l legal requirements, the proposed ordinance was adopted by resolution of the To~n Board on ~pril 9, 1957. A year later, the Zoning Ordinance was amended in its entirety on April 8, 1958. In the meantime, with the assistance of Mr. Muddeman, the Plauning Board prepared the first Rules ~ud Regulations for the Subdivision of Land. After submission at a public hearing, these were adopted by the Plauning Board ~nd approved by the To~Board. ~ne policy statement of the Piar~uing Board stated that the development of the town's marine shorefront was fully as important ~as the development of the to~'s highway £rontag~'] The rules~also required that highways insubdi¥isions meet to~mahighway specifications and requirements £or dedication. In the early 1960's, it was proposed by New York State to build a bridge from the end of Long Island to New England. According!y, it was ~e!t necessary to review our zoning to decide where the interests of the to~ lay. Fortunately~ the towr~ was able to interest Cornel! University in making a pilot study here as a research project. This study began as an interdepartmental economic base study of a developing r~_~al area and was ~mdertaken largely with university funds. At abou~ the same time, the ~ow~ engaged the services of Malcolm Pirnie Engineers to study the potable water resources of the tom~ and Raymond and May, Planning Consultants, to correlate, organize and present all available information in a "701" master plan study with both state and federal assistance. Subsequently, this ef£ort was approved by H.U.D. The Corneil study was undertaken in the base years of 1964 and 1965 and teams from the Department of Rural Sociology, Agricultural Economics and Conservation were sent into the-to~n for some six weeks or more to make indepth studies. Nearly 95% of all farmers were personally interviewed and over 10% of the sum~er residents. The wa~er resource study was also undertaken in these base years. The Rural Sociology Study culminated in 1965 with a report o£ 86 pages entitled A Social ~malysis of Southold To,ma, Lons Island by Robert L. Carroll. The Department of Conservation Study produoed in !96Y a report Of 131 pages entitled Outdoor Recreation and the Commercial Fishery in the To~n of Southoid by Bruce T. Wi!kins. The Department of Agricultural Economics reports were entit!edA~ricu!ture as a Land Use by David J. Al!ee, 17 pa~es, and Presentation of the In,ut-Out,ut Tables £or the Calendar Year 1963, Sou%hoid, Long Is!and~ New York by Morton and Allee, about 30 pa~es. T~e Malcolm P~rnie report consisted of 57 pages with numerous additional maps. It is entitled To~ of Southold, Investigation of Water Resources, Jmne 1967. This was prepared by Ernest -2- ~ittock, Senior Vice-President (deceased February 1976). Much of the cost of this report was'borne-by Southold as it did not all qualify for ~'701". The Plarming Consultant report consists of 76 pages entitled Part I Comprehensive Development Plan, To~ o£ Southold~ Village of Green~ort by Raymond and May. Each of the above reports was the subject of very careI~ul study by the Planning Board, the Zoning Board of Appeals and the Town Board. These reports are on file and, in addition, a copy of each was sent to every library in the town. Additionally, Participant Data Deveio~ment, To~m of Southold by Bruce T. Wilkins, June 1967, is also on file. On September 26, 1967, the Totem Board approved rules and regulations for subdivisions within the limits of the Tovm in congormity with Article 16 of the To,ma Law of New York. Part II, ~om~rehensive Development P!an~ Totem of Southo!d by Raymond and May was first presented December ~1, 1967. It included a general aviation airport north of Oregon Road, Mattituck, a required condition of "701" approval being that if an.airport had ever been proposed for the area, it must be included in the study. Suffolk County and others had pmoposed this location. Part II. also contained a considerable section on the mossible New England Bridge impact and showed large areas in parks. After some revisions, infformation hearings were held on August 29, 1969 and September 3, 1969. The meetings, while generally favorable, indicated that there were two general areas of disagreement. First, the airport and, second, the future of agriculture in the towsim. As a result, the airport was dropped from the plan and a comprehensive studM of the future of agriculture was undertaken. Ninety-six of the town's one hundred farm operations were interrogated (3 more being Riverhead Tommy_ based). The findings of this study are available in the Sullivan Re~ort. (A S~vev o£ A~riculture in Southold To~.ma, 1970 by Dr. Joseph P. Sullivan of Southampton College) This study showed that one third of Southold's farmers plan to conzinue for another ten years; one third may or may not continue; and one third plan to sell out. It also showed that farmers still -3- o~ed the same per cent of land they operated as Corne!l found five years earlier. In late' 1970, another informatioe meeting was held presenting ~all the information so far accumulated and, at thi~ time, the response indicated that those attending favored adoption. At this time, Part II Comprehensive Deve!oement Plan, Town of Southold by Raymond and May was released and placed on file and in every library in the town. This was recommended with the deletion of pages 41 to 47 inclusive, this being the airport study. Part II is largely interpretation and proposed amendments to the Zoning Ordinance. Interestingly, the Town BOard, while recognizing the very great value of the studies and the analysis of them by Raymond and May, did not accept all of their deductions and recom~endations. Specifically, they were not willing to scr~p the original ordinance and institute an entirely new one as Raymond and May would like. In fact, the To~n Board, PlaNming Board and Zoning Board of Appeals concurred in feeling that it would be preferable to ~mend the ordinance which had served us so well by including most of Rapmond and May's suggestions. Subsequently, a large scale map was prepared by the Planning ~Board showing proposed areas for development. Wetlands are sho~n on this map even though they are in the "A" zone. They are both of fresh and salt water origin and, in general, are at or below the three foot contour. Concurrently, a large scale zoning map was prepared showing proposed precise zoning of all properties in the town. A final information meeting was held on October 2, 1970, at ~uhich time 85% of those attending expressed approval of %he presentation. As a result, the Tov~ Board on November 23, 1971 amended the Ordinance in its entirety including adoption of the revised zoning map. A Plan for Development Map had been approved by the Town Board at an earlier stage. Finally, on September 11, i973, the To~n Board authorized the Code Book resulting in revision, some renumbering and codifi- cation of the foregoing actions, as well as all To,ne Ordinances, Local_ Laws and rules and reg~.tations of a permanent nat~e. STUDY FINDINGS In the study by the Department of Rural Sociology of the New York State College of Agriculture at Cornelt, census figures, projections and survey results are mresented and analyzed. These may be briefly su~mmarized as follows: Population declined slightly in Southold from the 1930 census to that of 1950, the 1950 density being .373 persons per acre. In !960, according to the census, with a population of 13,295 permanent residents, density rose to .426 indicating that it was still the most densely populated of the five eastern to,mas. (Riverhead .334, Southampton .291, East Hampton .194 and Shelter island .176) Population projections of high, median and low are given on page ~? tab!e 23 for both permanent and part-time residents. It shows median projection of 22,800 for 1980 and 26,700 for 1985 in the "permanent category" and in the "part-time" 25,080 for 1980 and 32,040 for 1985. it was pointed out that the construction of a bridge to'New Englmnd would invalidate these projections. Much more information is presented in this study but most enii~ntening are the facts that in the study period, seasonal residents spent ~13.1 million per year in the totem and all year residents about $23.0 million. Also presented were the results of a survey which showed most people, both permanent and hart-time, are ~n the tov~ because of its rural nature. Other items of interest were found to be: We have a proportionately higher non-white population than elsewhere in the metropolitan area except Brooklyn, Brom~, etc. Likewise, our per capita income is lower and median age higher than most of Suffolk County. Ou~ part-time residents make up the largest single block of our economic base, nearly 60%. They bring wealth into the town in return for goods and services. The study of Outdoor Recreation and Commercial Fishery in the Town of Southold by Wiikins fomnd that swimming was the most zm~or~an~ recreation followed by boa~_ng, picnicking, shore fishing and clamming. These five categories accounted for 735,000 participant days per year. Again, quesvionnaires showed that the rustic aura of the town was the most important reason given -5- for w~y these people were in the to~2. Comparisons of saltiness were :given showing that Peconic ~ras saltier ~han Long Island Sound or Gardiner's Bay. Summaries of finfish and shellfish harvests were given and vhere was discussion of limiting seasons on the one hand and ex~anding~prooessing facilities on'the other. The value of the estuarine areasis sho~ both on a broad scale and locally. Means of e~mhancing and protecting these areas ~are discussed including easements under Section 247 of the General Mum~icipal Law. In conclusion, seasonal residents and commercial fisheries brought ~i9 million into the to~n in 1963. Additionally, commercial fisheries contribute toward the rustic aura. It seems probabl~ that this industry could be expar~ded by more research ~nd biological studies. It was projected that participation in boating will increase by 250% by 1985 and swimming will double by then~ Aericulture as a L~nd Use by David J. Allee. Of the 28,150 acres in the unincorporated town, !3,1~6 were in growing crops in · 1963-6~ of which 9,871 were in potatoes. In this dry period, there was only an average of 1.87 acre inches of water used fo~ irrigation (2~05 A/" on larger farms). This study found that nearly all farms were adjointed by non-farm use and that, in general, there were no problems but,in response to speci£ic ~uestions,I5% to ~6% acknowledged that in the following order there were some problems - irrigation,~ chemical wastes, vandalism, traffic and dust. There were !~5 farms in the tovm with ~n average of 87 acres and 43% or the land was o~ned and ~ne remainder rented. Partner- shi~s comprise 20% of total farms and total farm receipts were over ~5 million. In a verbal report .to the Tov~_ Board, the study team projected that by 1985 there would only be about 70 farms but they would be far stronger and have the same total production as at present. Presentation of Out~ut-Imvut Tables for the Year 1963 - Southold To~ by Morton and Allee. Primary industries are those which produce from the natural environment such as farming and fishing and sell to other -6- industries who, in turn, sell to consumers who, in turn, provide labor and proprietary services so that money flows in the opposite direction. These and other industries and services are arranged in tables in such a manner that by varying one we may find the resultant change in others. We find, for instance, that a 20% increase in seasonal people would have more impact upon returns to permanent residents than doubling manufacturing. Conversely, a 50% decline in agriculture could be offset by a 13% increase in commuters and retirees. As expansion in fishing would be more beneficial than an e×~ansion in manufacturing and if Plum Island were phased out, it would take more th~n a 333% increase in manufacturing to compensate. Of course, there are other factors such as schools, seasonal employment, protection of a spacious r~mr~i environment, and so forth. Investigation of.Water Resources by Malcolm Pirnie Engineers. The Pirnie report found that the sole source of water in the town is the ground water and that the total limit of this resource is less than twice present use in 1966. In some areas, greater qmantities can be withdrawn than in others and this must be considered in plamming. Although the average rainfall is 45" per year, there were eight consecutive years with rainfall below 41.40 inches. The last four of these (63, 64, 65 and 66) were 33.16, 35.45, 26.69 and 33.33 inches per year. Fresh water deposits are in six areas, A, B, C and D, Bayview and Nassau Point. Areas A and B have 90% of the storage area and Nassau Point has only storage for one billion gallons. Withdrawal of water adjacent to-the salt waver boundaries of each of the six areas cannot be increased by anyappreciable extent without causing contamination of the supply by ei+iuer lateral or vertical intrusion of salt water. Population estimates are for 1967, 16,000 in the town and 2,500 in Greenport and the three month s~mmer residenv period has a total population of 32,000. Total withdrawals in 1966 were: Greenoort Municipal System 600,000 g/p/d Private wells - rest of to~ 600,.000 g/p/d -¥- Summer resident wells Irrigation 2oo,ooo g/p/d 5,500~000 g/p/d 6,900,000 g/p/d Chloride content in wells is usually between 10 and 50 ppm 250 ppm is the upper limit of potable water. Safe yield is estimated at l0 m/g/d or 3 m/g/d above 1966 use. It is estimated that su~nmer residents will increase to ~5,000 by 1985 and will use 1/2 m/g/d of presenv surplus leaving 2.5 m/g/d or enough for 20,000 more permanent residents. It is estimated that agricultural irrigation uses 200,000 gallons per acre per year on those acres irrigated (substantially less than the total acres in farms. Also, the ~" to 6" total ~irrigation per acre is much less than' 40% of 30'~' or 12" of annual ?ainfa!l that would percolate to ground water in a dry year) This 200,000 gallons per acre per year is the equivalent of ~about five permanent residents per acre or more than thirty ~ 'ommm e r residents. If withdrawal of water for irrigation is decreased in the future, the safe yield will provide a supply for a greater number of additional residents. s~ steps that sho~id Finally, this report lists on page 39, be taken to protect our groomed water resources. !. Control of future withdrawals 2. Location and spacing of wells Extension of public water facilities 4. Discontinue approval of dredging projects which bring salt water in 5. Construction of dikes across drainage charmels 6. Recharge of acquifer with surface waters Conversion of salt water is also discussed. Rav~nmond and May Part I. Comorehensive Develqpment Plan. "The Development Plan, a statement of policies am_d proposals covering all significant as-oects of the commumity's Physical Advisory is the most important of the plar=ning tools since _~ forms the basis for all others. (page 2) ~?he process or develo.oing a plan for Southotd's future begins with the establishmenv of certain objectives arid goals. '~ 1. The important natural resources of Southold should be -8- preserved; they include land, air and water. a. Posltlve measures shoula be taken to assure that land in agriculture can be. maintained in agricultural nsc. b. Inlets, streams and other wetlands should be kept clean and pollution abated where it exists. c. Sources of potable waver should be safeguarded; air pol!utiGn should be prevented. d. Land for public use should be sectu~ed. 2. Widest possible range of educational, recreational and governmental facilities should be provided. 3. Single family houses will prevail but provisions should be made for other types of housing in selected areas. 4. Major areas of employment are agriculture, wa~er oriented recreation and industry. Gro~h should be encouraged. 5, Business and industrial areas should be so developed that they are good ~ '~ ne~gnoors. 6. Business should be limited to the principle central areas. Strip or ribbon development along State Route 25 should be disco-~raged and positively prohibited along Co~m~ty Route 27. Areas of blight should be corrected. 8. W~-hwa~ and street network should be provided. 9. Plan should contribute to the healthy economy of the to,ma and efficient provision of public sera, ices. In 1964, it was found %hat nearly half the total land area in the totem was in agriculture and over 25% of the resident population was employed in agriculture. There were 165 farms and the sisuation is not significantly changed since 19}0. A little over 7% of the land is devoted to residential use - "Because housing is strung out along the main highways, there is a visual impression that a great deal more of the land is built on than actually is the case." Total developed land, including parks, streets and highways, is 18.2% leaving over 80% open. it was found that in addition to ~he developed land agriculture, there was nearly 10.000 acres of land of which 6,262 was considered hard to develop, leaving ~,636 for development without reducing agriculture. Based on these figures and also on water, it was computed that an increase of more than 19,000 permanent residents could be accommodated. The housing study found the to-~n had 9% of its dwellings deter~or'ating and 3.3% dilapidated c.ompared to 5.5% and 1.8% for f~he county. Median increase of residents in both to~,~a and incorporated village was sharply below that of the county. Non-white population of Southoldwas fo~rid ~o be 7.4% Of the resident population. A Survey of Aericulture in Southold Tovaa by Dr. Joseph P. Sullivan of Southampton College, 1970. This report shows that there were !00 farm operations in the to~m with !0,000 acres. This is 45 less thma the 1~5 rotund by the Cornel! study in 1963 with 12,555 acres. It was further fomnd that 56% of this land was rented versus 57% in 1963. Further, ':there was almost no change in farm size, type of production, mechanization or marketing. Employment of 300 farm workers was ~57% seasonal nonresident, mostly Puerto Rican~ 25% seasonal -resident mhd 18% year round resident. An ominion poll showed 66% believed Southold's farms should be preserved, only 14% no and ~20%undecided or no answer. 33% expect to farm 10 years longer ~and 28% less than 5 years with the remainder uncertain. Finally, 82% would remain in agriculture if some satisfactory land .preservation program were available. INTRODUCTION TO PLAIN FOR DEVELOP~NT Urban planning within a democratic society is the trans- !ation of a community's goals and values into three-dimensi~nai realities. Its highest achievement is the realization of its purposes by the creation of an urban form designed to serve the needs and desires of the co~mm~maity for which it was created. Each comm-~aity is peculiar ~_nto itself and mo standardized forms or patterns of development can be validly applied to all com- mnnities. Therefore~ the essence of any planning program is to determine the conditions which have influenced a community's gro¥.~h and development and to evolve the goals and development policies appropriate to deal with these conditions. Once these are determined and understood, the basis for pl~aning for the fut~re becomes evident. Unfort~nately, most comm~mnity development has been the result of spontaneous growth without the benefit of planning for future generations. The random patterns of development ~nd the need for dramatic revitalization in older urban areas bear out this fact. It is perhaps comforting to know that the Town of Southold does not stand alone with its problems, but in the company of many other towns and villages throughout the nation. However, there is often a relucV~ace to face these problems squarely in terms of solutions. Only too often complacency pervades and there is general apathy towards the estab!is~hment of safeguards for the future. With the knowledge that hindsight can offer, a framework for future planning can be established to overcome these restraints and enable progress to cecum in a more organized mamner. This Plan is the culmination of two years of intensive study of the Town of Southo!d; a study which took into account ali of the kno~m internal and external factors affecting the growth of the To~. Part I of the Development Plan is devoted ~o a presentation of the findings o£ these s~ud_es dealing specifically with physical, economic, and social conditions as they exist in Southold today. This backgro~_nd material provides the perspective to guide the formulation of concepts for the future. -il- The reconmmendations and programs for action proposed in tlais Development Plan reflects community development policies formu- lated by Southold's Planning Board. These policies may be either stated clearly or only implied, but results cannot be realized without their acceptance mad support. By its very nature, the Plan must advocate or reflect policies on growth, population, economic activity, aesthetics, trmasportation, and other basic e~emenvs of Town structure. It ~s aci~nowledged that all Of the proposals indicated in the Plan cannot be carried out at once or even in the near future. Many aspects will ~undoubted!y take many years %o be effectuated, and possibly some never wil~ be. The Plan is intended to be comprehensive and of a magnitude equivalent ~o Southold's development potential, with the practical realization that the execution of each aspect will occur as tlne. To~ma's grov~h demands. The following policy statements, reiaqing to Southold's development, provide the foundation and a yardstick for detailed consideration of the objectives %o be met by the Plan and for the specific proposals of the Plan itself. !. Positive measures should be taken to assure that isa~d now in agricultural usage should remain in such use for as many years to come as possible. The continuance of agriculture as a major user of land will have to be predicated upon a substantial reduction in the real property tax btu~den borne by farmland. This may be accompanied by such devices as the purchase of development rights, agricultural zoning, and the restriction of municipal services on farm !mad north of Route 25. ~fnere residential development is permitted, its land occupancy should be reduced by cluster zoning techniques. 2. Major residential development should be direc%ed to the areas south of Route 25, and along a narrow strip on the north shore abutting Long Islam_d Sound. Residential densities of two dwe±lmn~ units per acre or greater, proposed in these areas, is predicated upon the development of a public water supply system serving these areas. The first step in the development of a public system should be the extension of the existing Greenport -12- Water System in a westerly direction along Route 25. New wells for this system should be located inland where the water is of a superior quality and is less likely to be affected by the potential hazard of satinization. 3. Dredging or filling operations in inlets ~nd wetland areas should be severely reduced ~ad only permitted u~der controlled conditions~ either by direct legal action or by the public purchase of land or development rights. Each inlet and wet!amid area si~ould be precisely delineated ~nd a policy established with respect to the treatment o£ eash such area. ~. Retail development should be confined to present centers. Provision for the expansion of business in the Mat~ituck Central Area is of major importamce since this area will be the first to react to developmental press~es from the west° As a corrotlary to~the emphasis on retail development in the central areas, further cormnercia! strip or ribbon development along State Route 25 should be discouraged~ and absolutely prohibited along County Route 27. 5. Industrial development should be encouraged in areas adjacent to Maqtituck Central Area and the Village of Greenport. These industrial locations should have direct access to the railroad, and Routes 25 and 27. 6. Open land should be viewe~ as one of the mos~ important and irreplaceable resources of the Town. Attention must be paid to additional open space conservation and public land acquisition programs before the tide of development engulfs Southold. 7. S$nce the automobile provides ~ad will continue to provide the principal means of transportation for the people of Southold, it is incumbent upon the To,ma to continue to provide an adeouate major and collector street system, minimizing traffic on local residential streets. 8. Capital improvements should be pro~rammed on basis of a priority system which is specifically related to the present and future needs of Southotd. Such a program should be in accordance with the Development Pi~o_. -13- RESIDENTIAL LA,ND USE PLAN The Town of Sou~ho!d is primarily a residential and agri- cultural con, unity and the Development Plan proposes that the Town ~remain as such in the futume. This policy is to be implemented · hrough~the limitation of intensive residential development to the ample vacant lands south of State Route 25 and a narrow strip on the north shore along Long Island Sound. Prime farm land lying north of Route 25 will be preserved for agriouttural uses, and any residential development will be of a very low density. The rate of development should be limited in accord with the provision of public facilities and services in order to maintain tax rates within the economic capacity, of the Town. Population Capacity The zonLng ordinance, through its various regulations district boundaries, directly limits the maximum population potential of the To~_. At any given point in time, it represents an image of Southoid's future land uses and population distribution. The following estimate of the population capacity of the present zo~aing ordinance is based?upon a nmmber of assumptions: a. Farm land will co~_tinue in its present use. b. Residential development wilt occur only on privately o~ned buildabte vacant land (not including farmland or wetlands). c. The population estimate relates to permanent residents ~onIy. It does not include seasonal residents~ d. Family size is assumed to be 3 persons per dwelling. On the basis of ~nese assumptions: a. Ail the buildable vacant land in Southo!d currently zoned for residential use was measured. This was found to be 3,639 acres. b. For each area measured, 50% of the land, or a total of 1,819 acres was deducted for accessory facilities (schools, roads, shopping, etc.). c. Based on current zoning regulations, the maximum nmmber of dwelling units for all such areas was calculated to be 6,~2 dwelling units. -14- d. The figure of 6~342 dwelling units was multiplied by 3 persons per dwelling. The resulting figure, which is somewhat in excess of 19,O00 persons~ is the theoretical additional population potential of the To~n. Thus~ the 1985 population for Southold based on these assumptions is estimated at approximately 34,000 persons. Malcolm Pirnie Engineers have conducted a study- on the avail- ability and the consumption rate o£ the existing water-supply and their relationship to the future population potential of the Tovm. They have found that the available water resources is equal to an average of i0 million gallons per day. The total estimated with- drawal of ground water in 1966 was an average of 7 million gallons per day, of which an average of 5.5 million gallons per day was used for irrigating vegetable crops Mad ~__e remainder used for doSestic uses. The above figures indicate that an average of 3 million gallons per day wftl be available for future domestic use. Of this 3 million gallon reserve, it is estimated that summer residents will cons~ne an average of about 5.00,000 gallons per day, during the next 20 years. This will leave approximately 215 million gallons available for an increase in permanent-resi- dents. Assuming a per capita consumption of 120 gallQns per day, the remaining 2.5 million gallons will provide for an additional population of approximately 20,000 persons or a total o£ 35,000 permanent residents. This estimate is based upon the assumption that that amount of water used for irrigationwill remain constant at 5.5 million gallons per day, for the next 20 years. If with- drawal for irrigation is decreased in the future, there will be water for a greater number of permanent ~nd/or seasonal residents. It is also interesting to note that Robert L. Carroll in "A Social Anaiysis of Southotd Tow~_, Lon~ Island", estimates the 1985 population to be in the vicinity of 35,600 permanent residents. This estimate is based upon the assumption that the To~n of Southold will continue to house about 2% of Suffolk County's total population. -15- Residential Land Use The various population estimates indicate that only a portion o~ Cae area of the Town of Sou~no!d will be needed for residential d~velovment over the next 20 years. One of the most important objectives o£ the Development Plan has been to select those areas ~most suited £or residential development-and, on the other hand~ to .discourage development in areas presently used for farming in order to preserve the agricultural economy and the rural character of vhe com~mnity as tong as possible. It has therefore been established as a land use policy Cna% new residential gro~%h will be limited to areas on the south shore, south of Route 25, and on the north ~shore ~atong Long Island So~_ud. The proposal for residential ~evelopment along the south .shore is predicated on the creation of a public water supply system serving this area. ~ne two residential categories shov~ on the To~n Development Plan map are intended to implement this policy. The Agriculture-Resfdence area covers all of Southold's prime ~agricultural land and is located primarily north of Route 25. Housing types are limited to one family houses ~nd the density recommendations for the one family dwellings vary from .5 to 1 dwelling per net acre, depending u~on the availability of a public water system. The Development Plam_ map shows low density residenZiai develop- ment along the south shore and in a narrow strip on the north shore along Lom~ Island Sovand. It is proposed that development in these areas be limited to single family houses, but at a higher density than in the Agriculture-Residence areas. The densities proposed for these areas are 1 to 2 dwelling um_its per net acre, depending upon the provision of a public water system. Garden Amartment and Attached House Development The Plan recommenda consideration of medium density residential uses on various s_~es, some vime in. the future, when the need anddemand for multi-family univs develops. Such uses would be strictly controlled by zoning regulations. Specific~t!y, areas which might be considered potentially suitable for multi-family development are those in the immediate vicinity of retail shopping, se~ice, and general commercial areas. Zoning standards would -16- assu~e low density, adequate !andsc~ping, and su£ficient off-street parking spaces so that the developments will be in harmony with the residential development in the remainder of the TO,mo Approval by the Planb.~ing Board o£ the layout of each apartment site will be required. Hence, the. exact location of all structures, facilities, and landscaping, and of all points of ingress and egress would be subject to approval of the Plamaing Board ~rior to the issuance o£ any building permit. In evaluating the desirability of this type of land use, a number of studies relating to multi-family development in other communities were analyzed. These studies were concerned with the e~fects of such development on existing co~ur_ity character and municimal services, the number of school age children such a development might bring, the tax revenue ~roduced by this use as compared with other land uses, the type off income levels of the probable residents off such um_its, and the beneffits to be derived by the local shopping establishmenzs. Services can be provided flor apartment deveio~ments with considerably greater efficiency and economy than flor single-family houses. Multi-family develop- menzs can add a signi£icant amount of tax revenue to the c~-omity base, and usually house relatively flew school age children. In addition, their occupants contribute substantial cons~mmer buying power to the local retail areas. For the~e reasons, apartments usually require less in muniCipaI services than the taxes they pay. -17- AGRICULTURAL LA~D USE PLAIN Approximately 47% (13,136~aOres) of Southold's 28,150 acres of land area is in agricultural use. The 1965 value of the total farm crop was in excess of eight million dollars, making Southold one of ~theleading dollar-value agricultural tovms int~e State of New York. However, over the past decade, there has been a relative decline in the actual n~mber of acres farmed~ and in the total number of farms. There has been a trend toward consolidation into larger singly-held Knits with the application of more motorized equipment, thereby yielding more efficient farming methods. Yet, the price of potatoes has constam~t!y been dropping, with a resultant loss in desire ~nd ability on the part of the farmers to continue their operations. These facts indicate that the future of fa~ming in Sou~old is threatened, and that in the next twenty years agriculture could become a th£ng of the past. (Lee E. Koppeiman, A P!~a for Open-S~ace in Suffolk County) In spite of these trends, the Development Plan recommends the retention of 13~136 acres in agricultural use. This policy is based upon the realization that even if agriculture should declined the transition from ~n agricultural economy should be gradual so as to minimize economic hardship. Furthermore, contLnued haphazard scattered residential development in agrAcuttural areas would create an additional economic burden by necessitating the provision of necessary public services ~nd facilities. The problem of retaining Southold's agricultural heritage is thus primarily one of economics. The financial benefits that attend the transmutation of potato farms into speculative real estate has caused many Long Island farmers to put out a welcome mat to the residential subdivider. Those on the fringe of the large scale development taking place in western Suffolk Co~s_nty, who did not wish to sell their land to the advancing suburbia, have eventually been forced to change their minds. Slowly, they have been overwhelmed by a series of tax increases needed to defray the momating costs ~f new schoois~ roads, and m~aicipal services. As long as a community remains truly rural, the population remains relatively stable, and schools built by one generation may accom- -18- the next with slight additions and alterations, the tax base is adequate to support simple conm.a~nity services without a large annual increase. With suburban development pressure, the situation is altered. In the absence of an industrial tax base, the farms have had to bear the brunt of the heavier municipal expenses. Agricultural land is assessed on the assumption that if some of the farm acreage can be sold for a high,price to a subdivider, then all of the acreage is worth more money. Such a policy means that is is often impossible to operate a farm at a profit and many farmers eventually succumb to the speculator's offer. For the Town of Southold to achieve the aim in its Development Plan of preserving agriculture and open space, it will have to do more than pass regulatory ordinances. Private o~mership mad respect for the vested rights inherent in such ov~nership are established in tradition and law. However, new techniques and approaches for coping with the problem have recently been emerging throughout the nation. The following measures used in concert may enable Southold to exercise some degree of control over the preservation of its farm Imnds: 1. Reduce ~ax Assessments. Current tax assessment practices usually result in a yearly loss of farm acreage. This is due,. in part, to the desire of the farmer to sell some of his land amd obtain relief from tmxes; and secondly, from the need by mmaicipal governments to gain greater tax yields from the real property tax. The Town could place a preferential assessment on agricultural land to enco~urage continued use in such a category. In conjum_ction with this policy, the system of retroactive taxation might be used. The o'maer of agricultural tracts would receive an assess- ment based solely upon its use in that category. ~en and if the property is sold for developmental purposes, back taxes would have to be paid which would be representative of what the total taxes would have been without a lowered assessment. This device is being employed in a n~amber of states, notably California, Maryland and N~w Jersey. Each State uses a some~zhat different method of lower- ing assessments, and apparently none are completely successful. In New York State under Section 2~7, of the General Municipal Law, o~mers of open or agricultural land may enter in a contractual -19- agreement to convey to the To.ma a negative easement (not to develop). In rezurn, the ass~ssea Yaluatmon is to be based on the existing use of the land. The rate of reduction in assessed value which may be granted is Imm_tea by law. The terms and conditions of the contract are left open in regard to the t~e of easement. In -addition, a puc_mc hearing'is required. Although this has been largely overlooked by agricultural interests, it might well provide a satisfactor? vehicle to create a more favorable economic climate zo~ agriculture in Southold and, at the same time, stabilize the rural quality of the Town. 2. Purchase of Develomm_ent Right_s. Under a recent act of the State Legislature, the To~n can purchase the deve!omment rmg~.os of vacant land paying the ~andovmer to retain the land in -agricul~ura! uses or as open space. The payment is supposed to represent the differential between the market value of ~fae property at its present use mhd the value if develomed for more intensive use. Under this procedure, only one payment is made and the development rights are purchased in perpetuity. The value of .such rights is frequently difficult to 'determine and may cost .~a±=ost as much as outright purchase of the land. 3. Zoning. The Town can encourage the ag_mcu!tura~ use ~f land through various zoning techniques. The cluster zoning pro- visions of the proposed zoning regulations would allow for a relatively concentrated development in ~ne Agriculture-Residence District, while maintaining a low overall density as established by the conventional district regulation. The developer is allowed to concentrate his construction on a portion of the site, while the balance of the tract would remain in agricultural use. A number of commu_nities throughout the country have adopted an exclusive agriculture zone, prohibiting resmden~_al development not relating to farm needs. However, agricultural zoning has only zarm~r and therefore should been adopted with the consent of the ~ ~ not be considered a perpetual or even a long rmnge ~rotection. ~. Restriction of Mmnicipal Services. The scheduling of proposed public improvements, i.e., public water and sewer facilities,. could have an effect in preserving agricultural lands by limiting construction in these areas. It is recon~aended that the To~ of -20- Southold encourage residential development in Zhe area south of Route 25 by giving this area a higher priority in the prograr~!ing of a public water system. Conversely, a low priority would be applicable to agricultural l~nds north of Route 25. INDUSTRIA_L~CO~®~RCIAL LA,ID USE PLANS Industrial Land Use Manufacturing is important to the economic well-being of the To~ of Southold. it provides jobs and brings wages into the To~aawhich~ in turn~ will create.~additional jobs in retail and other service developments~ Manufacturing p!~ats also create tax rateables without contributing to the school burden, usually providing more in revenue than they require .in m-om_icipal services. However, industry should not be taken as a cure-all for mumicipal ills. In certain locations industry may put a demand on mtu~icipa! services, such as highways, utilities and police and fire protection, thus drastically lowering tis revenue-producing advantage to the commumity. Industrial si%es, therefore, should be located where they require a minimum of highway improvements and no more than a reasonable extension of utilities. Recent trends indicate that Southo!d is in a desirable position to foster limited new industrial gro~h. Since World War ii, new industrial construction has shifted from multi-story buildings on small lots to one-story buildings on large tr~acts of !~nd. This change has facilitated the use of horizontal production lines and the provision of off-street parking spaces and iar~dscaped areas. Changes in space requirements in m~ny types of mmauffacturing and processing facilities has enhanced the industrial potential of a n~aber of large, vacant sites in Southold. Good access is the primary requirement for industrial areas, particularly for trucking and for workers coming by private car. Industry is largely concerned with ~__e assembly of goods and people, amid the energy and time costs of this assembly is a sig- nificant portion of total costs; thus the present emphasis on high capacity access, flat land, and' one-stcry plants. It is proposed that a series of sites for industrial devei-: opment be established along areas served by State Route 25 and County Route 27. These sites would provide approximately 600 acres of land giving prospective industries a nmmber of locational choices. The proposed sites showr_~ on the Development Plan Map include the relatively level land west of Mattituck Central Area -22~ between Routes 25 and 27A; the land west of the Village of Green- port, between the Long Island Railroad and Route 25; and a site at~the intersection of Aldrich Lane and Route 27 which is i~med- iately adjoining a proposed industrial park and salt-water desalinization pla~ in the To~n of Riverheado One of the main problems of the proposed industrial areas, will be the visual impact upon the Tov~n. Although the individual bui!ding may be competently designed, the structures will be typically dotted over a £!~t~ empty landscape, dominated ~y parked cars. The view from bordering roads such as Routes 25 and 27, is important, both for its advertising and its scenic value. Factories should not be allowed to back onto arterials or other areas from which they are visible° Architectural control, or at least site plan re~iew should be e×ercised over pl~t buildings and parking ~ loading areas. The latter areas should be screened by plant- img and fencing. Co~aercial Land Use In any co~unity~ people require the goods and services o£fered hy commercial development° As new residential areas are created, they are followed closely by establishments which ca~er to the needs of residents. The Town of Southo!d is typical of this pattern as illustrated by the co~erciai grov~h along State Route 25. As Southold continues to exp~ad, so will the amount and variety of co,mercia! establis~m~ents within the To,aa. The purpose of this plan is to guide the location of these uses and control the amount of land designated for them. As general background for this section of the Development P!an, it is important to note the differences between various types of retail areas~ To reduce the possibility o£ confusion, a general classification has beem made o£ three distinct shopping center types: the neighborhood (convenience), the co~unitv (to~_-wide), and the regional shopping center. The significant differences between these types of retail centers are detailed below. The Neighborhood Center. The Neighborhood Center features primarily convenience goods and ~ersonal services (such as food, -23- drugs, and sundries for everyday needs). It usually has from iO to 15 stores. A characteristic "neighborhood center" requires the support of not less than 1,000 families and can serve as many as 7,500 people if they live within 5 to 6 minutes driving time. The average aggregate building area for a neighborhood center is 40,000 square ~feet, requiring a site o£ between 4 to 10 acres. The existing Central Areas such as New Suffolk~ Southo!d and Cutchogue could be considered neighborhood shopping areas. The Commmuity Center. The Community Center features soft line curlers (wearing appare!~ etc.) and hard line (hardware, appliances, etc~) in addition to convenience goods ar~d personal services, it offers a greater variety than the neighborhood center. The number of stores in a co~n~nity center can vary ~from 20 upwards of ~0 ~m~d the aggregate building area averages 150~O00 square feet. Such a center can serve a population of 20~000 to 70,000. The existing central business district of the Village of Greenport and the M~ttituck Central Area could be considered com~nity shopping centers. The Regional Center. The Regional Center features general ~merchandise~ apparel, furniture~ and home furnishings. It is generally oriented arc,_nd one or more department stores and con- tains 50 to 100 stores. A site between 35 and 80 acres is required. A regional center needs a service area encompassing !00,000 to 250,000 ~ersons. Because the regional center offers shopping goods in great depth and variety, its drawing power is afum. ction of the opportunity for comparative shopping modified by the factor of travel time required to reach it. The Roosevelt Field in Mineola and the Walt ~itman Shopping Center in HmnZington exemplify this type of center~ Overall Objectives For the various Central Areas in Southold to prosper they must ~ ~ emu±a~e the'following principal design features of successful modern shopping Centers. i. Easy access to the center is available over a network of a_ ~er~al streets serving the entire trading area~ At the same time, through traffic is not permitted to interfere with retail activity, and is routed around the shopping area. 2. Efficient circulation is provided w_tnln the shopping area itself for cars, shoppers-on foot, and trucks which supply the merchandise. 3. Ample short-term, off-street parking is provided convenient to each establishment, in addition vo all-day parking spaces for those who work in the shopping area. 4. The retail facilities are grouped in a compact arrange- ment. This facilitates comparison shopping, leading to increased sales volumes, and affords ~reater shopper convenience. Thus, once the shopper parks, a number of errands can be accomplished within easy walking distance. 5. Am± non-retail businesses, such as manuzacturmng, whole- saling, and automotive uses, which interrupt continuous store layout, compete for street ~ad ~ ~ pa~K_no space, and detract from the appearance of a retail trading center, are excluded. 6. An attractive over-all appearance is achieved through the provision of well-designed ~ad efzzc_en~ stores, La architecture, order in advertising and identification signs, and liberal landscaping with trees, shrubs, flowers smd grass in appropriate areas throughout the shopping and parking areas. Retail Sales S~ace ~rojectio~s The geographical extent of the Town's trade area has been de~znem as encompassing all of the Town of Southold and a pore_on of Riverheado its extent is met~_mmnea by various factors, including distance and driving time, location of competitive fac- i!ities, and the orientation of existing road patterns and conditions. Expected increases in population and personal income indicate that by 1985 there will be slgn~c~at market potential for new retail facilities or an expansion of ~ ~' ex_s~mng ones in the TO~na of Southold and especially in the Mattituck cent_al Area Whether new '~ ~ the facilities are constructed wm~h_n To~a or in surrounding areas such as Riverhead is, of course, subject to m~ny factors. The projections made below indicate that there is a po~en~z~ market for retail 'sales which wo~!d ~juatify~a s~bst~~+~o~ ~?~'r~r~ i~' the total amo~nt of retail space in Southold. Whether or not Southold Captures this market is u~ to ~h~ residents, merchants, -25- and public officials of the Tovm. For the p'~rposea of the study, the following ass~nptions have beem made in estimating £uture retail sales. 1. Retail shopping facilities within the Tovzn of Southold ~.will serve primarily town residents, permanent and seasonal. 2. Personal income tevels, which have risen in Southold at a rate varying from 2% %o 10% per year for the past decade, will rise at the average armual rate of 3.2%. 3. The total 1985~personal income, in terms of !966 dollars, would be $188.3 million; 4. Approximately 35% or ~65 million, of this total 1985 personal income will be spent on retail sales in Southold. 5. The year-ro~md_poputati0n will increase to approximately ~,000 persons by 1985. .~ Based upon the foregoing ass~npmions, retail sales in Southold will increase from $!9.5 million in 1966, to $65 million in 1985, a gain of 250 percent. A field survey, conducted by Raymond & May in 1966, disclosed approximately 830,000 square feet of retail space in the Town of Southold, including the Village of Greenport. Of this total, '~92,O00 square feet consisted of retail facilities ~m ~38,000 square feet were au~omot_ve uses including auto sales am_d service. The estimate of floor area needs for 1985 was computed from projected sales for both retail and automotive establishments. Estimated S~ace Needs of Retail Establishments 1985 1. 1966 Retail souare footage 2. 1966 Retail sales 3. Estimated 1966 retail sales per sq.ft. ~. Estimated 1985 retail sales 5. Estimated 1985 retail sales per sa.ft. 6. Estimated 1955 retail space needs ReZai! stores & services *! Automotive uses 7. Estimated total retail space increase by 1985 830,000 sq. ft. ~i9.5 million ~65 million 2,310,000 sq. ft. !,i50~000 sq..ft. 1,160,000 sq.ft. 1,~00,000 sq.ft. (or 180%) *1 On the basis of the present ratio between retail sm_d automotive uses. -26- The Development Plan proposes that retail establishments continue to be concentrated in the existing Central Areas and in the Village of Greenport. ~resently there are over 392,000 square feet (this figure does not include automotive uses) in retail use in the Town and it is projected that this figure will increase 1,150,000 square feet by 1985. The Development P!~ for the Village estimates a total fut~me retail space requirement of 275,000 square feet. The Mattituck Central Area, which is already reacting to increased development ~ressure from the west~ can expect an increasing portion of future retail sales in Southo!d. The Development Plan estimates that the retail space requirement will increase from 102,000 square feet to 370,000 square feet in 1985. It is p~ojected that Southoid Central Area will need an additional 93,000 square feet, or a total of 165,000 square feet by 1985. Cutchogue Central Area will have an estimated retail space requirement of !O0,000 square ~eet. The remaining 2~O,O00 seuare feet will be distributed among the Central Areas of Peconic, New Suffolk, East Marion, Orient, and Fishers Island and in a proposed commercial area in the vicinity of Mill Creek and Budds Pond, adjacent to Route 25. The Tovm will not support a "regional shopping center". Parking Survey A field s~vey of curb and off-street parking facilities was tundertaken in the Central Areas of the Tovzn. Its purpose was to determine: 1. The nature and intensity of present utilization of available parking s~aces. 2. The £ut~me parking requirements of Southo!d's Central Areas. The survey collected information which noted the location of cuu~b and off-street parking spaces, loading areas, etc. To determine the intensity of use of curb parking spaces (or rate of turnover of parked vehicles) by vehicle t~pe, counts were made at one hour intervals. Off-street parking areas in Mattituck and Southold were surveyed every two hours. The sur~ey covered, in general, a time period of !O:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. for curb and off-street spaces. It was conducted on average mid-week days ~uhich were considered to be -omaffected by special conditions and -27- heavy smm~,ler traffic. The parking s~-mvey covered Southold's Central Areas, primarily ~atong the Main Road (State Route 25). In addition, less intensive checks as well as visual observations were made of curb spaces and private parking areas of the fringes of the Central Areas. The survey covered some 273 ur~etered spaces in the Towsim. (This figure includes both curb and off-street parking.) In addition~ periodic spot checks were made of approximately 230 curb spaces in the fringe areas. The parking survey results show Gnat the peak parking accumu- lation in the entire study areas occurred between 11:00 and 12:00. At that time, 116 or 45 percent of the s~mrveyed spaces were occupied. A fu~ oner breakdown of the survey results showed that the intensity of utilization of existing parking spaces varied in different Central Areas. For example, the 25 surveyed spaces in Cutchogue achieved only 2~ percent occupancy between 11:00 and 12:00. The parking spaces in the survey area were utilized at mn average o£ 32 percent of capacity. Parking in the To~m of Southold is in adequate supply overall; however, spaces are located where 2here is little demand, and space is often in short supply in the hi~ner demand areas. The most critical shortage is on Love Lar_e in the Mattituck Central Area and in the vicinity of the Post Office in the Southold Central Area. Conversely, the lot on Pike Street in the Mattituck Central Ac~ea is not heavily used. There is little doubt that during peak shopping days and during the summer months the demand for parking would be greater. It must also be noted that future retail development will require additional-off-street parking at a ratio of one space for every 350 square feet of commercial use. Therefore, the Central Area Plans show a combination of development, including off-street parking, new co~_ercia! development and suggestions for i~roved pedestrian and vehicular circulation. Central A~ea P!sms A sound com~aercial land use plan cma helm to e~im~nate vacmnt stores and decreased land values. This sec±ion of the Development Plan reco~mmends that different types of businesses should be encouraged to locave so as to function in accordmnce with the best -28- interests o£ the Totem. Possible financial success of con~mercial areas must not be the sole factor in determining their location. The question as to how they will blend into the existing commmnity~ what impact they will have on the traffic situation, and how they can be adequately served with public utilities must all be mnswered. The Development Plan proposes only two types of commercial areas: neighborhood mhd community centers. Neighborhood Shoppin~ Areas The series of neighborhood shopping~ centers sho~ma in the Central Areas Plans can be divided into two general classes. First, is the small shoppin~ area which may contain only 20,000 to ~0,000 square feet of retail space ~ad a similar amount of off-street parking facilities. This %-ype of facility would be located along the Main Road at East Marion, on Village Lmne in 0rment~ on Peconic Lane i~ ~ ~ ~ ~e~on=c, mud on Oriental Avenue on Fishers Island, It is recommended that off-street parking, at a ratio of 100 square feet of parking for every !00 square feet o£ retail space, be located behind the existing and fut~e com- mercial development. At the time that the off-street parking facilities are provided~ it is suggested 2b~t curb parking on Peconic Lane, Village Lmne ar~ the Main Road be eliminated. The second category includes the larger neigb£~orhood shopping center. These include New Suffolk and Cutchogue Cer~ra! Areas. New Su£folk Centr~ ~mea The Development Plan delineates a neig~oorhood shopping area on First Street from Jackson Street to King Street. The business area is presently surrounded by single family residences on the west and marine oriented facilities on the east. Expansion along New Suffolk Avenue, a collector street, would only result in a greater scattering of businesses than exists a% present. In light of these factors the King Street - First Street - Jackson Street area is proposed as the major site for an additional ~5,000 square £eet of commercial development. New of£-street parking facilities, at a ratio of 100 square feet of pa~king space for each 100 square feet o£ retail floor space~ are recormnended directly behind retail development facing onto First Street. These parking facilities will provide needed off-street parking ~ad loading space, and will -29- also serve the marine uses on the eastern side of First Street° N_w ~u£folk will not have much "shopping area" development There is a az_e need for public water for the entire peninsula. The _prime-extension for this area should be boatyards, marinas and related sources. The bridges should be replaced with wider bridges. The bridge near Kimoginean Point should be removed ~nd some co~eroial marine development made on the southerly tmad of the .creek. Cu:%chp~ue Central Area The DeYelomment Plan delineates a neighborhood shopping area on the Main Road (Route 25) £rom Grilling S~eet to De~ot Lane. This. shopping area, consisting of approximately 100~0OO square feet o£ retail space would serve the daily shcpping needs of Cat~nogue _es~d~ts and add a sense of co,unity identification to the area. The snoppz~g area is located advantageously in relation to Route 25, ~%ich is one of the two ma~or routes in the New off-street parking £acilities are p_opo~ea dzrect±y behind commercial development £aoing the Main Road. Access should be provided zo these facilities from North Street mud Grilling Street -~ather than from Route 25. It is recommended that one p~=~a .space be provided for each 350 square feet of commercial develgp- ment, The central parking area should be doubled~ possibly tripled. ~ - Comm.~ni~v S~o~.n~Center~ Southold Central A~ea and Mattituck Central Area are delineated as "commum~ity shopping centers". Each area exhibits not only an appreciable amo-~nt o£ convenience activity, but some degree of major shopping fa~_lz~=~s. The neterogeneity that exists in their f~nction is due to the ffact that they are central to a residential co~mumity larger than a single neighborhood. In addition to convenience activities, banks, professional of£ices, and civic uses are usually present. Southold Central Area The Development Plan indicates a com~mnity shopping area on the north side of the Main Road between Railroad Avenue and Beck- with Avenue. The existing commercial uses are presently inter- mingled with several public mad quasi-public uses including churches, a post office, and public schools. To the south~ a substantial residential section along Yo~ngs Avenue is immediately -30- adjacent to the s~opping area. E~oansion along the Main Road to the east and west would only result in an even greater scattering of businesses in the Southold Central Area than exists at present. In light of these factors, the Traveler Street - Beckwith Avenue - Mechmaic Street area is proposed as the major site for new retail store construction. In recognition of existing development which exists in the Southold Central Area, a plan was evolved which envisions the revitalization of existing coramercia! establishments and the develomment of an additional 90,000 square feet of commercial and office space. Pedestrian movement sho~d be facilitated by the closing o£ Beckwith Avenue and Traveler Street and the creation of landscaped malls which would com~aect the various parking facilities with retail development. Off-street parking, at a ratio of one smace £or every 350 square £eet of commercial floor area sho~d be provided by the construction of rear of structure parking facilities. ~en off-street parking facilities are provided, curb pm~king along Route 25 should be prohibited. This proposal is considered not ~arge enough £or the central business district. A "crash" program to improve traffic circulation arid parking in Southoid is urged to overcome this. The realization o£ potential retail development in Southold Central Area will require considerable e£fort to improve the appearance of existing buildings and the streets and sidewalks. It is suggested that ways and means of improving the over-all appearance of this Central Area be devised to guide individual property o~aers. ~ny such program should include the rehabilitation off deteriorating structures, the landscaping of pedestrian walk- ways and parking lots, sign control, and the use of textured and colored pavement to ~unify the entire development. Mattituck Central Area The retail concentration of the Mattituck Central Area is presently located on the Main Road (Route 25), Love Lane, and So~r~d Avenue. As the Totem o£ Southo!d continues ~o grow, the demand for retail space wilt exert increasing developmental press~om~es in the Mattituck Area. The p~an for the Mattituck Central Area provides the framework within which the necessary expansion can be achieved. -31- The Plan proposes that an additional 250~000 souare feet of re~a~±' ~ space be developed~ along Pike St~et,~ Sound Avenue, New Suffolk Avenue, and Wickham Avenue. Expansion off existLng fac- ilities am_d new development should not be in the longitudinal direction along Route 25, but rather should be in the form o£ increased depth.so.as ~o obtain a cluster raone! ~han a strip commaerciat development. Rear-lot parking should be developed at a ratio off one parking space for every 350 square feez of retail development. The commercial lmads immediately south o£ Love L~ne could be utilized by highway-oriented commercial activities. These activities should be encouraged to develop in clusters, a move which would not only improve the appearmace of Route 25, but ~a!so reduce traffic ~ ~ ~' .'+~ p~ob=ems bF lzmm~=ng access toga predesignated n~mber o£ driveways. ~ The intersection of Main Road, Love Lane, smd So~nd Avenue has been redesigned and channel_zed. The new desigm_ will he~ to alleviate a dmngerous traffic problem and contribute +o sm ~ ....... ~ circulation pattern within the Central Area. Other features o£ the Plan inc!ude small green areas and ~pedestrianmalls to er~ance the visual appearmace o£ the centra_. area, and extensive planting and screening to protect~en~~S~ -~ residential areas. Improved circulation, adam2_ona± o_m-s~re~ parking £acilities, and im~dscaped pedestrian areas are not necessarily a panacea for the future co~mmercial growth in Ma~t_~uc~, Although some retail outlets have been modernized in recent years, at the vresent time ~a number of stores are becoming viaibly obsolescent, improvement of both the outer facades, as well as the interiors of such establishmenvs, is essential if they are to help Mat%ituck compete successfully for its share of the retail market. This improve- ment of facades and _nte~zors must be an zndzv_dual e±for~ by the property o~maers and merchants themselves. Business deve!omment in Mattituck is satisfactory. However, local park areas will have To be increased and provision made to maintain them. Other Co~mercia! Areas The resort areas in Southo!d serve portions of the New York ~e~ropo±mtan Region. Within this region, such factors as increasing -32-- lng population, a rising standard o£ living, more leisure time, m~d better transmortation £acilities, all tend to increase the demand £or resort £acititieso The Development Plan recognized this trend by recon~mending, the limited extension o£ resort areas containing such uses as motels, restaurants, boatets, and marinas. The Plan outlines the existing resort areas and recommends that these be maintained with some expansion into adjacent non-resort uses and vacant sites. Areas recommended £or resort motels include sites along the North Shore, and along Silvermere Road mhd Shipyard Lane on the South Shore. Marinas are suggested on sites along Mattituck Creek, James Creek~ Wickham Creek, am_d adjacent to Sage Lane. -33- STREET AND HiG~TAY PLaN The proposals for the To~'s avreet system are designed to satisfy present needs, as well as those which will surely develop as a result of the znevl~ab±e increase in vehicular tra~f!o caused by the greater use of the automobile and intensification of land development in the To~ and in Riverhead ~ad Shelter Is!~nd. ~$_ile the road proposals discussed below were laid out with the best available maps, they remain appro×imate ~nd subject ~o the modifi- cation of detailed engineering studies. Minor deviations from ~ne routes proposed om the To~£~ Development Plan and Basis for an Official Map would not materially alter the basic proposal in each case. Prompt action is essential in placing agreed upon roads on an Official Map if the eventual cost of improvements is not ~o be precluded by future development in the proposed rights-of-way. Street Classification and Standards The Part I report contains an analysis of the exist~ag road system, including traffic volumes and highway capacity. It also establishes a functional street classification system in ~dnich roads are grouped into several categories based upon the typ_e and amoum_t of traffic using each road and the design st~adards re~ired to handle finis traffic. Within each of the road classifications the widths of rights-of-way will vary depending on the nature of abutting l~nd uses and topographic conditions~ The accompanying road section diagram shows the breakdov~ of typical rights-of-way for all categories except "Expressway". Since no expressways are likely to be built in Southo!d, umw!ess some area in ~ae To~_~ is designated as the location for a Long Island-to-New England bridge, no further analysis of this %~e of right-of-way is contained in this report. Major Streets. These streets are designed to carry s-~ostantial volumes of traffic rapidly from one section of the To~an to another, or to adjoining towns. A major street should be ~ote to accommo- date four lanes of traffic, a median strip~ and storage lanes for turning movements. Depending u~on the design feavures of this type of road, the right-of-way should be from 100 to 150 feet. (In certain instances~ particularly in built-up areas, the right- of-way mey be reduced to 70 feet. The road section diagram illustrates a major street with a !00 foot right-of-way.) Collector Streets. Collector streets serve primarily as carriers o~ local traffic from roads serving residentia! devet- opm~_~ to the major streets, and as conm_ectors between major streets. The right-of-way width of a collector road should be a minim~Jm of 60 feet, sufficient to acco=modate 2 (and in some instances 4) l~nes of traffic. Minor Streets. These streets are intended to give direct access to abutting property. In low density residential areas, 50 feet is the minim-o~ right-of-way, whereas in com~nercial and industrial areas a 60 foot right-of-way may be required. Road System Proposals Every attempt has been made to view the road proposals for the Tov~_ as part of the larger regional framework. The Develop- men~ Plan Map and the text below cover not only roads in the To~n but also street proposals in the Village of Greenport insofar as they specifically relate to the traffic system of the To~. Needless to say, the approval of any street in the Village is the prerogative of Village Officials. It is suggested, however, that in,the best interests of the Village and the To~.~ that streets be planned as ~a integrated network irrespective of municipal bou_ndary lines (which have recently changed as a result of an annexation). The realization of a road system will require the continued cooperation of the Village and To~ governments. _ S~ree ~s Majo~ ~ ~ Green~ort ~¥-Pass. Currently, the main east-west road, State Route 25, forms the backbone of the road system in the Village of Greenport and also acts as the major business street. This condition seriously reduces the ability of the Village to handle local traffic, especially in the Central Business District. A goal established for this p~anning program was to achieve a separation of these two f~_nctions. To solve this problem~ the To~n Development Plan contains a road proposal in the -~r~incorporated area so that through traffic will be able to by-pass the more intensely developed areas in Greenport. The by-pass, which should follow the existing right-of-way of Chapel Lane, would provide a direct linkage between County Route 27 and State Route 25~ Such a system will provide the through movement for east- -35- west traffic now using Main and Front Streets in the Village. Co~ity Route 27 and State Route ~o Existing major roads classified in Part I of this pl~u were Co~s~ty Route 27 and State Route 25~ The roads are adequate for existing development ~ad wi!l~ in general, efficiently serve future development if the Tovaa P!ar~ing Board effectively limits strip commercial development. It has, t~_ere~ore, been reco.~menaed in the section on co~mmercia! land use that commercial strip or ribbon development along State Rouve ~ be discouraged, and absolutely prohibited a!ong County. Route 27. Mat~ituc~ area. It was agreed that it is a good idea to extend Aldrich Lane north of Sotund Avenue to cor~ec~ with the new proposed road parallel to the So,nd from the To~m Line (near the proposed desa!ting plant) to Luthers Road. F~ther, the "Old Mill Br~dge" ~_m~n~'~' ha~ been removed should be _~e~aced_ with ~ new high level bridge'. This ~ill help to relieve the local tr~f±±c which is 'd~m. ped' onto'the four-lane road (Route 27) north o£ ~lav~zouc~ Village. A new North Shore Road. This collector road is proposed along the North Shore to provide access to residential develom- menv on Long Island So~om~d and the proposed park in the Peconio- Inlet area. On the westerly side of Mattituck Inlet it would extend from Ruth Road to Aldrioh Lane which is i~mediately adjacent to a proposed industrial area. East of the inlet it would extend from Sound View Avenue to So~_d View Road, where it terminates at Peconic Inlet. The proposed road would provide needed access to the north shore which is now lacking. Reeve Road Extension. It is reco~mmended that Reeve Road be extended over Long Creek to Mary's Road and thence to Route 27. Th~s proposal will provide improved access _rom vne north shore to western Southo!d, especially the Mattituck Cenor~l Area. As a linkage in the proposed Noroh Shore Road, it will suost~ntmal_y imorove access to and from residential development in the Mattituck Creek area. Acker!v Pond Lane Extension. Ackerly Pond Lane should be extended from its terminus at Route 27 to So-om~dview Avenue. This prooosal will orovide additional access to the prooos~m park in -36- the Peconic inlet area. It will also serve as a linkage between Routes 25 and 27 and the development on the Long Island Sound shore° The drainage of this street should be improved as it now floods to be nearly impassable in stormse Also, the entrance at Route 25 is dangerous and needs to be improved. Minor Streets The remaining exi.sting streets in the ~o~n are classified as minor streets° New minor streets in subdivisions should be related to each other in an orderly pattern~ The process of subdi¥ision review provides the Planning Board with the opportunity to insure that an integrated street system is developed° Detailed Analysis of Street I~rovements It is not within the scope of this overall Street and Highway plan to make detailed studies of all ~ossible road deficiencies such as b~ind inversections ~ae to high walls or shrubbery~ narrow r~adbeds, poor roadbed s~faces, poor sidewalks, lack of curbs or guard raiis~ and similar conditions ~nich may exist im the To~n~ Such detailed studies and surveys of street conditions are~ however, desirable. Some of the necessary maps are probably in the hands of the State, County or Town, but a substantial amoauut of survey work will be necessary in order to prepare accurate maps with up-to-date information. Once the above data is secured~ the best means of eliminating deficiencies in Southotd's network ca~ be determined. Achieving New Streets The Part I planning report sets forth several methods for securing new streets. In addition, highways may be constructed by the Co~ty or State. Regardless of the method eventually utilized, the rights-of-way of future streets can be protected by the use of an O£ficiai Map~ The ~roced~es and ±mplica~ions of the Official Map process have already been discussed in the Part I planning study, and a map to serve as the basis for preparing an Official Map of the Town of Southotd is subm_ttea herein. -37- OPEN SPACE AND ~L~CREATiON PL~_N The provision of parks and playgro,~nds, ~(aether in predominantly open or built-u~ areas, calls for farsighted planning mhd pro- gramming. The National Recreation Association, ~nmcn has been advising com_muzaities across the nation forover half a century, currently ~ re~om_m~_as a minimmm of 10 acres of local recreation sDace for every 1,000 persons. Their standards emphasize the importance, ofazs~rznutmng~' ~ '~ ' r~crea~mon~ ~' - areas throughout the community as well as their size and type of developme~_~. Standards of this type must, of course, be tailored to meet the particular characteristics of each comm~naity. In addition to the standards of I0 acres of !cea± ~e~_~atmon space for each 1,000'persons, the National Recreation Association _ _ recomm~nas that local facilities be~supplemented by at least 15 acres of regional recreation area o~ each 1,000 popu!avion. The State Park at Orient Point provides excellent regio~a! facilities for Southotd residents. A modern recrea~_on system is composed of several different types of facilities which faql into a nw~er of general classifica- tions. Playgrounds These are areas of a suggested minimum size of 5 acres, developed for active play, primarily for children of elementary school age. A variety of equipment and play areas are appropriate for playgrounds, including swings and other apparatus; a paved area for cobalt games, a playing field for baseball, soccer and similar games; am_d a play area for you_nger children. ¥~ile not all. of the above are essential,_ the ~_s~ ~ does ...... ~o~ the general character of the ~a~ll~_es. The aes~aule distribution of p!aygro~uads should be such that children do not have to travel more than 1/2 mile fr~m their homes~ and the trip should not involve au~y ~ausual hazards, such as the crossing of a major traffic artery. Plavfieid~ These are facilities in which teenagers ~nd yoking adults may participate in full scale sports such as baseball, football, ~ - ~ P!ayfield size should range from 12 soccer, track, and ~enn_s. to 20 acres~ and may be combined with other facilities such as -38- neighborhood parks and high schools. ~eigh~orhood Parks These are small parks which are primarily intended %o offer a quiet and attractive setting for passive recreation within easy walking distance of residential areas. It is also desirable at times to locate a park with other central facilities of a neigh- borhood~ such as ar~ elementary school, a playground or commercial areas. Such an arrangement will contribute to the development of a neighborhood focus with a variety of activities. To~ Parks A to~n park is a relatively large tract Of land, forming a '!andsca~ed Knit', which would include natural features such as woods, streams, rivers, shoreline, inlets or wetlands. The primary pu£~pose of such a p~k is to provide a pleasant environ, ment in which one can engage in a variety of recreational activitites, including those which relate to ~aatural features. It should be noted that the above-mentioned National Recrea- tion Association standards recommend a variety of active recreation facilities for all age groups. The To~aa af Southo!d is fortunate in having sufficient vacant area that could easily be acquired for future recreational facilities. Early acquis±tion of sites should be given a high priority even if there are no ir~ediate pl~s for the development of recreational facilities. Once the more desirable s~tes in the To~ are utilized for private development, they will be forever lost to the community. Recreation and O~en S~ace Plan The provision of adequately spaced recreation sites within walking distance of youmg age groups in the To~ is not feasible because of the large size and present iow density of development. However~ the Town's open quality, which forms a rural back~round for the developed parts, fulfills a large part of the Tovm~'s need for cpen space. This condition will change as new development increases the need for open spaces and large parks. The following proposals for recreation ~nd open space comprise a major element of the Development Plan and are intended to take full advantage of Southold's excellent physical features. -39- ~o~hopd Parks and ~laygroun~s Specific sites for small recreation facilities such as neighborhood parks and playgrounds are not sho~m on the Develop- ment Plan Map. Ir'is recormmended ~na~ these faclll~_es be provided th_ougn the utilization of school play facilities am_d supplementea by neighborhood play areas distributed in residential subdivisions° The_ ~roposed su~a~v~sion re~a!ations, prepared during the p~annmng program, provide a me~ns of acquiring recreation areas as land devel ~ opm~nu occurs. Parks The following new recreation sites and/or nature conservation areas are recommended: Proeosed Addition %o the State Park at Orient Point. It is recommended t_~a~ the State Park at Orie~t Point be enlarged to include salt marsh areas to the north of the existing facility. In acquiring the marsh for park purposes, it is proposed that the character of the area be retained as a conservation-oriented edr~.cational facility. Facilities could include salt water ponds, bird and animal s%~.dy areas, soil and sand dum~e exlibits, shell- fish mhd crustacea e~_ibits, fish exhibits, and areas of native plant materials. Dockage facilities should be provided, affording access for those ~no arrive by boat and also for the purpose of expanding study opportunities by making it possible to visit nearby marsh±an~s am~a sandbars accessible only by water. This area should be improved with camping mad trailer facilities. Ail other wetlands in ~~h~ ^ Orient area should be put into an open space program. Dam Pond. The existing Town beach should be exeanded in a westerly direction along Long Island Soumd. Additional acreage would facilitate the deveiopmenz of a more desirable am_,d useful Totem park at this site. The isthmus besween East Marion Orient as shovm on the map should be revised to eliminate ~e exms~_ng residences. The 'Cove Beach Es~ab~s' l~ad on %he Sound and west side of Dam Pond, the area sou~h of Route 25 .~ ~.~ n .... Pond to the ensrance of the creek south of Stephenson Beach should be put in park area. "Stephenson Beach" (existing public beach" should be extended easterly to the residential area and improved -40- as a public beach, possibly a small marina in the creek entrance~ Arsha~gmaque Park. This attractive marsh area of approx- imately 65 acres is located immediately adjacent to Arshamomaque Road. Presently ~used ma~s__land~ this natural asset could offer the possmbm±mvy of boating~ fishing and swimming in svummer months~ Cedar Beach Park~ This park snou_a be intensely developed. South Harbor Park. Enlarge the Southold Park District park at South Harbor Road and possibly use the "Co~moners" land at L~tle Creek £or pa_~k p~poses. I~ should be p ~ in some form of permanent open space program. Peconic Inlet Park. The proposed park extends from Great Pond to Peconic Inlet and is boauaded on the north by Long Island Sound. It is proposed that~ ~ ~ ' ' oeac~, picnic ~nd nmkmng facilities be provided~ The waterfront area in this portion of the To~n is relatively undeveloped and offers a rare recrea~_on opportunity which would benefit all To~¢n residents. La~mrel Lake. The existing To~,~na ~ark should be expanded to imctude land on either side of the presenv facility, it is recommended that maxim~m_ utilization of this area be achieved by opening the lak~ to Tow~ and Village residents for swi~ing, boating and fishing. In addition, picnic and other recreation facilities should be provided on the land adjoining Route 25. It is recommended that land to the west be purchased ~nd all other land on the lake that can be bought except the Camp Molloy property on the east which they will need for expansion of their facilities. ~e~o~n___c Bay Boulevard This small park area south of Peconic Bay Boulevard near the L. L. Dot,ns subdivision should be eliminated in favor of enlarging and improving other Mattituck Park District parks. East Road. Fleets Neck: This beach should be eliminated in favor of a central beach near Pequash Avenue to be o~ned and maintained by the Cutchogue Park D_s~rzct The approach to the end of East Road is d~ngerous. Goldsmith inlet. This park should not be extended beyond present limits but should be intensely developed. Clark's Beach. The Vi!lage-o%~ed land at 'Clark's Beach' should be combined with the Tow-n'o%~ed property at Eastern Shores and made into a park and beach 'area. Goose Creek. The ToTM Beach east of Goose Creek Bridge area should be enlarged as soon as possible. -41- Marratooka Lake Park° This park is conceived as a lake front facility serving ~she population in the Mattituck area and especially Mattituck High School° E. Ru!and. Eliminate proposed park on land o£ E. R~land, south of New Suffolk ~enue ~ad east of Marratooka Road and enlarge other Mattituck Park District parks. Deep Hole Creek Park. The site of this proposed park con- sists of a wooded parcel Situated directly opposite the Mattituck Airport on Marratooka Road. tt is naturally endowed with handsome shade trees and its preservation for ~ark purposes is desirable in order to buffer residential areas, to the east and north, from the airport. Fishers Island ~ark. The proposed park is located in the southwest portion of the Island adjacent to the Airport° It is proposed that ttais facility contain a public beach and picnic area. Marinas A number of sites throughout the To~-n are proposed for marina deve!opm~nt. This includes areas along Mattituck Inlet, James Creek, Wickham Creek and along Sage Lane~ According vo the Recreation Study done by Bruce Wilkins of Cornel! University, there is an existing need for increased marina facilities tb_roughou% the To~^m especially Greenport West. A combination of slips, bowties and moorings should be provided. Additional services might also include adjacent land storage, repair facilities and p~rking areas, tamach facilities and service for moorings, har~are and fuel sales facilities, groceries and ice sales facilities and boat ~nd fishing tackle rental amd sales outlets. Main chamnei dredging or maintenance dredging is recommended for most of the. creeks. Wet!mad and Inlet Preservation The ~ermanent retention and ~ub!ic control of wetland ~nd inlet areas, as indicated on the basis for the Official Map, is reco~.ended for the following reasons: t. Conservation. Harbors, bays and inlets with their associated wetlands are nursery areas for many forms of marine life m~_d living areas for many others. The specialized nature of wetlands also make them critically imp0rt~n% to wildlife, especially shore and wading birds and waterfowl. It is important that these ~y~es of natural areas be preserved'. In so doing, we can conserve for future generations some of the ~mspoiled shore areas, which have formed a part of the uniqueness of Southold. 2. Storm Bu£fers~ Salt water marshes have proven to be invaluable buffer zones, lessening the violent e£fects from hurricane swe~t waves on 8m~ otherwise unprotected shoreline. Wet!~ads and salt water marshes are in effect natural breakwaters serving to mitigate the shock of po~ding waves. 3. Fresh Water Resources. Dredging of wetland basins for the purpose of removing sand and gravel deposits, or for ~ny other reason, can jeopardize.the fresh water character of the ur_derlying acuifers. In addition~ such dredging seriously contributes to sa!t, water intrusion into fresh water storage areas. ~. Pollution Control. Providing natural drainage ways ~nd reducing the nmmberof streams '~£~aatura!!y forced u~nderground,~ or destroyed, will prevent infiltration of individual septic fields and resultant pollution of storm water drainage systems. 5. Draim~ge. Wet!ands and inlets act as storage areas for the run-off of the higher surrounding ground~ They also raise the water table by allowing rmn-off to remain in naturaI cha~om~els and ponding areas. 6. Recreation. Marine wetland areas are ideal for passive recreation such as walking, picnicing, fishing and conservation education programs° In addition, they contribute to the present natural and open character of Southold-~d should be retained in the open space inventory to provide a background for the developed parts of the To~. ~o preserve wetlands and inlets for these vi~at purposes, a detailed analysis and plan should be prepared for each such area. Some need more protection ~uan others. In some cases, marinas may be p~rmit%ed~ in others dams may be needed to eliminate salt wa~er intrusion as recommended by Malcolm Pirnie Engineers in the Community Facilities Plan seotion of this report. -43- Means of Acquiring Recreation Sites and -Retainin~ O~en~S~aee and Conservation Areas In cons!aert~g a park open s~ace or conservation program, iv is ~mport~t to be aware of the various means by which Sou~nold may acquire such l~d in a variety of ways~ Following are some of vhe existing m~-~__oms by which such,sites may be acquired. Di~ct Acouisition. To~s may purchase or conde~ properZ~~ for ~arks ~ad playgrounds~ Land acquired for public water supply may be used for recreation ~der regulations of the New York State Health Co~mm_ss~one~ which usua!~y ~ermit fishing and boating, but not swi~ingo It should be no~ed that e~enditures for acquisition and operation of park lands are affected by limitations in a co~munm~y s debt and taxing position~ The ~edera! and State governments have initiated programs ~o assist con. unities in purchasing park lands and open space preserves° Under these programs the State will contribute 75% and the Federal government 20% o~ the acquisition cost° Thus, a single site could be p~- chased with financial aid totaling as mueh as 95% of the cost~ The State program is limited to p~ehase of i~ds for recreational purposes ~ile the Federal program allows for the retention of open space as a gain in and of itself. ~s~chase of Deveiqpment~. This ~rcced~e guarantees vreservation of o~en space but almo~s ±a~d to remain in private o~aaership and use~ Open types of development such as agriculture or private recreation, are usually permitted, but the owner sells the right to develop his land £or more intensive uses. This ....... o~ of purchase allows the retention of open space with a minimum of expenditure. Changes in the fa× structure c~ f~rther ~a~oe such a method by reducing the assessed value of the land to reflect its ~mmmtea developmenv potential~ ~couis~ion, Leaseback and ~rchase of Conservation Easement~ are two metnom~ along w~t~ the above item that allow a cease, unity ye retain open spaces in private o~aaership as they simu!t~neously ~n~ rush of serve to protect the open com_m~ni~ character from urban s~rawl ..... Another desirable feature of .......... ~ proo~au~ ~,~en compared to purchase in fee, is the lower cost involved. Lease with O-orion to Buy. Leasing with the option to buy -44- has the advantage of temporarily preserving threatened resources of open space without an im~ediave large public expenditure. Transfer of Lands ~mo~ Governments. This is a method by which u_nused public lands or facilities may remain in the public trusv. Such lands may be deeded by the Federal or State Govern- merits to the Term GoverNment ~nen and if they are available. Federal lands may be purchased by local mvunicipalities at 50% of fair market value or may be leased by local recreational agencies. Tax Delin~q~ Lands. Tax delinquent lands are mnother exam-ole of how recreation areas may be obtained by transfer, this time between agencies of local government. Such lands may either be used directly for recreational purposes or may be traded for larger or more useful sites. Many comm'ecaities have relied exven- siveiy upon this method to develo~ a park system. Zoning. a. Wetland Zoning. The proposed Zoning Regulations pro- hibit developmental enoroac?~nent on "Wetland Areas'~ designated on %he Official Map. These areas c~n. still be used for private purposes of an open nature which will not adversely affect the natural attributes of the area. immediate start on a "wetlands program" either by special zone district or negative easement is recommended. b. The proposed Zoning Regulations encourage subdividers to leave open areas by permitting cluster development which allows a reduction in the size of individual building lots if the overall density requirement is maintained. The land thus preserved can be either retained as private property or dedicated to the Teeth. Subdivision Regulations. The proposed Subdivision Regulations require the dedication of land for recreation purposes by a subdivider based on 'the size of his development, and contain strict regu!atio~s governing the dredging of chaNm_e!s~ landfill and ~rading. CO}'PR~NITY FACILITIES PL/kN Schools, firehouses and Token administration and maintenance facilities will have to exp~nd as the To~'s population, business and industry grow. Public water and sewerage facilities must also be extensively provided to serve ~future development in the The exact location of these facilities depend upon numerous economic and engineering considerations that should be guided by the comnrehensive policies and proposals of fnis Plan. Water Facilities The water system owned and operated by the Village of Green- nort is presently the only public water system in the To~,~_ of Southold. This system provides fresh water for domestic use and fire protection in areas within ~d i~mediately adjacent to the Village. There are a small number of private water systems which supnly water to res_denvma~ subdivisions Most of the homes ~ad commercial estabiis~ents in the To~ that are not supplied by the Oreenport system obtain their water from individual wells. The quality of the fresh well water in Southo!d is generally good from a chemical ~ad bacteriological standpoint. However, chlorides caused by the intrusion of sea water has caused cons~m- ination in certain areas close %o the shoreline and to salt waver inlets. According to Malcolm Pirnie Engineers, who have recently completed s~ investigation of Southold's water resou_~ces, the danger of salt water intrusion is the principal factor limiting the am. ou~t of water that can safely be withdravrn from the ground in various parts of Southold~ The Development Plan endorses the engineers' recommendation that Southo!d employ every available me~as to protect its ground water supply. Specific methods to accomnlish this goal should include the following: Deve!o~ment of a _P~.blic Water Su~ly ~ys~e~. The Greenport ~e_ System supplies water to about one +dnird of the total permanent population of Southold~ Most of %he remaining residents are supplied by individual wells. As residential development increases along ~ne south shore, public water supply £acitities should be provided. The Greenport System should be gradually -46- extended along the Main Road to supply water %o East Marion, Orient and Orient Point. Areas between Greenport ~ud Mattituck could be supplied by an extension o£ the Greenport System or by a new system developed and operated by districts formed by the Tovaa and operated by contract. Location. and Spacing o£ Wells. The location, spacing depth of wells of large capacity depend upon a number of independent factors and each new installation should be considered.on an individual basis. The possibility of the Tow~ exercising legal, administrative and engineering control over future well deYetop- merit should be considered. Ail large wells and large water uses should be by permit from the Pla~ing Board. Drainage Ch~e! Dikes. Matcol~ Pirnie Engineers' report indicates that there are a nut, set of drainage char~aels that extend to~the South Shore of Southold across ~_aich it may be £easible to provide low d~s or dikes. These dikes would restrict surface and ~derground drainage o£ fresh water into sal~ water inlets and bays and would facilitate the conversion o£ .existing salt waver inlets ~nto fresh water ponds. A program of diking the head of several creeks to hold back "r~off" water as recommended by Malcolm Pirnie Engineers should be -~adertaken soon. The necessary legal forms should be draw~_ up a~_d preliminary plans ~or each site made. The policy of returning all surface r~-~ao£f water into the gro~d a~d not let it r~ into salt water is reaf£irmed. Dredging o£ Wetiamds e~d inl~ud Salt Water Cha~ae!s. The dredging of wetland basins and salt water inlets for the ?s~pose of removing sand and gravel deposits, or for any other reason, can jeopardize the fresh water character of the underlying aquifers. In addition, such dredging seriously contributes to salt water intrusion into fresh water wells and storage areas. The through the Proposed Zoning Regulations, should prohibit develop- mental encroachment in wevlands and inlets. These areas e~ still be developed for uses of an open nature which will not adversely a££ect the natural attributes of the area. Recharge of S~£ace Waters~ The New York State Highway Department and a ~mber of the To~s on Long Island have designed highways and storm drainage systems that discharge into excavated gro~_d water recharge basins. A number of these b~sins have been constructed in Southold ~nd this ~ractice should be continued~ Salt Water Conversion. Considerable progress has been made in recent years in pilo~ plant operations related to the conversion of salt water to fresh water. The New York S~au~ Atomic~and Space Development Authority has been developing pleas for a combined atomic powered electrical generating and saline water p!~nt at Surfside in the Tovm of Rmve~_~ead~ ~ industries, which use a large quantity of fresh water are developed in the norvnw~st ~ortion of Southo!d, they may find it advantageous %o purchase water from the proposed'Surfside Plant. ~ewaxe Disposal Future development will require sewage systems in built-up areas to protec, t fresh water resources ~nd to provide .aaequa~e disposal services~ ~?~en the time approaches for constructing a ~ub!ic sewer system~ the Town should contract with an e~gineering fi~m to prepare am_ overall sewerage system plan~ The State pro- vides gran~s for such studies. For s~ecif~c _ pro~s the Federal governmenv provides interest-free loans, which do not have to be repaid mumm_ construction is under%aken~ The first study will determine the most feasible system for the Tow~_ and estimated costs, and the latter will develo~ detailed plans and speclfica- tions for the first projects. Once detailed plans have been deve~o~ed~ the S~division ~! ~ n ~ _ Regu avco s could be amended to require deveio~ers to install dry sewers. Federal grants are also avail- able to help pay for construction of sewage treatment plants and certain other re_area macplot_es. The e F me~_ Gover~ment will pay up to 30% of the estimated cos% of construction or ~600,000, whichever is smaller. Joint projects between two or more com- mur~ivies are permitted, thus enabling joint Viilage-Tovrn action. Under 'the Pure Water Bond Act of 1965, New York State aid is also available to finance 30% of the cost of construction of treatment plants in those cases in which theFederal Goverm:ment pays a like Refuse Disposa~ The ~ · -~ - 'q- ±o~,m cu~_env~y operates a refuse disoosa! slue. Never- theless, vhere will eventually be a need ~o provide more fill sites and even more economical and convenient systems for refuse disposal. Within the next few years~ the development of composting as a method of municipal refuse treatment may well develop into an -48- appropriate solution yielding an agriculturally useful end product. Tn ada_Tmon, the Town has a clear l~_teres~ in supervising all disposal opera%ions in Southold through the use of zoning co~atrois and nuisance orm_.nances. '1' . =.~.i~gs Puo±~c Bu~id~ Tovm Hal! The present Town Clerk's Office in Southo!d Central Area is inadequate to properly fumction as the administrative and legis- lative center of Town government. The first item on the capital improvement program is a new Totem Ha!lo This item should be f,omded i~snediately~ and should be ~arge enough to carry on the Town business and a room for public meetings° -50- IMPACT OF PROPOSED LONG IS~D-NEW ENGLAND BRIDGE ~istor~ In 1964, Governor Rockefeller appointed the Long Island Bridge Study Committee to investigate the £easibility of a Long Island-New England Bridge. The Comm. ittee engaged Bertram D. Tai!my Associates, and Wilb~ Smith mad Associates to investigate a bridge connection between eastern Long island mhd either C¢.mnecticut or P~ode Island. At the present time, vehicular traffic originating in Long Island and destined for New England must backtrack the length of Long Island ~ad use heavily travelled highways in New York City and Westchester Coum_ty. The proposed bridge could therefore provide a considerable saving in travel time-and dist~ace. - Of the many possible ali~nents considered by the consultants, deua~±~d analysis were made for three alternative crossings. The first crossing would extend from Port Jefferson on Long Isiand Zo Bridgeport, Connecticut. The bridge and causeway would be apDroximately !~.5 miles long across open water. The second plan called for a crossing between East Marion and Old Saybrook, CoDmecticut. The bridge would be about 10 miles long across omen water. The third alternative was a crossing between Orient Point and Graves Neck Rhode ~s~nd. The bridge and causeway would be approximately 2~.6 miles long and imciuded i~ndings on P!~um ~nd Fishers Is!~nds. The Committee's consultants eliminated the first and third alternatives due to the estimated high construction costs and low revenue yield. The East Marion crossing was se!coted as the most practical and economically feasible~ The consu!q~nts also recommended that any agency which is autlnorized to proceed with the financing~ constrmction smd operation of the Long Isl~nd- New England Highway Bridge give consideration to the advantageous integration of the bridge with a high-sneed public transit facm_msy. Estimated Bridee I~pagt The impact of any bridge ali~_~en~ on the future development or the Tom~_ of Southold will be due primarily to the proposed expressway system required to co,neet the bridge with the inter- -51- state highway network and major mevropo!itan areas. Such an expressway, together with the Long Island Railroad, could c~eate a major transpgrtation corridor through the center of Southold. In developing the short-rum picture of the highway impact, a ~aber of adverse effects will ir~waediately become recognizable in Southold. Firstly, a physical barrier will be created through the center of the To~ that will 'effectively cause an artificial eemaration of various areas of fne co~_muaaity. In addition, the right-of-way takings for the expressway will fragment-many of the existing £arm plots into smaller segmented par0els. Y~ny loss of acreage and splitting of farms will have discernible effects on the agricultural uses in the co~.r~mity. There are a number o£ adjustment problems i~herent in this gragmentatton of farm opera- tion. In the long run, any expressway system linking Southo!d with western Long Island and New York City may~_~ve a more favorable effect upon farm operations. As the speed of truck transport is increased and its cost lowered, market areas can ~e e~oanded and market procedures cma be adjusted more precisely to meet demand. .Producers of potatoes and o£ perishable commodities are likely 2o benefit most from an improved transportation network, and fha resu!tmnv increased accessibility of primary market areas° However, the most far-reaching iong-r~om~ consequence for the To~._ of Southo!d will be the chmnges in development patterns broughz about by increased accessibility. Any highway system that will bring the farmer into the city, will also bring the city to the co~ntryside. Within the last decade, it has become increasingly evidenv that industry and commerce are forsaking the central city and relocating in the rura!-s,~urban fringe or beyond. Any i~rovements to the highway system in the New York Metropolitan Region can only speed up this decentralization process. While it is impossible to foresee in detail ~e net effects of a major transportation corridor in Southo!d~ a number of developments would seem inevitable. One is that fne pressure of non-agricultural demands in the farm land market will increase. The rate at which farm land is taken out of cultivation and con- verted to development sites is based on a delicate fiscal balance. Increased land values resulting from greater accessibility will hasten the conversion of today's farm areas in Southo!d. Some owm_ers of farmland served by the new highway and its various interchanges will be able to sell their land at prices ~nat are ~o, ~ ~e~ and four times its agricultural value. Another development is likely to be the increase in non- agricultural job opportmaities that will become available to the working population of Southotd~ Increased accessibility will bring non-farm jobs in Riverhead and western Suffolk County within a reasonable distance of local residents, in addition, the devel- opment of highway service facilities will increase farmers' opportunities to supplemenZ farm income or to move permanently into the non-agricultural labor force. Major transportation facility will increase the area from which local ~nd outside employers draw their labor force by reducing co~muting time~ Ymy inducement to increased off-farm work will strengthen the trend toward part-time farming. ~n increase in the occu~ationai mobility of the residents of Southold will have an adverse effect upon the stability of the agricultural oriented economy that presently exists in the Any major commercial and industrial development will have an em~fect upon the population grow%h rate. A substantial increase in the population will create demands for new comm-~_nity services that the Town government has neither the experience nor the tax revenue %o supply. With the construction of a bridge mhd hi,away network, residents of New York City and various New England comm~mnities wi!I be within one and one-half hours of Southold' resort areas. The shortening of travel 'time will make these resorzs considerably more accessible and will undoubtedly result in great increases in the total nu~oer of su~.er residents and an increased demand upon community services. In general, the rural character mhd pace which are presently valued by Southotd residents and visitors, could eventually give way to the benefits and shortcomings of a more suburbmaized environment. The greatest single value from the development of a new transportation corridor in Southold would probably accrue to the Village of Greenport. On of the most important facets in the development of a port operation is its connection with highway and -53- rail transportation sysvems. At the present time Greenport is kaQking this cornaection. Increased accessibility to the handling, processing and marketing centers in the New York City area would increase the desirability of developing terminal operations in the G~eenporv harbor area. Of course, the development of such a ~ac~tmty in the Village would have secondary impacts on the entire area. It would increase job opportu~aities and~ therefore, population expectations~ It would lmme±y lead to the development of port-related industries and require improved road co~mections to the major express~ay systems. This in f~ e_±ect would alter the entire land use pattern in the Village and adjoining areas in the Conclusions ~his_ ~an~g~ ~ ..... program has been forced to proceed on the assumption that such a bridge and highway network will not occur in the Tovaa. Recent engineering reports do not reco~.end either the East Marion or Orient Point crossing. In the event that con- ditions change ~nd the Southo!d area is once again under consider- ation for a Long Islsr~d So~nd bridge, the To~ should immediately consider the effect on their commu~ai~y in light of some of the impacts discussed above. The Tovzn Board and the Pl~aning Boamd should be const~atly aware of development proposals of this ~ype and of a tesser~ but still signific~at magnitude. The comprenens_ve plan ~rovides %he basis for evaiuaving ~ay proposals ~4~_ieh may occur in the fuw~me. It will probably be a long time before there is a bridge"£rom Southold To~n across the So,mad, ~uv it is far £rom a dead issue. Possibility o£ a high-s~eed ferry service to Saybrook has been SUgoesoed. This would also increase traffic if it were made a reality. PLANNING DISTRICT ~kNALYSI~ Introduction In order to determine the extent of residential blight in Southold, the To-~nhas been divided into study areas or districts. An accompanying map indicates the boundaries of the five plaN~aing districts delineated in the Town. The 1960 United S-hates Census of Housing provides the most extensive data available on housing conditions~ based on exterior as well as interior inspection of 25% of all dwellings. To facilitate the compilation of this ir~ormation the Census divides each com~munity into a number of geographic areas oalied "Enumeration Districts'~ (E.D.'s). Since the various data on housing conditions are presented in Census reports according to each enumeration district, the plamm_ing districts selected for this study have followed Census E.D. boundaries, in all cases E.Do's were combined in order to establish more reasonable study arees. _Planning District I Existing Conditions~ Plarsaing District I occupies the western portion of the To,~ ~d~ is ~-~7~ bo~aa~m~ '~ ~ by ~he Riverhe.ad Tow-n Line on the wes%~ ~ck Pond Road, Oregon Road, ~mzm L~e~ and MarraSooka Road on the east; Lon~ Island So~d on the north; and .e~on~c Bay on the south. The a_ ea is oriented primarily arc,md the Mattituek Central Area .which contains the major concentration ~o~erczam. facilities in the plsmnaing district. Con-~-~ity 'facilities include the Mattituck High Schoot, the Pike Street F~re_~ouse~ Ma%tituek gi rporS, La-~el Pond and MaZtituck Inie% parks. Housing is concentrated on both sides of Mattituck Creek ~d in recent subdivisions on the ~ sou~_~ shore along James Creek. There are concentrao~ons of seasonal housing along the north shore in the vicinity of Luqhers Road. On a percentage basis~ housing condiZions were b~er here than in most of the other plamning districts in Sou%hold. The census reported that only 8.s% of the mnmts were subst~ad~rd~ Subst~dard dwellings include s~ruco~ra~!} somnd housing wnmcn lacks adequate p!~bing, plus the two census categories ~t_%~ "deteriorating" and "dilapidated". Field surveys conducted by the consultant indicated that the dwellings '~ '~ ' ~ wm ~ a~cmenomes -55- were not significantl~"concentrated in any one a~'~a~ It should be noted that the seasonal dwellings along the north shore gave the appearance of being r~ dov~, and it is very likely that these we±±lng ~aits account for most of the su~s~a~_aar~ housing in the d~s~rmC~o Recom~mendatiOns. No intensive blighting conditions were fo'~ad to exist in Planming District I. The s~mall n~mber of seasonal dwelling ~nits lacking private pl~os~bing facilities are not considered to be criVicalo It is recommended that the residential oha~acte_ of the area be maintained and imeroved by protecting it from conflicting industrial or hea~y co,mercia! uses through land use eontrols. AS residential densities increase along the south ~ho~e, it is imperative that a public water system be developed. in addition~ zoning and subdivision controls should be employed ~o enoouPage future residential development along local road £rontages rather than on the high-speed lanes of Route 27. The Tov~n Development Plan proposes ~a extension of the Laurel Pond Park. The PPoposed Subdivision Regulations call for certain amo~uts of recreation space to ins~u~e that new residential areas will be supplied with adequate play areas~ Plar2aing District !! Existin~ Condition~. Play, ming District ii is generally bo~maded on the west by Duck Pond Road, Oregon Road, Mill and Marratooka Road; on the east by Peconic Lane and South Harbor Lane; on the north by the Long island Sound, and on the south by Peeonic Bay. It includes the Central Areas of New Suffolk, Cutchogue, and Peconic Mos~ of the land in this dms~rmc~ is devoted to farming A n~mber of public ~ad ~' ~ ~' . paroonza~ schools, m!rehouses, the To~ Police Headquarters, ~ad the To~{n Refuse Disoosa! Area are located in this district. Residential Deve~opmeno is con- centrated primarily on the south shore and along Routes 25 and 27. The 1960 Census of Housing reported that 9o5% of the housing ur~its in this planm_ing district were subst~adard. Field surveys by the consultants revealed thas a number of the hoeses and farm houses scattered alqng Route 27 were aging, sagging, and generally did not have adequate heat, wazer, or sewage. -56- Rec0n~endations. No concentrated blighted conditions were £o~mnd to exist in this district. The poor struct~_~al condition of some of the migrant dwellings should be eliminated through stricten£orcement off the New York State Housing Law, which governs migrant labor camps° Adoption and strict en£orcement off a housing code is also recommended. New residential development should be limited to areas on the south shore. The Proposed Zoning Regulations require larger lot sizes where public utility systems are lacking. This should help to control the intensity or density o£ residential developments which rely on £resh water wells and septic systems~ The To~n ~nould develoma public water system to serve south shore development. Pla~m_ing District ± ,_~ ~_~ Ex_~n~ Co~_d~mons Platooning District IIi includes the central portion off the Tow-n. it is generally bo~mded by Peconic Lane and South Harbor Lane on the west, marley Avenue and the Village off Greenmort line on the east, Long island So-emd om the north, ~_d Peconic Bay on the south, Southold Central Area is located within 2he district. Several public m~d quasi-public uses are ffo~md in 2he area including a n~_ber off p~otic and ~arochia! schools, ffirehouses~ Horton and Hash~omuck Beaches, and ~ne 0ffffice off the To~ Clerk. Housing is generally concentrated along the south shore and str~g out among Routes z5 mad 27. There are also a number off resort motels located along So~d View Avenue ~d the North Road on the north shore, and in 2he vicinity off Siivermere Road on the south shore. 0n a percentage basis, housing conditions were poorer in this ~ + · area 2h~n in ~y other d_s~rmct in Southold except Distric~ IV~ Off 2he total n~er o~ housing ~nits in this district, the Census reported that abou~ 18.2% were substandard. Field s~veys by the consulters revealed a concentration off dilapidated s~mer dwellings on So~_d View Avenue in the vicinity off the Great Pond. The most concentrated area o~ blighted housing encou~_~e_ed any- v/here in the To~ma was located .off~ off Route 25 adjacent to the Village off Greenpor2. This development was originally constructed as temporary housing during the Second World War and is still operating on a private rental basis. -57- Associated with this area are garbage strewr~ lots, ozafinished ~_ad badly maintained roads, and poor park facilities. Dilapidated makeshif± housing was also scattered along the North Road° Many of these oaaits appeared to have inadequa'~e heat~ water, sewage, and garbage m_sposal. Recormmendations. in many instances seriously dilapidated housing in Pla_.~aing District Iii should be torn doYr~_. However, in conjo_e~ction with any such progrmm, the Tovzn should construct low-rent housing for relocation of occupants v?~ao carm_ot afford standard dwellings available in the private market. Adoption and strict enforcement of a housing code is also recommended. As mentioned previously, new residential development should be limited to areas along the south shore~ The Greenport Water System co~o~±d be expmnded along Route 25 to service future development. _Public im~p~ovements v?~ich have been proposed in the To~_ Development P~an, include a new Towns Hall in the Southold Central Area, the enlargement of Hashamomuck Beach~ and tlne development of a mark and nature study area .at Arshamoma~o.e Pond. The Proposed Sub- division Regulations call for certain amours_ts of recreation space vo insure that new residential areas will be supplied with adequate play areas. Pl~an[~ng~ District IV E×isting Conditions. Plar~aing District iV is located in the eastern portion of the To~, It is generally bounded by Bailey Dr~enue and the Village of Greenport Line on the west~ Long Island So~nd on the east and north, and Gardiners Bay on the south. The district contains the Central Areas of mast Marion ~qd Orient. · he eastermmosv seo~r~ent of the area is devoZed to farming~ Several public and quasi-p~!ic uses are found here including Orient Point State Park, Troy, an Beach, and the Orient Point (Charles Rose) Airport. Housing is generally strung out along Route 25 with a few exceptions: Rocky Point, a development of single family homes; and the Orient Central Area. The 1960 CensUs of Housing reported tha± 23.4% of the housing in this area was substandard; the highest percentage in the To~. Visual inspection of housing conditions noved during the land use survey phase of the program did not confirm this percentage. A detailed housing survey of this plam~ing district conducted in -58- 1966 indicated relatively few maits that could be considered substandard. It should be noted that there are a large nu~~ber of seasonal dwellings in ~n±s dmstrm~o~ Many of the u~its did not have private plu~olno facilities and would therefore be considered as substandard by the Census~ It is likely that these dwelling u~its account £or the high incidence of substar!dar~ness in PlarL~ing District IV~ Reco~endations._ No co~m~am~ ~ '~y action programs appear necessary at ~ ~' t_~e present time to improve housing condz~zons in the district. Public improvements ~hich have been proposed include ma expansion o_ uae Orient Point State Park mad the e×oens_on Of Trummn Beach. As previously mentioned the Subdivision Regulations will provide adeeuate play areas. P!ammin~ District V ~xms~!n~ Cond~on~ . _s~ Planning Dmst~mc~ V encompasses Fishers Island. The Island is composed primarily of large estates; with smaller, single-family homes in the western portion. There are a limited number of commercial uses located on Atho! Crescent Avenue and West Street. The airport, yacht anchorage, mhd Ferry Terminal are located on the western portion of the Island. Fishers Islmad also contains a reservoir, Coast Guard Station, and private golf and beach clubs. The 1960 Census reported that there was an insignificant amount of substandard housing in P!a~m_ing District V. A field survey indicated that the only significant potential vroblem area in the district was an abandoned military installation in the northwest corner of the island. ~ m ~' ' o ~h~ presenv time there are no serious ~o.m~enda~lons At + housing defects in Plm~_ning District V. The abandoned barracks are slated for ~ ~'~ m d~mo~z~o_~ mad the tmad is zo be redeveloped as single family homes. Pmb!ic improvements recommended in the Development P!ma include the improvement of Fishers island Airport za~m~_z=es~ a limited commercial expansion; mhd the creation of a public park and beach on the southwest shore, adjacent to the Airport. -59- CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM Many co..mmtm~aities~ both large mad smal!~ have found ~aual ca-3ital improvement prograr~ing to be an effective method o£ bai~aeing capital and operating expenditures and of aasuring the best possible use o£ available or potential resources~ A capital program is simply a common sense method to see that co~ity financial resources s~e utilized wisely~ Normal monthly aoco~ating and yearly budgeting have long been developed to aid administrators and governing bodies in the direction ~ad control o£ operating ex~enditureso But only recently have communities applied the well ~stablished private business method o~ long-r~_ge capital budgeting. Public works and other capital expendit~es produce oo~ity ~aai!ities which last ~or m~y years and co~on!y rake many years to be paid for ti~rough bond ~inancing. Therefore, the basic time ~eriod ~or decisions om such expenditures c~_no~ be ~or vhe coming year as for operating expendit~es~ bu~ at least ~ive or six years with s~stamtia! cons~de-~at~o~ flor the entire of any bond financing required. Only in this way c~ the Zul! range off services and ffacilities which the co~m_mniLy needs be economically provided without necessitating wide fluctuations in the a~ual 2ax rates. Thus, capital progra~ming is a basic t~ol for the accomplis~ent off Development Plan objectives. The capital program begins with the identiffication off possible public projects. NeW comes the de2ermination off the relative importance or priority of each praject, ~d finally the &~ual progra~ing off project expenditures over a six-year period. The assignment off a speciffic year for the accomptis~ent of a project musz be based upon its necessity and the ability to pay or cos~mence the ~inancing off it during Lhat year. These last two steps involve political as well as piamsaing and budgetary decisions. Each year 2he capital improvement program must be reviewed and extended another year into the ffuture to maintain the six-year advance program. There must be fflexibi!iLy in Lhe capital improve- menz program just as t~ere is in 2he Develo9ment ~1~ Needs of the co~mmu_nity are not always acc~ately foreseen, As needs change, p!mas m~d priorities may be readjusLed. it should be clear that substantial savings can be involved -60- in the early planning and coordination of ~ ...... . p~ojec~s mmpt~ea in the capital program~ning procedure. Additional economies of this procedure can also result from the possibility of early revenue planning for ta~ rates or bond arrangements. The resulting savings may pay for a sutstantial portion of the program~ There are many advantages of the capital programming procedure. Capital ~rogramming: 1. A±±o~s more time for study ~ud consideration of proposed public projeots~ 2, Encourages useful public discussion of service standards. 3. Allows for advance aoouisition of sites which may not be available later or might be available only at a greater cost. ~, Enables the consideration of all pro~eoos costs as non- cash matching oont_moutmons in governmental aid programs. 5. May allow supplemental engineering ~ ~ s~amm on a permanent basis~ thus reducing consultant costs~ 6. A££ords ma×imum use o£ £a'cilities through better construction timing° ~. Gives businesses ~d individuals an opportunity to coordinate their future operations with public improvements. 8. ~y increase To~ credit rating and ~ower bona interest rates~ 9. Offers ~exmbm_m~y ~o take advantage of low bond interest raze oppor'tmaitie s, 10. Facilitates direction of public expenditires to maximize pri~ate development projects. i!. Provides resistance %o last minute, special interest pressumes as a result of thorough precede_me. =z. Supplies the P±~nmzng Board with a yardstick to measure plans and onez_ accomplishment. !~. Inspires public confidence in %he To~m through citizen participation and the resulting ~aderstanding Of Termoperaczon~' ~ and policy making. In the consideration of the total ~ ~ s~aze of capital improve- ments it is most important to recognize that ~ublic works are investments in future earnings in the same sense as private business plant improvements. Tf the full range of conFnunity _zeems are satisfied and wise additions to facilities for gro~h are provided, -61- then ~-~- ~_x and utility revenues will grow to help cay a bill that would otherwise be considered too great a burden on the comm~er~ity. ~ablic works have a long life. !merovements last many decades~ park Lanes last forever. Their boha £inancing~ thus~ is o±ten over a twenty or even a forty-year period. To neglect reasonable~ conservativeexpectations of long verm gro~h in com~mmnity revenues is so fail in thep_roper ..... satisfaction of com_m~m_ity needs in the immodest°~u~u~e~ PrersaPation~ it is recor~_~ended that the Tovsn Board delegate so the Plaything Board the responsibility of aNlual!y preparing and submitting to it a six-year Capital Improvement ProgFam~ is coramon practice to have such programs prepared by the pl~o~ing agency. A "continuing program" of capital improvements should be established The PlaNm_ing Board should make recom_menaat~ons the Toe~ Board and revise and uedate it each year before the bu~oeo meeting each fai!~ The Plamaing Board should not get involved with school progresns other than land acquisition and building ~ ~ - e~pans~on programs. In preparing %he Capital Imerovement Program, the Ptarming Board should give due consideration to the financial resources.or the conLmmaity and its ability to pay for the projects reco~!ended. The P!aNmaing Board should have available to it, for the purpose of preparing the program, the advice and assistance of all municipal The Procedu~.e The ena!ysis of the caeital progras~ming procedure presented below is only suggestive in natume. It is hoped that %he outline, which is presented in five steps, will be t~i!ored to fit the apecific requirements of the To~ and be adopted as standard operating procedure. Ste_ ,o I: ~%naAypis o{._the To~'s Financial Resources. This analysis should include the following data which should be prepared and made available to the Pia~aing Board. a~ A projection of m'~icipal revenues from all sources osher than borrowing. This projection should assure o_.e tax rate so remain stable but should also attempt ~o estimate the p_obabme fluctuations in the total assessed valuation over the period o'£ -62- the study. The revenue increase or decrease ®de to each one cent variation in the tax rate should also be supplied. b. A projection o£ m~mnicipal operating costs, by department, speci£ying may increase or decrease in costs v?nich can be £oreseen, and the reasons therefor. Included should be all necessary items of equipment, other than tl~ose of long-lasting type, and replace- merit of worn-out items, in the case o£ foreseeable increase, the u~gency o£ the circ~mstsmces which demand that the expenditu_res be incurred should be established, while in the case o£ an expected decrease, the lmke~mhood om its occ-~rrence should be clearly explained. c. ~ne proposed school cavital improvement programs, showing cost of proposed projects and year when it was proposed that they be m~dertaken, in order to prevent cmmbined school and m~maicipat expenditure from imposing an excessive burden on the taxpayer. d; ~m analysis o£ present and anticipated special district needs, e×penditures and taxes. Step 2: Project LiSt. To compile a list o£ desirable projects, i2 is recommended that the Pia~maing Board~ a. Distribute project proposal mhd departmental summary £o~s to every depart~ent~ board and commission. b. A_~o~uce ~nat during a stated period, any mhd a!~ suggestions from 2he public will be received £or consideration; c. Request suggestions for projects from the supervisor and members o£ the Town Board. d. Study off the Town Develo-oment Pi~n with a view to selecting recommended projects flor inclusion'in the Capital Improvement Program. Following receipt mud ciassification o£ all requests, the Plarnaing Board sho~o~d hold conferences with the various officials submitting such ree~ests, and possibly with members off the public at large who have submitted suggestions, £or the purpose.of clearly establishing in their o~n minds the relative urgency' o£ the various proposals. S~e. 3= Cost Estimates and Methods o£ ~' ~ ~mnanc~_~. Alt capital and fut~o~e operating cost estimates in commection with each project should be prepared by the o££icial submitting same. In the case o£ projects originating with the Plar~ing Board or from uh~ appropriate the outside, the Board should refer them %o ~ o official for the preparation of cost estimates~ Possible and pr~_e~rv methods of financing each project snoala be developed by a finance co~m_utee of the Tovm Board in cooperation wmtn such other officials as they may choose vo consult, State Statute specifies that mn±o~ma~o_~ suomkt~ed for each prooecv ~na!l include: a. the estimated total cost thereof; b. %he proposed method of financing, indicating the proposed to be financed by direct budgetary appropriation or duly established reserve fu~ds} the ~nou_nt, if any, estimated to be received from the federal sma/or state governments; and the amoumt to be financed by the issuance Of obiigations~ showing the proposed type or types of obligations~ together with the period of probable use=u .... ss for which they are proeosed to be issued; c. an estimate of the effect~ if may, upon operating costs ~n~ m ...... pa~ corporation within each of -the three fiscal years following completion of the proOect. ~uep &-= Establishment of ~3orities. In ~ossession of the above data, the Pla~ning Board should be in position to submit a report containing a preliminary order of priomity~ Znciuded such a revert should be a full emo!anation of the need for ~ne proposed projects, the order of priorizy recommended for the elimination or postponement of amy improvement beyond the six year_~eriod. in relation to an mndmw±a~a! pr~oecu, the P!a~ming Board should also reco~maend the year in which such project is reco~mended ~o be mndertaken, the estimated cost of the project, and the preferred method of financing~ This document should be cArculated to the various Totem offic'ia!s before being released to vn~m an opport~mnity to submit their co~ents. the ~ub!ic, to give '~ ~ .~ol~o~n~_o mny revisions in the prelzm=na~y docum, ent, the Capital Improvement Program should be su?omitted to a public hearing. It mzg_~z be included ~ the next fiscal budget to be vresented briefly to the public by the official with ~om the proposal originated. To aid in the determination of ~riorities, the P!mnming Board may find that iv would be desirable to establish a Fiscaq_ Pla~min~_ eom~z~ee, composed of preferably not more than five citizen members and the following officials: The supervisor and one of the To~ Board members. One member of the Platooning Board. c. ±~. Town Emgineer, Assessor~ Clerk, and Superintendent of the Highway Department. Such a committee should meev only after the analysis of financial resources~ the list of proposed projects and all cost estimates are available for consideration. The primary role of such a com~mittee should be to assist in the estabZis~ment of priorities, it would be most ae~mraole if a report (mnc!uding any minority views) of such ~ '~ ~ oo~f~!~e~ were to accompany the Capital Improvement Program submitted to the public hearing. ~t~p 5: Presentation to the ~ocal G. qverning Bodz~ The resulting docamment should be presented %o the Town Board, vff~.ich may make such changes as iv may wish and hold further public nearmngs. Under the recent amen~ent to the State Statutes, the governing body has the power to adout a Capital Program Proced-~me. At any time after the a~op~zoz_ the Capital P~ogr~m, the govern- ing board is required to have the affirmative vote of ~-~wo-~h~ras' ~ " of its total me~r?oership; in order to amend t_~ Capital Program by adding, modifying, or abandoning projects, or by modifying ~he methods of fin~acing. No capital project can be authorized or ~_ndertaken by the Tovm Board -omless it is included in the adopted Capital Program° Members of the Tovm Board should attend P!a~m_ing Board meetings to have better coordination between the boa~as. ~roqo~sd C~jtal Ir~rovement~ W~nile it is recognized that some of the proposed capital improvements shov~ on the Project List presented below will not be solely financed by Tow~ f~nds, iv will require considerable effort and initiative on the parr of ToYzn officials to secure outside aid qo bring these projecvs to rrui-~ion. In this regard, the To~ has already demonstrated its initiative by undertaking the plammaing study which has oroduced this report. The County and State have broad interests and serve large areas. Their concern for proposals developed in this Plan will rest largely on the pressure exerted by local offisia!s. Nonetheless~ certain capital improvements are basically the responsibility of the To~ gover_~ment. The realization of vne public facilities below will require Town action amd fomds~ (The Park I report -65- contains a list o£ the financial grants various government agencies offer to aid co~m~inities achieving these types of improvements~) The capital improvements include: i. Adequate wa~er~ - and waste ~sposa!__ s~s ~e~_sm ,- 2. M~s~icipai offices ~ Street improveme~ts~ Purchase o£ park iand~ and red_sac_on areas Over the pasv deeade~ other improvements have come to be generally viewed as a !coal gover~ment responsibility. These l~Cmude. 1. The elimination of slmms arid blight and the erovision of a decent, safe and sanitary dwelling zor ever} resident~ 2. The revitalization of commmercial and industrial areas~ ai~-~ed in part towards achieving a soumd and stable tax base. The cost of such improvement programs far exceeds the .finane~a! capacity o~ moss m~e~c~a=m~=es The Federal and State governments now provide a variety of programs to help in the acnmeve_en% of these goals - as a cost ~eve= in Izne with local ~revenue ca~abili%ies. An investigation of these programs, including an analysis of their applications and zmellcaszo,~s in terms of local oonditions~ should also be considered a responsibility of To¥~ government. -66- SUF~RY OF I~L-~?~NTATION OF SOUTHOLD TO?~ DEYELOPI~NT Pi~A~N TO DATE The p!am_~ for the To~,~ of Southo!d is, in fact~ the product of all the studies~ findings~ and proposals by our consultants and decisions by our boards. It is of particular importarzce to detail what was presented at the information meetings at three different periods. For the first set of information meetings, Raymond and May presented "Development Plmn, To~m of Southold, Suffolk New York". Th~s ~a shown in digest form in Appendix A. For the second set of information meevings~ we have "Additional Facts and ~roposals for Southold~s Plan for Develop- ment, October i, 1970". This is sho~ua as Appendix ~. As Appendix C~ we have the statement distributed ~t the time the develommenv map was mrese~ated to the public entitled "Sou%ho!d's Plan for Development". This presentation was supported by 85% of those attending the meeting. After reco~mendations by the Plarnaing Board, the Term Board officially adopted the new Zoning Map mhd amended 'the Zoning Ordinance in its entirety on November 23~ !97i. Prior %o this time and upon reco~=mendation of our plsm~ning consultants, Raymond and May, an updated set of Rules am_d Regulations for the Subdivi~on of Land was prepared and presented by the Planning Board at a public hearing. Since the hearing was favorable, these Rules mhd Regulations were adopted by the P!arm_ing Board September 6~ 1967, and approved by the Tov~m Board September 26, 1967. Tinese rules were amended during codification and agaL~ there were minor amendmen2s May 8, 197~ to conform to chmnges in State arid Co~anty law mhd again on'December 9~ 1975 to provide for improvements. As regards zoning, it is to be noted that every chan~e in zone is in reality mn amend~tent to the Zoning Mam ~aich was approved in 197i~ There have been many such amendments but more importmat!y~ after reco.uFaendation by the Planning Board and a public hearing, a etuster development section was approved by the To~m Board May 29, 1973, and on the same day other recommendations of our planning -67- consultant~ were implemented° Specifically~ 40~000 square feet was made the minimums_ requireme~.t in %he A zone with 150 £eet of frontage for each residential plot. It is noteworthy that 40~000 square feet had bY this time become the minim~J~ lot area approved by the Suffolk Co~aty Department of Health for the eastern towns. Pa~k~ng ~ ~ '~-~-+~ .... r~qu~re .... n~ were also set. Codification resulted,also in ~mendments for the sake of conformivy~ As regards the implementation of ou~ consultants' advice in the matter of potable water~ the Pla~±aing Board has followed the guidelines of vhe Pirnie report and er~isions our water reso~s~ce as a fixed or absolute limit within which all pla~_ing and grov~h projections mus~ be ~itted~ This was the reason for ~0~000 square foot zoning a~d for ou_~ limits on population ~ensmty~ The recharge of suz~face waters has been implemented at many levels in both Pla~n_,~ing Board resu!ations end highway specifications. Perhaes fne most noteworthy examele is the sand swale concept of higlaway drainage. Again~ this is a £irst in the Cou~aty and State and~ perhaps~ she Nation. We are indebted to tie Soil Conservation Service of the United States Deear%ment of Agriculture for this idea. The recommendations of our eten were implemented in the preservation of our wetlands by our ordinance that was enacted by the To~¥n Board Juzae 29~ 1971. It was emended du_~ing codification and ~as further amended to include f~es~ wateF wetlands Augusv 26~ 1976. As in many other instes~ces~ our Tov~ has been ~head of both Suffolk Co~aty ~d New York State in protecting this reso~ce. Agrioulture~ perhaps the most imeortant o~ the To~'s resources~ has no% been negiected~ I~elemen%a%ion at %he To~,~_a le,.~e! has been by "use assessment contracts" or negative easements and i% is noteworthy that this To-w~ was the first m~icipati%y in the State %o use Section 247 of the General M~aicipa! Law to preserve agricultural land~ Subsequentiy~ the State Agricultural Districts Law was passed ~animously by the State Legislature. This Tov,~'s farmers had the first individual corr~mitmen%s on Long Island ~J~der this progrem~ Currently, %he Suffolk County program of preserving agricult~'al lands by purchase of the development rights (again~ L:~der Section 267) is well supported by the To~,~'s ~drm~o.~a ovmers. In 1977~ farmers in this To~ have organized to form an agricultural distridt um_der the state law with some forty farmland ovm_ers and 2~800 acres. ~Pu~tic buildings have also received attention and besides the upgrading and i~®rovement of facilities at many !evets~ the new police station eaad the new tow_a hall are to be noted. Other s~ecifio improvements mer~ioned in the pl~n which have been accomplished are the Grand Street Bridge in Mattituck and TraveZer S~reet Extensie~a in Southo!d. In addition~ this Plan has been a constanZ gmide ~o highway looation s~ad plann~_ng in sub divisions. As regards ~arKs~ it has generally been deemed best to acquire and operate lsaad for parks by park districts rather than in the name of' the to~ua ~ad there have been m~ny additions° Finally~ beyond the s~ecific cases of i~®!ementation mentioned in this section~ the Plan has been continuously used as a guide and standard by which to measure plamming and zoning problems and proposals and as a continuing outline for fu~re development. iMPLE}~NTATION OF SOUTHOLD T0I~ DE\~LOP~NT PLAIN - TPr.~3 CODE The Code of the Tovs~ of So,,thold, aaop~em mn zts entirety on November 2}, 1971, and again with ameN~dmentS on September 1973 and with subseouent amendments and additions includes the chaeter headings, regulations, restrictions end authorizations listed below and in subsequenz pages~ The Code, including text and zoning map, was adopted as a se~eel to adoption of the Southo!d Tov£n Development P!a:a on March 23~ 1971~ _for the purpose of implementin~ +dnat plan. Boat~:~ Docks and ¥~_arves First regulation was adopted on Jsme 28~ 19}5~ ~nen the Board made it ",sm!awful for any person ~o monopoiize~ to the exclusion of others, any public dock, eublic bulkhead or pufo!ic landing place" any place within the To~sn, except for the Village of Greenpors. On May 18, 1959, aTo~m law made it necessary to get a permit from the Board of Trustees to place '~any piles, stakes, buoys, piers, docks, bull{heads or other objects in or on arty Toxin'waters or public lands under or adjacenv %o Tovm_ waters" or to "remove any sand~ gravel or other materials from land mnder To~m waters." The law also forbade anyone to "moor~ mnchor or place any boat on any public lands at the end of any Tovaa higP~ay" established by the Board of Trustees as a restricted area. The boat ordinance was adoeted on October 6, 1960~ A boat owner could be ordered to remove or restore to good condition "any boa~ ~nich becomes a menace so navigation or us_seawOrthy, or sinks, grouaads or o~nerwise becomes disabled or incapable of navigation". If the o~mer failed -to comply within a week~ the Toque. zos~±f could remove and/or auction off such a boat, and the o~m~er would have to pay anv costs. The 1960 ordinance a~so prohibited the operation of power boats or sailboats within i00 feet of any beach or banning facilities, and set a 5-miie-an-hour speed limit for approaching or leaving a beach. Water skiing was limited to areas beyond "150 feet of any p~tic or semi-~pub!ic beach or cub!lc dock", or 50 feet of any swin~r~er or bather" or "}00 feet of the shore line". Also, mufflers were required on motors. -70- The boat ordinance was amended in the following ways on August t0, 1971: ':~he dumping of oil, refuse, garbage, sewage or waste'~ was prohibited. ': The water skiing section required that a second person, at least ten years old, be aboard the towing boat "in a position to observe the progress of the person being towed':. Also, no water skiing was allowed be%ween an houm after suuaset and mn hour before sudarise. No power boat was allowed on any To~_m_ inland waters "exceet in emergency or rescue operations or by police officers in the performance of their duties':. On July 31, 1973, the penalty for violation of may one of these ordinances was set at a fine of up to $250 and/or 15 days in jail. Ducks The original duck ordinance ~ich required a permit for a cormmercial duck farm was smended on July 31~ 1973 to recuire that no more than 100 ducks could be kept for personal use~ Applicants for commercial duck enterprises were required to provide for the eol!ecvion and disposal of all waste matter~ none to be disposed of in To~n waters, and no buildings or eno!osures ware ye be allowed within 50 feet of a property line or 100 feet of a street tine~ Penalties - up to $250 fine a~_.d/or 15 days in jail. Envirommenta! Gua!i~f Review Provision was made for determination of whether or not mn action within the Town will or will not adversely affect the environ- men%. Applicants for permits must state how an action may affect the enviror~ento If the agency having authority to issue a permit determines %has %here will be no adverse effects, it must file a statement saying so. if it decides an action may have mn adverse effect on the environmen-~, it must prepare s~ad file a determination and reouest an enviro~mentai impact statement from %he applicant. if the enviro;mmental impact statement is not submitted, the appiica- %ion is deemed withdra,~m. -71- Effective J~ne 17 1969, the Tovrn Board established a Southold Tov~n Conservation Advisory Co~J~cil of seven members vo be appointed by the Town Board. The purpose of the Comncii was stated as fo!!ows~ To advise in the promomion an~ development of the Town's natural resources. ~To conduct researches into the To~,~'s natura~resources and to coordinate activities of ~omofficial bodies concerned with the environment~ To prepare, print and distribute maps mhd !izeravure necessary for its work. ~. To index the To~¢~n's o~en areas. 5. To index marshlm~ds, swmmms and all other wetlands and reco~mend vo the Tov~m_ Board a program for the better promotion, development or utilization of all such areas. Ail matters concerning the wetlmads are referred to the Council ~h~ Tow-n Clerk. ~ny totem agency may also refer matters pertaining to environmental quality~ _Garba_ge~ R~bish e~d Refuse _Jmnkl~ards mad Litterin~ An original ordinance on garbage~ ' '~' ' ru~_sn ss~d re~use~ adopted on March 23, 1948~ was amended in its entirety on J~e 25~ 1965~ and amenaea f'~rsn~_ on july }1~ 1973o J~mkyards were regu_lavea begrudging_ on August 10~ 1965. The --~ ~+~-~ o~: _ng law was adopted on Ju!v 31.~ 197}~ Ail vrohibited the scattering of garbage, t~ ash ea~_d g,mak and regulated a_sposal of same. Penalties - up to ~250 fine and/or 15 ,~ in ~ays jail. -72- Housin~ The Town housing code, adonted on December 12, 1967, takes up 1i0 pages in the Tow~ code book. It ~ ~ r~sm±a~es everything £rom the size ~ad shap~e of rooms~ space required per person~ and building struclures to health and safety for occupants and the public~ On July 31~ 1973~ the usual penalties of u~ to ~ne and/or 15 days in jail were added Shellfish There has been a To,ua shellfish ordinance since June 2~, i933~ vgaen non-resider~Zs were prohibited from taking shrimp from To~ creeks~ ~s~ader penalty of a fine of not less than ~5 or more than ~100, plus costs. On June 23~ 1966, a new ordinance was adopted covering the taking of clams, scallops, oysters~ blue claw crabs and musseis. Co~_ercia! takers and temporary residents were required %o get To'~n permits. Seasons, limits and minimmm sizes were established. This ordinance was amended and updated on July 31, 1973, with the maximu=m penalties of ~250 fine and/or 15 days in jail. Soil Removal On February 16~ 1965, the To~._~a Board adopted legislation on soil removal with this declaration: "The ~o~Vo+~ and control of the general regrading of land~ extraction and removal of earth products and other excavations is necessary to protect and to prevent serious and irreparable d~mage to the public health, safety and general welfare as well as to make effective the general p-orposes of plar=ning and zoning." The code ...... s~e~ further: "These regu±at~_ons and controls are intended to prevent the following conditions from occurring: A. The ~ ' ~ ~-~ ~nver~upo~on and diversion of :aatural watersheds ~nd drainage lines, resulting in inadequate s_nd improper surface water drainage. B.The erosion of soil by water and wind. C.The decrease in or destruction of fertility of ~ ~ D. The removal of lateral support of abutting streets la_~as and premises. -73- Eo Tn~ creation of dust storms and mosquito breeding places. F. The creation o£ dangerous banks~ depres'sions or'pits~ Go The interruption Of suitable access roads to other lands and the disruption of the future road eattern~ H. The rendering o£ lands ~fit or unsuitable for -their most appropriate uses. I~ The .depreciation of property v'al~es~ J. The creavion of cyber deterrents to the coordinated and harmonious physical development of the Tovaa of aoutho~d. On July 3i, 1973~ the Soil ~emoval code was amen!.ed to require a Tov~ Board ~ermit fo~ sand and gravel pits, for the removal of sa~a, grave!~ stone or other minerals, for excavation pusposes~ and for the stripping or removal of topsoil (including sod farming allowing the removal o£ no more vhan two inches a year)~ Excluded from the requirement u~ader ~eendm'_.ents adoeted on November 9, 1971 and July 31~ 1973, were such activities o~ premises o~ed or leased by a public waver district, public imDrove- ment district~ m~s~icieal or other public or goverPm~ental subdivision~ au~_or~y or department. Also e~c±uaea.were ~ne moving of topsoil or other earth incident to building, farming or landscaping~ on on s~bdivision eiats~ nurseries, and on premises subject to site plan aeezova± by the Southold Towm~ Pl&aning Board~ However, ~mi%ten approval of such~y~'~ was required in some instances. Pe_.m~s £or any the above activities cou±d be granted if the To~,m~ Board £o~d that they did not violate the intent of the soil removal code, ~ed if they were in accordee_ce with certain setback and area criteria. Permits required, emong other things, _ cont~nu~ ce~va~ activities ~o p~oue~ "the that the a~p!icant ~, ~ ,~ ' ' ' r ~ -- health, safety ~ed general welfare of the public", to preserve property values, and '~to facilitate the proper drainsge of surface water or appropriate use of the-!~ad". Certain erecauvions were reouired to avoid ~ ~3~'~i -~ _ _ po~uu_o~, destruction o£ ~egetation~ eeo. Filing fees were required and public hearings were made necessary. enaJ_tzes - up to S250 fine and/or 15 days in jail. To~rist and Trailer Cam~s~'~ Legislation passed on July 31, i973~ established criteria and reouired permits for the o~eration of tourist and trailer cam~s~ The ~ermits were required from the Department of Health and the To~ Board of the Tov~a of Southold. Site requirements included good drainage and no marshy areas as well as provision of a water supply, garbage coilection~ a sewage system~ fire protection, telephones, and screening by plantings. Penalties - up to ~250 fine and/or 15 .days in jail. Wetlands The ~o~ Board adopted the wev!ands ordinance on J~ne 29, 1971. It began with this "Declaration of Policy": A. The To~n Board o£ the Toyota of Southold finds that rapid ~.~ growth, the spread of development and increasing demands upon natural resources are encroaching upon or eliminating many of its wetlands, which, if preserved and mainta~aed in an ~£ad~st'~bed and natural condition, constitute important physical, social, aesthetic, recreational and economic asse~s to existing and futu±~e residents cZ the To~a of Southo!d. B. it is tine intention of this chapter to protect the citizens of the Town of Southoid by providing £or the protection, preservation, proper maintenance ~nd use of its wetlands in order to minimize damage from erosion, to~bidity or siltation, saltwater intrusion, loss of £ish, shellfish or other bene£ioial marine organisms, aouatic wildlife and vegetation ~ad the destruction of the natum~al habitat thereof, to minimize danger of flood and storm- tide d~mage and pollution, and to otherwise protect the que2ity of wetl~mds, tidal waters~ mars~es~ s~re l~es~ beaches ~nd natural drainage systems for their conserYation~ economic, aesthetic, recreational and other public uses and values, and, further, to protect the potable fresh water supplies of the tov~n_ from the dangers o£ drought, overdraft, pollution fro~ saltwater intrusion and misuse or mismanagement. Therefore, the To~ Board declares that the regulation of the wetlands of the Tovm of South~id -75- is essenZia! to the health~ sazeti ~ad welfare of the p,~o~e of the Term of Southold~ The ordinance listed certain exeeptions~ including ordinary ~onauctee by ~ny eublic ~ad usual operations for mosouito control ^ " ~autkority, the cultivation and/or harvesting of fish and shell- fish, ~ ~ ~ ' - o~ soil wegeoat~on~ fish~ ~het~f~sh ~nd v' lif=~ agriculture a~uacult'~e or horticult,~e ~nd the maintenance ,er reeair of any existing building~ dock pier, wharf, b~tkhead~ ~-,~ groin~ dike or dam Also the ~'~ , ~ ~ -o~a~na~c~ ~as not to-affect anything ~nder the jurisdiction of ~bo~_~ ~ovaa ~uso~s, .... Permits were required for oeerations on kay we%lands in the ~o~a. A fee of ~25 was r$quired with each application for a permit~ After each application was received, an investigation and repo~r~ were required by both the Conservation Advisory Coumcil ~nd the ~'~.,'~-~es and then a p,~o!io hearing was called zor~ . The Town Board ,'then had 30 days in e~nich to approve or reject the application. If ~approved, the applic~at was required to conduct his operations in -accordance with certain specified conditions~ &ad within a specified ~_~e .... s of time~ ~n inspection fee of ~5 was ~.~qum~ed'~ Under the heading of "Standards", the ordinance stated: The Tov~ Board may adopt a resolution directing the issmanoe ~of a permit to perform operations applied for only if it determines that such operations will not substantially: A. Adversely affect the wetlands of %he Cause aamag~ from erosion~ turbidity or sml~lo~. C. Cause saltwater intrusion into the fresh water resources of the term. D. Adversely affect fish, shellfish or other beneficial marine crganisms~ aquatic wildlife ~ad vegesation or the nat~ai habitat ~ -~ ~ oher~om. E. Increase %he danger of flood and storm-tide damage. P. Adversely affect navigation em %idal waters or %he tidal ~h~ tidal waters of %he G Change the co.se of e~ny oha~el or the hat. al movement or flow of any we%ers. H.Weaken or ,~ndermine the la%erei support of other lands in %he vicinity. I. Otherwise adversely affect the health, saSety ~ed general welfare of the people oS the -76- The To~e~ building inspector was given the responsibility for administering sm_d enforcing the provisions of the ordinance. Rules were established for courses df action in case of a violation. The accused was allowed to request and receive a public hearing on charges. On July 31, 1973, pena!%ies were set at ue to a fine of ~250 and/or 15 days in jail. The first zoning ordinance was adopted on Aeril 9~ 1957. It was revised in irs entirety with both text and map~ on Novem?oer 2j, 1971~ for "the protection and eromotion of the public health and welfare". Specific purposes were listed as follows: A. The facilitation of the efficient ~d adequate provision of public facilities and services. B. The assurance of adequate sizes for residence, industry and commerce. C.. The provisions of privacy for families. D. The prevention and reduction of traffic congestion so as to promote efficient and safe circulation of vehicles and pedestri~nso E. The maximum protection of residential areas. F. The gradual elimination of non3onforming uses. G. The ei~n~ncement of the appearance of the Town of Sou%hold as a ~oie. H. The encouragement of flexibility in tlne desigN_ and develoement of land in such a way as to produce the most appropriate use of lands~ to facilitate the adequate ~d economical provision of streets and utilities ~nd %o preserve the natural and scenic qualities of open lands. I. The fostering and protection of agriculture and fisheries. On October 30, 1973~ the io%s of a list of existing subdivision maps were exempt from the lot area ~nd width reouirements of the ordinance. The ordinance divided the Tovsn into the following districts: A Residential and Agricultural District - T}~o permitted uses were es%ab!ished: (1) One single-fami.ly dwelling per lot and (2) co~lercial farming operations. Residential lots were required to ha~e a minimura of ~0,O00 -77- ~square feet, with a width of.at leasv 150 feet (by amendment on May 29, 1973) and. a depth of a~t least 175 feet. ~F~on~, side and rear yard setbacks also were established and off-street parking was required for at least two cars. Agricultural uses allowed were the raising of field and garden emops, vineyard and orchard farming~ the mainten~aCe'of nurseries, and nhe seasonal sale of products thereof in buildings :required to meet certain floor space and setback st~adards~ Also atlowed, on lots of 10 acres or more, was the keeping~ .breeding and raising of fowl (except ducks) and large domestic animals. ~!so permitted was not more th~n two horses or ponies, for personal use by the property o~,~er, in an area of at least ~0,000 square feet (by,~amendment on May 30, 1975). -Farmers were permitted to :have barns, storage buildings and related structures so long as --they conformed with yard requirements. The To~ma's buildings, structumes and uses also were permitted within the A zone. Other uses were permitted by special excevtion by the Board -~of Appea~s~ sub'~ ~ g~c~ to site plan approval by the Plam~ing Board. These were: 1. Two-family dwellings, conversion of existing buildings and new construction, not to exceed one such building per lot. The code called for each lot to be at least 80,000 square feet, 270 feet wide and 250 feet'deep, mlus setback requirements and off-street parking for three cars. Minim-mm floor space per dwelling was set at 850 square feet~per dwelling unit. 2. Places of worship~ including parish houses. 3. Private schools and colleges and other educational institutions. ~. Libraries, philanthropic, charity, or religious .institutions, hospitals, nursing and rest homes or sanitaria for general medical care, but excluding facilities for the treatment of all types of drug addiction. 5. Pufolic utility rights-of-way as well as structures and ~ther installations. 6. Fraternity houses, ~olf courses and ~om_ual private member- ship clubs, public playgrounds, beaches, swimming pools, tennis courts and recreational buildings. -78- 7. Child~?en'~' recreation camps. Labor camps. 9. Noncommercial boat docking facilities. i0 Veterinarian o±l_ces and animal hospitals. !t. Cemeteries. 12. Stables and riding academies. Accessory uses allowed included limited home oceupations and activities, also horses, domestic animals and fowl (by amendments of May 29, 1973 and May 30~ 1975). An amendment on May 29, 1973, provided for yard~ attic, ~arage and auction sales. Most of the above were made subject to certain requirements and restrictions. Provision also was made for corner lots~ fences, walls ~nd hedges, and substandard lots in single and separate o~ership~ as of May 29~ 1973. M Light Multiple Residence District - Permitted uses established were: 1. Any use possible ur~der A district. 2. Multiple dwellings no longer than 125 feet for no more than .four f~mitieso 3. Boarding and tourist houses. Special exceptions by the Board of Appeals and subject to sire plan approval by the P!~om_ing Board were the same as for A dis ~rzc ~. The same accessory uses as for A district were allowed, plus others incidental to the above multiple dweliings~ and boarding and tourist houses° Certain sigm_s also were provided for. Each dwelling unit in a mu!ti~ie dwelling was required to have ay least 850 square feet of livable floor area~ except a one-bedroom or studio dwelling ~it needed only 600 square feet~ M-t General Multiple Residence D~strict - In addition to -~+~ uses and exceptions ~omder A and M districts, special exceptions ~y the Board of Appeals wz~_~ site m!an ammroval by the Plam~aing Board, were listed as: 1. Marinas for docking, mooring or accommodation of non- commercial boats. 2. Multiple dwellings. -79- 3~ Hotels and motels. 4. Tourist Plus customary uses incidental to the above~ Livable floor area was established as ~_ie sa~0e mcr M district° Building length was limited to 125 feet and other regulations were established for disbar_ce between ~bulldings and for court areas. i]B~L~ghb Business D .... u: mc u - Uses permitted were: 1. Agricultural o 2. Tov~n buildings mhd uses. 3. Boarding and to'dmist houses. ~. Business, professional mad gover~tental offices. 5. Bmnks ~_d finazaci~ institutions. ~ 6. Retail stores mad shopping centers~ 7. Re staurant s. 8. Re2ait bake shops. 9. Laumdromats and similar establish=merits. 10. Personal semite stores and shops. 1!. Marinas for the docking~ mooring and accorr~odation off nonco~nercial boats, including the sale of fuel and oZi. Special exceptions were described as the same for A, M and M-i districts. Accessory uses also were the s~e as for those _ . _ pro~s~on was made for gro~d, wall and roof signs. Special requirements were established for retail shopping -centers~ including approval of sire development pq~ns by ~ae Plarming Board, a lot of ay least one acre 150 feet wide, and landscaping and front~ side ~ad rear yard regulations. At !easy one parking area of 350 square feet was required for each i00 square feet of sales or office floor area in each building. Ail ~ainfa!l ~.d stor~ater accmmu!ated on the premises was reouired to be returned to the gro-~zad within the premises. The maxim~n floor area for each estab!isl~ent within the shopping center was set at I0~000 square feet. The ~ota! lot area was set at 20~000 square Zeet. B-I General Business District - in addition to uses permlttea in B light busAness dmstr.Lcm, permitted uses set ~o~h were: !. Places of amusement~ 2. Fishing stations. 3. Public garages, gasoline service stations~ and new and used car !ots~ all_ subject to certain ±mmmo~onso-' '~' Cabinet~ - ~ ~ carpe~_~e~, electrical~ p!umbing~ furniture repair~ bicycle and motorcycle shops (added by e~m~nam_.ant May 30, The entire district was limited to 30,000 square feet. ~_Li~_h_~ Industrial District - Uses pe ..... t~d were~ 1. Agricultural~ Town buildings ~ad uses~ Industrial uses~ includimg manufac~s, ring~ assemb!ing~ converting, altering~ finishing, cleaning or other prooessing~ h~nd!ing or storage of products or'materials~ involving the use of only oil, gas or electricity for fuel. ~. Research, ~o ' d -~ ~ ~ a~smgn and e~e_opmeno laboratories; office buildings. 5.Wholesale storage and warehousing~ 6.Building contractors' yards. 7.Public utility structures mhd uses. 8.Newspaper and printing establishments. 9. Bus sr~d truck tez~ninals (garages, parking facilities, loading docks, etc.). !0.Food processing and packaging plants. I1.Marinas for the docking and mooring of all t~es of boats. 12.Launcn~no facitit'~es Ferry terminals. Yacht clubs; charter fishing docks~ Ea~m_~g and dm~nk~ng establishments. 16. Retail sales of beats and marine items. 17~ Boat '~ ~ ~' · · ou±lmmng; boat servicing, boat storage facilities. 18.. Yards for sale and storage of fuel mad building materials. Special exceptions were the same as for other districts. Minim~udm lot area was sev at g0,000 square ~ = -81- ~-± General Industrial District No buildi'~g o-~ ~remises in un~L~ district was amlowea mcr any dweliing~ boardine and to~ist home~ hotel: mote~_ or ...... ~o~ ms' ~ camp pur~os~ (Code ~ ~ - ' ~ am~n~men~ 0c%ober 26~ 1976) Forty-seven o~ner uses were paNini=ted only bv special exception Appe~!s and "-~ __ suDo=~ %o site plan aeePeval by the P~aPm~mng Board. as~hat~~=_~=~~+~q~ fireworks~ _~ain%, paper~ rubber~ sau_erkra,d.%~ soap and tar manu{'acture, arsenals, cement plants dwellings: e~!osives and aiPDerts~ The minim~sm% area allowed fop a district was 200~000 souePe fee%. !n addition to ~%he districts described above~ seecial require- m_enss were established fop tourist ~ - ~ _ ~amp~ c~p corsages e.ne trailers. Prohibited in all districts was ~any use which is noxious, oP 9bjec%ionab!e" because of smoke, dust~ gas~ odom~ noise~ brisket lights~ fire oF contamination ha~aPes. J~ekyards were !be phased out by 1960~ The Zoning Board of _Appeals consists of five members appointed zh~ Board has these powers: by the To~ Board. m ~ 1. To hear appeals from orders oP decisions of the building inspector. 2. To gr~ss variances "where there ~e practical difficulties or ~mnec=ssaP-r_ _ _ } hardship" in carrying ous zoning regulations. To gralav special exceptions, special pePs.lbS ~nd other appPovais~ but with certain l~mitations and efser consid~ er'ation of m~y ~a~%o_s~ including health~ safety generam ~,~mtare ~ property values, TheTov~ Plar2eing Board must give site plan approval fop a!m developments Re~ the building inspector csF~ g~si~v building peP~i%s. in ~! appendix %o the To,~a Code ~4er Subaivision of Land, the PlaN~ein~ Board was given %he cower to approve all subdivisions in the A minor subdivision contains not more %h~e foui~ lots fronting on ~1 existin~ sbrees or not re?airing %n~ faci!iti~s. A major subdivisien is ~y subdivision no% classified as x~t~r~'~ including, but not limited to, subdivisiens of five_ or ..... CO~S lots, or any suoa~v~s~on requiring the svreev or %he exmensioniof municipal facilities. -82- The Subdivision of Land chapter spells out all regulations and procedures for consideration gad approval of a subdivision~ __ ~±so can vary regulations if it finds The ~Ta~ning Board ~ "extraordinary and ~emecessary hardshi~ may result from strict compliance" with regulations, it also may waive requirements ~s~ader certain con~_l ~lons~ The Board must consider the public health, safety and welfare, the comfort and convenience of the public, and also may- prescribe conditions and safeguards, especially relating to traffic access, circulation and parking~ and landscaping ~ad screening~ in accordance with state law, members of the Planning Board are a~pointed by the Tovm Board for five-year terms. The Planning Board may adopt its own rules and regulations with regard to its proceduree and in respect to subjec~ ~' ~ mauve_ over v~ich it has jurisdiction. Specifically, state law gives the Piar~aing Board authority to prepare amd change a Tov.~ master pian~ including zoning districts, which "will provide for the improvement of the To~.~a ~nd its future grov~h, protection and deve!o~ment, and will afford adeqmate facilities for the public housing, transvor%ation, distri- buu_on, comfort, convenience, public health safety and general welfare of its population." Under the To~ Code, the Pl~nning Board must approve site development plans for all subdivisions and relate them to the To~n's official map and development plan. The Planning Board may make reports on matters referred to it by the Town Board, such as changes in the official ma~ of the On May 29, !97~, the Planning ~ moa~ was given authority to approve c±usue_ developments in an A Re~ent~a~ ~nd Agricultural District in ordem_ to provide flexibility in de~i~ o-- and development of i~nd. Cluster developments were made sub4ect to a ne~.ber of regulations ~r~d restrictions. The Board of Trustees has ..... ~- ' au~no~y to mssue permits for piles, stakes, buoys, piers, docks ~nd bull~neads in or on To~ waters or public lands -~nder or adjacent to Tov~ waters, as well as for removal of sand, gravel or other materials from lands mader To~ wavers. The Trustees aisc were given responsibility for review al! alt applicatmons in reference to wetlands ~a~ tidal waters. The Board of A~ Dea±s has power vo approve variances and special esceptions to the Zoning Code° -83- The building inseector was given responsibility, with devuties and assistants~ to enforce the provisions of t}~e housing ~nd zoning csde and subdivision regulations. The To~ Board was given authority, upon its ov~ motion or petition to amend~ supp!emen% or repeal the zoning code and map~ after holding public heamings. ~he To%~aa Board~ in addition to iss everall responsibiiities~ issues eermits for operations on wetlands~ qou2~ist and trailer c~mps~ soil removal~ garbage~ rubbish and refuse ~ao%ivities and comnercia! duck farming. In addition to all the above, the To',~n Code includes chapters entitled General Provisions~ Assessors, Code of Ethics~ EP~penses of To~ Officers~ Adoption of Local Laws~ Police Departmen%~ Bicycles, ~Bingo, Outdoor Bu~_ing~' Home Improvement Contractors~ Parking at ~eaches~ Peace ~nd Good Order, Peddling and Soliciting, Access to Records~ Taxa%ion~ Vehicles and Traffic and Grievance Procedures° -84- APPENDIX A TO V~I N 0 F 8UFFOL½ PuARI COU NT¥~ N~ IHIGt-IL!GHT$ OF 'THE DEVELOPMENT PLAN FOR THE TOVVN OF $OUTHOL_D WHY A PLAN FOR..SOUTHOLD For Southolcl, a community ¥;ith a history of more than 200 years, planning has no%vbecome essential for malntaining its agricul- tural character, prote.~ting na~urai and historic features v~hich attract seasonal residents and tourists, preventing obsoles- cence and decay, and preserving the Town's rich coastal re- source s. A large increase in population is predicted for Suffolk County by1985. The Tov~n ~ithi~s i4, 780 residents in 1966,isbound to feel the pressures of this grow;th. The question before the Town is ~vhether it can meet the demands of new7 residential development, traffic, and commerce ~vithout losing the rural character that Southo!d now- enjoys. The ans~zer ~vill be pos- itive only if the Town plans its future by establishing and pursuing the community goal~ ~hare~ by its citizens. [t is important to understand that planning for community Im- provemen~ is a continuing process. Although any area is a!- %rays subject to unforese'en changes, the community v,~ithout a plan may finditselfthe victim of such changes, ~Vithaplan a community can adapt and take better advantage of changing con dition s. THE DEVELOPMENT PLAN This leaflet pre~entS a summary of the Development Plan for the Town of Southold, a t~;~o-volume ~ork prepared by the plan- ning consultants ~vorking v;ith the Planning Board. Valuable background for the plan v~'as provided by the Cornel] Univer- sity studies of agriculture, the economic base, recreation and fisheries, and the anaiysis of underground~A~aterresources by Malcolm Pirnie Engineers. Part Iofthis Plan contains the b~ckgroundstudies dealing with population composition, housing conditions, the local econ- omy, and land use. It describes the goals and objectives of the To%,n's planning program and contains a discussion of var~_ous means to carry out the proposals in the Plan. Part ti contains .the detailed proposals for ~ch~eving the objectives set forth in Part I. It establishes broad planning policy with respect to transportation, future land uses and community fa- cilities. The Plan proposals are graphically expressed on the ]Development Plan IV!ap ~vhich is reproduced on the reverse side of this leaflet. %%rhether proposals are precisely sel forth or only geoerall]~- described and located, their interrelationships are significant, and these must be studied ~vith each ney; step in Southold's grov~th. Beyond certain needs which exist today the Development Plan sets no precise timetable for the achievement of ali its rec- ommendations but should rather serve as a guide to the loca- tion of various land uses and facilities as they develop in the future ~ HOMES The To~vn of Southold is primarily a residential andagricu!tural community, and the Development Plan proposes that this char- acter be maintained in the future. Over the next t%,enty to thirty years the To~;n can be expected to gro%v from its pres- ent population to about 34,000. Because bui!dable land is abundant, care must be taken ~o see that ney; homes are not developed in a random pattern destroying the agricultural economy and the countryside. The Development Plan proposes that, in general, intensive residential development be confined to the vacan~ land south of State Route 25 and a narro'~%~ strip on the north shore along Long Island Sound. Prime farm !and lying north of Route 25 should be preserved for agricultural uses, and any develop- ment that might occur ~-n this area limited to a very !ow density. T~vo residential categories are proposed (see Plan map): The Aariculture-Res idence Area covering most of Southold's important agricultural land is !ooated primarily north of Route 25. Housing types are limited to one family homes and density recom- mendations vary grom .5 to t dwellings per net acre, depending upon the availability of a public water system. Low~-vdensitv residential deve!ooment is shown on the Development Plan primarity along the south ~shore and in a narrow strip along Long Island Sound. I-lousing types sugges+~ed here are limited to single family houses, but a higher density than in the Agriculture-Residence Areas. The densities for these areas are ! to 2 dwelling units per net acre depending upon the provision of a public water sys. tem o AG RICULTU RE Approximatelyhalfof$outhold's 28, !50 acres of land area are in agricultura! use. The 1965 value ofthetotal farm cropwas in excess of eight million dollars, making Southold one of the leading dollar-value agricu!tural towns m Btew York State~ If the T6~zn is to exer~ effective control over the development of agriculture and open lands, financial measures will have to be employed in addition ~o the normal regulatory devices pro- vided by zonzng. The following are several ways which the Town may consider in seeking to preserve its farm lands: 1. Adjusting tax assessments on the basis of periodic contra cts, 2. Purchase of development rights. 3. Restriction of munzcipal services to areas proposed for ~ntensive d~ve!opment in the plan. If the basic policy of agricu!turai land preservation set forth ~n the Plan is adopted an intensive effo~ should be under- taken [o devise an appropriate program for the achievement of this aim. COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY Industrial areas. More than 600 acres in the Town are pro- posed for industrial uses, ~n areas well separsted from res- idential development but convenient to transportation routes. The largest such area is west of Matzituck Central Area be- zween Routes 25 ~-nd 27; zw¢ others are located west of the Village of Greenport and in the northwest portion of the Town (see Plan map), The nature o£ the industries attracted to these areas and the impact they have on residential areas and highway traffic can be controlled through appropriate zoning regulations. COMMfERCtAL AREEA$ Retail development is primarily limited to business centers which are presently in existence. The >~attituck CentratArea is of major importance since it is already subject to develop- mental pressures from growth spreading eastward from River- head. To strengthen the retail developmenl of established business centers, commercial ribbon development should be discouraged along State Route 25 and absolutely prohibited along County Route 27 TRAFFIC CIRCULATION Street system proposals are designed ro satisfy present defi- ciencies as well as those which ~.vi!l surely develop as the result of the inevitable increase in traffic resulting from the population growth and greater use of the automobile in theTo%%nl. The major goal of the Development Plan is a highway network that will eliminate present hazards and bottlenecks and accom- modate the greater traffic volumes anticipated in the futdre. To this end each thoroughfare in the Town has been identified .either as a major street~ a collector road (linking major and minor streets); or a minor street (giving direct access tohomes and stores). Proposed standards for each lype of street are set forth, and specific recommendations are made for raising existing and future streets to these standards. One of the major streets proposed is a link between Routes 22 and 27 that would enable through traffic to by-pass the Vil- lage of Greenport, To solve this problem, a by-~pass is pro- posed west of the Village at Chapel Lane. Perhaps the mostimportant co!lector street proposed is an tension of Sound View Avenue along the north shore. The De- velopment Plan also proposed the extension of Bowery Lane to Sound View Road. Both of these recommendations would facil- itate more direct access to and fr~m the residential develop- ment and proposed parks and beaches on the Long !standSoup. d shore. COMMUNITY FACILITIES Recreation. The rural character of Southold has heretofore pre- cluded the need for an extensive program for active and pas- sire recreation. However, as the community characterbecomes more suburban, and as family leisure time increases, new demands for recreation facilities will arise. The Plan proposes that a number of new parks be developed that wilt take advan- tage of the Town's extensive shore frontages. B~achfront recreation areas should be developed in the vicinity of Matti- tuck inlet, between Peconic Inlet and. the Great Pond, and in the vicinity of Hog Neck Bay. Both State and Federal aid is available to acquire park land. In addition, the State Park at Orient Point should be enlarged to include the salt marshareas to the north. Yfetlandand Inlet Preservation. The Development Plan recom- mends tke permanent retention and public control of wetland and inlet areas. The dredging of wetland basins can jeopar- dize the fresh wazer character of the underlying aquifers. In addition, such dredging seriously contributes to salt water intrustion ~ntofresh water storage areas, The Proposed Zoning Regulations prohibit developmental encroachment on "tVetland Area s" de signs ted on the Proposed Officia! ~Iap. These area s can still be used for private purposes of an open nature which will, not adversely affect the natural attributes of the wet- lands and inlets~ ~Schools. To meetfutuze educationalneeds, the Development Plan endorses the recommendations of the 1958 Ne~*York Stare Master Plan for school district reorganization to centralize all seven school districts in the Mattituok-Southold Area. Public Buildings. New public buildings proposed by the Plan include a new Town Hall, and several new firehouses. Public Utilities. Residential g~owth along the south and north shore is predicated upon the development .of a public water supply system. The Greenporl water system should be grad- ually extended eastward along the main road to supply water to East Marion and Orient. The areas along the southerly shore line, between Greenport and lVlattituck, could be sup- plied by an extension of the Greenport System or by a new system developed by.the Town Orby the Suffolk County Vfater Authority. MAKING THE PLAN VVORK The preparation and adoption of a Development Plan does not alone ~-nsure the development of the Town in accordance with the Plan's objectives and proposals. An important part of the planning program ~s that which describes ways of implement- lng its proposals. Some of the planning tools available to the Town are: Zonin~ and Subdivision Re=ulations Through zoning~ a community can regulate the use of each parcel of land, the density of develcpment, endthe size and location of buildings. The Tovzn's presen~ ordinance is ~ in most instances · not adequate to enable the Town torea!ize the aims ofthe proposedPlan. The new regulations recommended by the consultants will be reviewed by the Planning Board and the Town Board, and with such changes as may be appropriate submitted to the community al a public hearing prior to adoption. Subdivision regulations are designed to insure high standards of resid~ntia! development. A new set of regulations were prepared by the planning consultants and after a public hearing, they can be adopted by the Planning Board with :he approval of the Town Board. Official Man An Official Map is a legal documentwhich prevents b!~ilding in future or widened streets, parks, and drain- age rights -of-way. Inthis waythe eventualcostofin- stalling such improvements canbe substantially re- duced. The first step is the adoption of a map showing all existing streets, parks, and drainage areas. Based on the Development Plan proposals for~hese facilities, amendments to the Official Map should then be made. Capital im~ro%~emen~ Proqramm~ng The Plan urges the Town to undertake a systematic pro- cedure for preparing annual and long range programs for all improvements to be financed wholly or partly with Town funds. Under this procedure a program is drawn up annually for public improvements needed in the next six years. Priorities are then assigned to the projects, anda budget is adopted to finance the coming year's projects. This process would enable the Town to ticipate future expenses and to assure long-term pro- j ects such a s park a cqulsition and street improvements Federal and State Aids New York State and the Federal government provide many assistance programs relating to specific community im- provements. These include park site acquisition, school. construction, water supply and treatment facilities, housing for the elderly, and beautification. Underthe Housing Act of 1949 as amended, the Federal government, through the Department of Housing andlJrban Development a s sume s three-fourth s of the net co st of re- newing deteriorating area s in communities of 50,000 po~ - ulation or smaller. The other fourth is shared equally by the State of Nev~ York and the locality. Commun£ties may qualify for aid only if they have undertaken compre- hensive planning programs and other measures to pre- vent future blight such es concentrated code enforcement. YOUR ROLE The Development Plan summarized here represents tv¢o years of careful thought and study by your Planning Board. and its professional consultants. Novz it is ready to be consideredby those it ~vill most direc~tly affect--the citizens of 8outhold. The Planning Board urges you To study the plan and register your reactions and suggestions, Public mee[ing ~ith oppor- tunities for oper~ discussion may be held. Only after such meetings and a revle~· of citizen opinion vzill the Planning Boardconsideracceplance of the Plan as its official policy, Bear in mindas you revie%- the Plan thatit has no po%vet to automatically bind present or future generations, It is essen- tially an advisory document, a guide~ and one that will have to be adapted ~o changing times. Acceptance of the Plan does not necessarily assure its success. The citizens of South- hold must provide the impetus and vigilance to carry the plan into a ct~.on. In the. more than seven years of conthp. Mmg study of trends in the Town of Southold :~rnany revealing facts have been mn. covered and, in general, the Planning Board has tried to present them to the public. At the ssxne time it is recogn2ed that ehmqge is the order of the day.in Southold mhd further study is necessary. Nevertheless five years have 'elapsed since the first reports and projections were made, and there is nov/an opportmnity ~to evaluate and recapito2ate. POPULATION. The 1960 census shows Southoid vAth a population of 12,295 and :.a population densRy of .426 persons per acre (Riverhead .334 and Southampton .291). 'The Cornell study in 1954 showed 14,186 exclusive of Fishers Island, which agrees with the Lilco figure of 14,626. If present estimates of ~.bout 17,000 are correct the population density wo~.d be 6 persons per acre. Corne!l's medium projection for 1970 was t5,885. In 1975 we will have 19,750, Ln 1980 - 22,000, and in 1985 - 28,000 by the estimates of the Nassau-Suffolk Planning Commission. 'WATER. The water study made by Malcolm Pirnie Engineers in I953 and t954 was made d~u~ing a series of deficient rainfall years and thus established the danger point. Subsequent years have seen greatly reduced p~npage for irrigation. Pirnie's £actor of 40~, ':run in" would contribute 16 inches of rainfall per year to the ground water reserve. Since irrigation never exceeds 6 inches per year, and in I970 was less than 3 inches per acre actually irrigated, it can be seen that open lazed in agriculture contributes tremen- dously to Southold's water resource smd thus provides for existing areas of denser popu!a- tion. Water must be properly distributed and sources of water adequately protected° - AGRICULTURE. Southold has 10,000 cropped acres of some of the most p~oductive land in ~m~.eriea. It is probably the ~mmher Two agricultural town in New York State. An average sized farrn of 80 acres in Southold produces enough potatoes to feed 24,000 people with potatoes every year. Clearly Southold farms supply food not only for the local market, but also a large area of the eastern seaboard. Although total land in farms is somewhat higher than the 10,000 cropped acres there has been some n2ovement out of agriculture. Nevertheless tenancy has not increased. Farmers still own about 43~/o of what ~hey operate, l~[uch of what they rent is owned by former farmers. (over) APPENDIX C SOUTHOLD'S PLAN FOP. DEVELOPMENT Histo~ and Background The Town of Southold sm~ed work on a plan for development more than 7 years ago. The first sm~es were made in t964 and 1965 by CbrnelI Universky as a pilot research project.. These studies :mcluded agricvdmre; part-time residents, and tourism; finish and shellfish; and an economac L~e study, l~eports were s~bmitted and are available for fu.~er study. A study of the fresh water resources of the Town was made by /vCalcolm Pimie En~neers j~a t-965 and report sub_mimed. This report indicates ~at we were currently using for ail purposes about 2/5 of our total sa-~e water reso'ar~"s at that time with l~ which could be used for addl- tiona! growth. ~l~hls would accomx~.odaee approxLmately twice the 1965 population if other uses remaieed constant and more at the expense of a~,neoatu~e. The plamdng consultants, Raymond and May, selected by the Town corelated all findkqgs, made stunts of ?opulation centers, traffic flow, possible bridge impact, _population density, and other factors and prepared, first, a report of findings, and then a plan for developmenr and de- 5'elopment plan map. The la,er were subsequently revised and presented at a series of Infor- mation Meetings in 1969. The map at that time consisHng only of ~ small scale, colored map prorated on the information folder. The meetings, while gene.rally favorable, indicated that there were rvvo general areas of disagreement: first t_he airport no~& of Matti_tucI.:, and second, the future of agricula,.re in the Town. As a result the airpo~ was dropped from the plan a_nd a comprehensive study of the furore of agrlculmre was undert,~ken. Nines-six of the Town's one hundred farm operations were interrogated (3 more are Riverhead based). The findings are avail- able in the Sullivan Repom. They show ds. at 1~ of So_thmd s farmers plan to continue farmang for the next 10 years, another third may or may not con'daaue, and finally one third plan to sell out in the near future; This report also showed the amount of owned land in these operations ro be the same percent as the Comell Smd7 found 5 years earlier. The next step was to hold another meeting in I970 presenting al! the information so far ac'cumulated and the response at this meeting indicated that those attending favored adoption. t~har time Part Two ComprehensiYe Development Plan, Town of Southold by' Raymond and May, Planning Consultants was released and placed on file in each. library and Town office ia the Town. This we recoremaend with the deletion of pages 41 to 47 inclusive being the alrpom smd),. Southotd'sA ]Plan ~or Develop.ment Most of the time since '&eh bas been spent ia ptepadng a large scaIe map whi&~, if ad~ opted~ wLLI. ~ the P.[an For Developmene l~{ap of the Town. of So~rJaold. The Niap T~e map should, theoredcally, show such development as is best for the Town of South- old as a whole. Since the o~gln~ plam~jn.g effort was to cover I5 years or target date 1980, this map does not include plat~ for more than the ne.ct xen years. By far the great~t po-.t~8on of the Town is shown as a single residential and agrio~l- tdral (A)zone. TEe State Legistat~e, County.-Ptamning and the Bi-County Pi~.anning Commis- slons~ ali emphaslze the importance of preser~4ng agdcuimre and <he ComeI1 Study points out its importance in feting our part-tLme resident 12dus~y. The spechI Agrio21~e Study indicates th. at farme~% gen.erally~ ~e in accord. Neighborhood business is dustered am.:m~ e:dstL?g concert of p¢puLq.don in an attempt to ,,~o~d "ribtx?n" development. Light in&~tl7 is encouraged, pa_edc- u!arly rosen.cch type, and boat building and maintenance. Some growth Lq dqe motel business is anticipated and some general LnSust~. .However, indestri~ wt'~ich ate hea~.-y ~Isers of f~esh, water should 2o~ be. sollcked. X~TetLands Weflauds are shown on the map even though they are generally Laclnded in the '~A" zone. They are both of fr~th and salt water origin b=t U-pically are areas below the 3 ft. contour where the land is regularly inundated, Wetlands are shown on the map to emphas'ize their importance to tlne Town and to fa- dlkate a program of assistance in thek preserver{on. They should be presetw'ed because of th6k ecotoglcal value, their buffer Value, and thek scenic beauty. It is plap. ned to offer to wedand owners ,use assessment £on~acts u_nde~ which the assessment for tax purposes couId be limited to tl~e use and no~ related to development ~.atue, Such con,acts are provided for ~nder' Sec'don 247 of the General Mtmlcipal Law of the State. An)' planning effort is quiie sk'np!y an attempt to peer ~to the furore. No one really knows what wilt happen by 1980. It is, however, reass~aHng to find thee a~ the one third mark the Town is well within the range proje~ed by CorneH as regards population, agriculture, and tourism. The Plan_~Jng 13oard is confident that the projeaion v,i!! continue to be reasonably accatate and m'&esitatingly recommend this plan and map to the people of the Town· LAND USE. The Plan for Development indicates that in !963-65. there ~vas in agriculture 13,136 acres or 46.7% of the Tow-n's total area. Development of alt ~dnds vzas 5,t33 acres or !8.27~, including homes, eommercial~ industrial and public uses as well as high~,vays. Still remaining in .vacant and private open space was 9,881 acres or ~5.1~ of Southold's land Since this base period and contrary to trends e]s~vhere there has been a building boom with June 1970 setting an ali-time high for any month. It would seem that a resident population of 28,000 ~n 1985, being slightly over CorneH's medium projectior, for tibet year of 25,700~ could readily be housed on the 10~000+ acres in the Town not in fs, rms, and, that existing !and in agriculture .m.;,ght we!! remain in that use, at least until that time. The study and report just submitted by Dr. Joseph Sullivan for the Town Board in,cares considerable interest in this direction on the part of the To~vn's £armers. This study also points out in detail vchat has happened to agric~2ture and the T©~vn in the past ? ye~s~ and our deductions have beer. drawn as a result of this stody. Planning at all levels, National, State, and .County all recommend retaining land in agriculture as long as possible. It assures a supply of food for future needs, it relieves the ta:f burden for all local services as shown by the Suffolk County P~anning Commission an i by lowering the population density greatly, it enhances Southold both for pernaanen~, and p~-fime residents. Since the Cornelt study stresses the importance of maintaining Southold's rur~ atmosphere, it is hoped that means will be found both to preserve open space in agricul- ture as well as woodlands, wetlands, scenic areas, and shorefront. Progress is being made at the Town level in each of these sreas.