Southampton Town Considers Mechanism To Permit Assisted Living Facilities

Southampton Town officials are considering creating special zoning that, if adopted, would permit the construction of assisted living facilities in the municipality.

While preparing to strike different specialty zoning, called planned development districts, from the town’s books, officials said they discovered that they have no other provisions in the code that permits the construction of assisted living facilities. Presently, developers can build such facilities only through the town’s planned development district, or PDD, zoning, or in certain overlay districts, according to Kyle Collins, the town’s planning and development administrator.

While it boasts rehabilitation facilities and nursing homes, including the Westhampton Care Center and the Hamptons Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing in Southampton Village, the town lacks a true assisted living facility, according to Supervisor Jay Schneiderman.

“We have very little support services for seniors,” Mr. Schneiderman said. “It would be nice if people could age in place—at least stay in the community they know.

“What a great place to be able to stay in as you get older and take advantage of all these world class venues,” he continued. “Yet we don’t have a single assisted living facility. I think that’s really sad.”

The closest such facility, Mr. Collins noted, is Peconic Landing in Greenport.

Mr. Collins, who is still drafting the proposed law, said this week that his department has identified 21 potential properties in Southampton Town—including land in Tuckahoe that was originally targeted for a retail shopping center—that could possibly accommodate such a facility. He noted that all were at least three acres in size and within a half-mile of business district. Of those 21 properties, only five are vacant, Mr. Collins added.

Though he declined to provide exact addresses, Mr. Collins said five of the 21 potential properties are located in Bridgehampton, Hampton Bays, Riverside and Westhampton. Two are in Hampton Bays, he added.

A sixth property was previously identified by Mr. Schneiderman, however, and is on County Road 39 in Tuckahoe. After recognizing that the town would not approve his plans for the Tuckahoe Center, a retail complex that would have been anchored by a 38,000-square-foot supermarket, developer Robert Morrow withdrew his application in April.

When reached this week, Mr. Morrow confirmed that his team has been having discussions with those who could be interested in building an assisted living facility on land that he owns along County Road 39 in Tuckahoe. Mr. Morrow owns three adjoining properties along the corridor, totaling just over seven acres.

Though he is still working on potential guidelines, Mr. Collins said he would recommend that the town require that developers interested in building assisted living facilities have at least three acres of land, and that each facility would be capped at 90 beds.