Subdivision Planned For 42 Acres In Water Mill; Wetlands Permits Needed

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is seeking public comment regarding a proposed subdivision in Water Mill targeting 42 acres off Jule Pond Drive.

The DEC will review all the comments before the department makes a final decision on the application, explained Aphrodite Montalvo, a DEC spokesperson.

The applicant, Yumi & the Kids LLC of New York City, is seeking freshwater wetlands and tidal wetlands permits to subdivide the 42-acre parcel into four residential lots. The proposed lot one is 120,386 square feet, lot two is 594,491 square feet, lot three is 979,013 square feet, and lot four will be 141,272 square feet.

A single-family home, known as Fordune at Flying Point, already exists on lot three.

A state environmental quality review was facilitated by the Southampton Town Planning Board; at the end of the review the board concluded that the project will not have a significant impact.

Planning Board Chairman Dennis Finnerty said his board reviewed the proposal from every possible angle before signing off on it. “We looked at it very closely,” he said.

While the property lies in the wetlands, it can still be developed—with some extra restrictions. The land is zoned R-80, meaning it’s residential with 2-acre zoning. Since it’s in the wetlands, Mr. Finnerty explained, there are some additional setbacks it must adhere to: the builder can’t disturb 100 feet from the edge of wetlands, with additional setbacks for construction and septic systems.

The property must also employ special denitrification septic systems that must have Suffolk County Health Department approvals.

The land in question was once part of the Henry Ford estate, but was subdivided from the original parcel in the 1970s, according to Mr. Finnerty.

Comments on the project should be sent in writing to Laura Star in the DEC’s division of environmental permits. Ms. Star can be reached by email at r1dep@dec.ny.gov, or by mail at 50 Circle Rd, Stony Brook, NY 11790.