Class Warfare And Land Use

The Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, presenting itself as if it were performing an act of benevolence for the greater good, has made a proposal, in the name of safety concerns, to buy a portion of the town-owned Tuckahoe Road, which transverses part of its golf course. The club will spend $5 million to remove the road, privatize the land underneath it, build a new road (to be given to the town as a donation), which will still cross through the greens but at a more convenient location, while linking the road to a reconfigured access point at St. Andrews Road to the south and the remainder of the existing Tuckahoe Road to the north.

Additionally, club officials have proposed to create a walking trail along the inner side of the new connector road, facing the course itself.

On its face it sounds like a good thing, but the reality is one of all noblesse and no oblige. The problem, perhaps, isn’t a problem at all, but rather a way for the club to reconfigure its golf course to prevent locals from passing directly through its hallowed grounds. A recent Freedom of Information Law request to the Southampton Town Police Department asking for the number of incidents involving vehicular harm to pedestrians for the period spanning July 1996 to July 2016 indicates that no records exist for such accidents on Tuckahoe Road during this time frame.The club’s offer becomes even more suspect with dangled carrots; Southampton Town Board approval would result in an additional $6 million raised by the club to be earmarked for a community fund used for a variety of town projects. Another $1 million would be dedicated to the Tuckahoe School District. There are many ways for the town to raise money without acting as if the monies from the club were planned development district mitigation funds. If the town is offered and accepts enough money then other entities will understand that the Town Board can be bought and paid and all land use protections will be up for grabs.

All kinds of objections from the community have been raised at this point, and residents have offered alternatives from signage to underpasses to obviate the club’s need for such a questionable solution. The Shinnecock Indians claim that the club property was part of their ancestral lands, and it is well known that these properties extend well beyond the reservation. According to historic maps, Tuckahoe Road has existed in part since 1873. Deed research indicates that the road predates the purchase of the land for the golf course. The Landmarks and Historic Districts Board, in a report prepared for the Town Board regarding the history of Tuckahoe Road, noted that the roadway seems to have originally been a Native Indian route.

Others in the community have decried the potential loss of a wonderful view that can be appreciated by all who drive or walk along the existing road. The 1999 Comprehensive Master Plan cited the protection of such views as a major component in the preservation of our sense of place. The Community Preservation Fund legislation has enabled the acquisition and protection of historic of view sheds as well. The new Southampton Waterfront Protection Plan also advocates for the protection of scenic vistas.

The views along Tuckahoe Road across the golf course are breathtaking. This road represents both the natural and cultural heritage of Southampton and, as such, exists as a cultural landscape, which should protected for all.

The pathology behind self-interest and unbridled growth and development, coupled with arrogance and a sense of entitlement is one thing, but having elected public officials act as enablers is another thing altogether.

This pay-to-play offer goes well beyond the actual purchase of Tuckahoe Road. If the Town Board decides to accept and approve the golf club’s proposal, it will be setting an unfortunate precedent for the future both by fueling the flames of class warfare and by ifying the basic tenets of a Comprehensive Master Plan crafted with care for the greater good.

The subtext of the club’s proposal, immediately recognized by the public, is purely exclusionary.