Affordable housing won't be part of 48 townhouse condominium units in Water Mill, according to the present proposal—but the applicant would instead contribute $3 million to Southampton Town's housing program.
A public hearing for a change of zone to allow the luxury townhouses immediately east of the Water Mill Shoppes was held at Southampton Town Hall on July 14. The proposal is still in the pre-application phase, and the hearing was simply a review of the project.
The 6.45-acre property sits between Montauk Highway and Nowedonah Avenue and is now zoned for “hamlet/office residential” use. Developer Philip Young, who was at the hearing but did not speak publicly, is asking the town to change the zoning to a planned development district, which creates a special zoning designation if the project is deemed to have a public benefit. PDD applicants must offer an affordable housing option, and they have a choice of including affordable housing at the site, or off the site, or making a financial contribution to create housing.
It’s been a long process for Mr. Young to get to this point," said Richard Warren, the developer's planning consultant.
Mr. Young’s original plan was to build a supermarket on the property in the 1980s when he first purchased it, but zoning changes and public discontent forced him to take a step back. He was also considering building offices with apartments above, but ultimately that was not a plan he wanted to pursue, according to Mr. Warren.
In April 2014, the developer presented sketches of a townhouse condominium complex to the Town Board. The units would range from 2,414 square feet to 2,764 square feet. There would also be a recreation building, a swimming pool and a wastewater treatment facility.
The new plan was revised to remove affordable housing and instead contribute the $3 million, estimated to be equivalent of 12 units, to the town's Housing Authority.
"Some people might say that that could be like a little bit of a bailout; I don’t agree with that," said Mr. Warren. "As part of the PDD process, you're required to demonstrate community benefit, and we think we have a fairly substantial community benefit."
"You're characterizing it as a 'community benefit,’” said Town Supervisor Anna Throne-Holst, asking whether the affordable housing was not in fact a requirement under state law for the project to go forward anyway.
"We're much higher than the state requirement," Mr. Warren replied. State law requires 10 percent, or the applicant must spend an equivalent value to be used for affordable housing elsewhere. This financial contribution would be the equivalent of 25 percent, he added.
Mr. Young also plans to contribute money to improving water quality in the nearby Mill Pond area, as part of the PDD public benefit mandate, although an amount was not specified.
"Phil Young, in my opinion, has been very respectful of the community, has listened to what they have to say, has participated quietly with them and watched to see what the community wants to see happen on this property," said Mr. Warren.
Following his presentation, Water Mill residents shared their reluctant support with the Town Board. Although they generally preferred the townhouses to the supermarket, several did not like the affordable housing change.
“I think we’re all aware that $3 million won’t even begin to cover the costs of locating 12 units in the hamlet of Water Mill or even in an adjacent area,” said Rachel Verno, chair of the Water Mill Citizens Advisory Committee. “And there really is no parity between the mathematical equation that comes up with this $3 million and the actual cost of obtaining those 12 units off-site."
"My son has camped there, played hockey, that’s my own personal park I feel like,” said a neighbor, Arthur “Mosey” Miller. “I don’t want to give that up, but I don’t own it; he does, and I think he should be allowed to do something on it."
Meanwhile, Curtis Highsmith Jr., executive director of the Southampton Housing Authority, offered his full support of the project. "This project solely becomes one of the largest contributions to the community housing bank, by far," he said. "We need to position ourselves to start banking opportunities in the hamlet."
“I just want to build a nice project,” said the soft-spoken Mr. Young after the hearing. “This has been a long time … This will help the town a lot."
Town Board members closed the hearing and issued a 14-day public comment period, while they examine and tweak the proposal.
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on Jul 25, 2015