Southampton Town Officials Debate New Affordable Accessory Apartments Proposal

Southampton Town officials are working out the kinks on a new plan that would add to the affordable housing stock east of the Shinnecock Canal, but the plan is not without its detractors.

Diana Weir, the town’s director of housing and community development, and Assistant Town Attorney Kara Bak pitched a new proposal to the Town Board during a recent work session that, if enacted, would allow accessory apartments to be built on properties smaller than what is currently allowed. The apartments would also meet the criteria for affordable housing.

Under the current Town Code, an accessory apartment may be built on a property that is at least 30,000 square feet, or about two-thirds of an acre. The new proposal slashes that restriction in half, and would allow an affordable accessory apartment on a 15,000 square foot property, or a third of an acre, that's located in a community with an assessed valuation above the median in the town.

New setback standards would be drawn up under the proposal to keep privacy and safety standards in tact, Ms. Weir added.

The initiative also comes with some incentives for homeowners, who would not only get to enjoy an added income, but the apartment would account for an increased property value and would not be subject to building permit fees.

I do think this is a critical piece of legislation," said Ms. Weir, noting that 80 percent of the town's workforce lives west of the Shinnecock Canal.

The idea of the legislation, that will be sponsored by Town Supervisor Jay Schniderman, is to get more accessory apartments east of the canal—a maneuver that would hopefully also help to lessen rush hour traffic in that area.

Ms. Bak added that there is currently "limited availability" of affordable housing opportunities east of the canal. She suspects that getting more affordable housing in that area would help sustain the local economy all year long and help fire and emergency medical services recruit volunteers.

While the need for more affordable housing east of the canal was largely acknowledged by Town Board members during the June 7 work session, Councilwoman Christine Scalera had some reservations about the proposal.

Ms. Scalera said that relaxing zoning requirements for accessory apartments in wealthier households in the town would not be the best way to fix the affordable housing issue. She referred to the proposal as a "floating zoning designation" because as new homes are assessed every year, different communities would be eligible for the accessory apartments. Because of that, Ms. Scalera said that while many communities west of the canal are currently below the town's median value, in future years that could change.

She used Hampton Bays as a hypothetical example. The hamlet, where a bulk of the town's affordable housing already exists, would not be eligible in this proposal this year. But what happens if in a few years when the Canoe Place Inn is built—the planned development district that calls for 37 townhouses on the eastern side of the canal, as well as a clubhouse and the restoration the old Canoe Place Inn on the western side—jacks up the community's assessed valuation?

The hamlet could then be eligible for the affordable accessory apartments—which the town was trying to avoid.

"This is not the way to do it," Ms. Scalera said.

There are between 400 and 600 accessory apartments in the town built under the current town code, according to Ms. Weir.

Referencing the town's geographic information system, or GIS, Ms. Scalera said that there were up to 9,000 homes in the town could be eligible for the accessory apartments at some point in time, according to the law as proposed.

Kyle Collins, the town's planning and development administrator, noted that structures built under the proposed law would be grandfathered in if the community's assessed property value ever fell below the median.

Ms. Scalera said she would be willing to sit down with the supervisor, and other town officials, to come up with a better strategy to bring affordable housing to Southampton.

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