Residents Air Concerns Over Lobster Inn Condo Proposal In Shinnecock Hills

Residents of Inlet Road and Cold Spring Court in Shinnecock Hills say they have concerns about a proposal to put condominium units and a clubhouse where the Lobster Grille Inn restaurant currently stands.

Neighbors of the property sounded off during a public hearing on the application before the Southampton Town Zoning Board of Appeals on Thursday, December 4. They said they were concerned about noise and disruption resulting from the conversion of the restaurant building into a clubhouse, plus the addition of a tennis court, play area and recreation building that are included in an application for condominiums. The development, dubbed “The Maritime,” would span a little more than 10 acres, with about seven buildings containing a total of 25 condominiums.

“We moved to the area for quiet,” said Richard Bachrach of Cold Spring Court, which is just east of the property across the Cold Spring Pond marina. “The quiet and enjoyment are going to be gone. That spells trouble with a capital ‘T.’”

The applicants, Peconic Bay Marina LLC and Peconic Residence LLC, are seeking variances to allow the housing units, as well as to change the Lobster Grille Inn from a restaurant to a clubhouse, as both the current restaurant and the proposed clubhouse are nonconforming uses. Setback variances are also needed for a proposed tennis court and the clubhouse, along with another variance to allow parking for the clubhouse patrons.

Additionally, the application seeks relief from the town’s “pyramid law” height restrictions, which regulates the height of a building in relation to its size and position on a property.

The plan for the condominium development was originally approved in late 2008, but the Suffolk County Health Department ultimately would not allow that many condos without a sewage treatment system on the property. This modified application includes a sewage treatment system, and it also seeks a variance to extend the approved plan to include another parcel immediately to the north, for a total of three parcels, on which some of the seven building would be built. All of the parcels are currently zoned for single-family dwellings.

Most residents who spoke during the public hearing said the clubhouse was their main concern. Cathy Rewinski, who lives on Inlet Road right near the property, said that the answer to a proposed pool on the roof of the clubhouse should be “a resounding no way.”

“It’s an invasion of our privacy,” Ms. Rewinski said, adding that the entire proposal is oversized. “It’s just way too big for me.”

“I don’t want to see people swimming, and most of all, I don’t want people looking into my house,” said Hank Niles, also of Cold Spring Court.

After hearing the concerns, many of which mirrored one another, ZBA Vice Chair Adam Grossman requested that the applicant’s attorney, Timothy McCulley of the Southampton-based firm Burke and Sullivan, address the problems with his client. Mr. Grossman adjourned the public hearing until the ZBA’s first meeting in February.

Mr. McCulley told residents: “We’ve taken notes on all the comments you’ve made, and we’ll take them back to the applicant.”