Former Town Councilwoman Debra Foster chaired a forum on housing and development on Saturday at the American Legion in Amagansett. KYRIL BROMLEY
Environmental advocates and public officials touted the economic benefits of open space preservation and warned against overdevelopment during a wide-ranging discussion last Saturday on planning policy as it relates to the town’s future.
The discussion, titled “Housing, Open Space and Taxes,” was organized by Debra Foster, a former town councilwoman from Springs, and brought together eight panelists from environmental groups, government and the real estate business to the American Legion in Amagansett.
In her opening statement, Ms. Foster, a long-time Planning Board chairwoman, said East Hampton is “walking a tightrope” between sustainability and overdevelopment. The rest of the panelists rallied around the cause of preservation, seeking to make the case—which some acknowledged seemed counterintuitive—that more open space will have a beneficial effect on taxes. Several of the panelists, in some form, contended... more
The discussion, titled “Housing, Open Space and Taxes,” was organized by Debra Foster, a former town councilwoman from Springs, and brought together eight panelists from environmental groups, government and the real estate business to the American Legion in Amagansett.
In her opening statement, Ms. Foster, a long-time Planning Board chairwoman, said East Hampton is “walking a tightrope” between sustainability and overdevelopment. The rest of the panelists rallied around the cause of preservation, seeking to make the case—which some acknowledged seemed counterintuitive—that more open space will have a beneficial effect on taxes. Several of the panelists, in some form, contended... more
