Town Supervisor Says He Is Hesitant To Entertain Second Apartment Complex Proposal For Speonk

Density will be the key factor in whether another proposed apartment complex along the North Phillips Avenue corridor in Speonk is allowed to move forward, with Southampton Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman saying this week that he is hesitant to support any project that would overburden the community.

The developer behind the 44-unit complex proposed for 85 North Phillips Avenue, Marc Chifert of CAEC Engineering and Design and Construction in Southampton, said last week that he filed a change of zone application with the municipality in late December, though he has not yet heard back on when the Town Board members plan to discuss his proposal.

In order to proceed, Mr. Chifert would need to Town Board the alter the zoning of the 7 acres on the west side of Phillips Avenue from R-40 Residence to Multi-Family Planned Residential Development, or MFPRD. His proposal calls for the construction of 11 buildings, each featuring four three-bedroom apartments that, he said, would be sold instead of rented. Owned by All Island Purchase Corp, the property currently features one small, vacant house.

When reached this week, Mr. Schneiderman warned that the timing of Mr. Chifert’s application is not good, explaining that the town is still in negotiations regarding another apartment complex proposed along the same street at 41 North Phillips Avenue.

Pitched by Georgica Green Ventures, with the Southampton Housing Authority as the co-applicant, that 38-unit complex calls for a mix of affordable studio and one- and two-bedroom apartments to be built on 4.27 acres also along the west side of North Phillips Avenue and which would be rented as opposed to sold. For that project to proceed, the developer needs to the town to rezone the land from Residence 20 to Multi-Family Residential. A shuttered boardinghouse, known as “The Castle,” and several single-family houses now dot the property that lies directly south of the railroad tracks.

Ideally, the supervisor said, he would like to see that project, dubbed Speonk Commons, wrapped up before entertaining plans for a second apartment complex. But he also said he is awaiting word from the town attorney’s office as to whether he has to schedule a work session immediately, or if the application can wait.

“The community has made it pretty clear to me that they don’t want to see any increases in density,” Mr. Schneiderman said. “They have been working fairly closely with me on the [Speonk] Commons project, but they often wonder about what is next if these other properties try to develop. I have assured them that we will not be increasing density, so I am not inclined at this point to any zone change that would increase density any time soon.”

Under his proposal, Mr. Chifert said roughly 10 percent of the apartments would be sold as affordable housing units, while the rest would be sold at market value. He declined to share what those prices would be at this point. Unlike the Speonk Commons land, which falls within the Remsenburg-Speonk School District, Mr. Chifert’s property is in the Eastport South Manor School District, meaning whatever children occupy those units would attend Eastport schools.

According to Mr. Chifert, his development would not resemble an apartment complex; rather, he said each of his 11 buildings would closely resemble Hampton-style houses.

“There is definitely a need in the area for young people that want to stay in the area and find it difficult finding proper housing,” he said. “This would be far enough from the train station that it won’t directly impact the development, yet we are close enough where you can still walk to the train station and other transportation. It is a good property.”

Under current zoning, the property could accommodate up to 10 single-family houses.

Craig Catalanotto, a co-founder of the Remsenburg, Easport, Speonk Communities United, or RESCU, group, said this week that the proposal is too dense for the community, pointing to several other applications—including the Speonk Commons proposal—that are either before the Town Board or in the planning stages.

“What this application does is it validates the overall fear of overdevelopment in the area,” Mr. Catalanotto said. “That is what we are really worried about.”

But Mr. Chifert said he does not think his complex is too dense, noting that he is seeking about six apartments per acre. “This is a nice project and it is in scale with the neighborhood in terms of density,” he said. “It would serve the local young professionals.”

Though he met with the developer recent, Mr. Schneiderman said he still does not know when the application will be brought before the full Town Board at a work session.

“The Speonk community has embraced the increase for affordable housing down the street,” the supervisor said. “Seldom has a community understood the importance of the need, and want it and [is] willing to do its fair share.

“That is what I have experienced with this community,” he continued, “so, personally, I am not inclined to consider any zoning changes in that area that would increase traffic or cause problems.”