Letters

The North Haven Village Board is proposing an amendment to the zoning code, by defining “lot area,” that will potentially negatively impact the size of house that homeowners will be allowed to build or renovate when they live on the waterfront or own property with tidal areas, marshes, wetlands or ponds, or homeowners with a portion of a lot which lies on or under any street. There is a public hearing scheduled on this amendment on Wednesday, August 20, at 5 p.m.

As a former trustee, I am strongly opposed to this amendment, for the following reasons:

The proposed amendment is punitive against only one group of homeowners. If the board wishes to address development of oversized houses in the village, they should seek solutions that apply to all properties and not just one group of homeowners, by revisiting the floor area ratio (FAR) formula.

Homeowners in North Haven pay high taxes on all of their land and should be allowed to consider the entire size of their lots in the calculations for the size of houses, accessory structures, and for calculating how much land can be cleared without exclusions. This zoning amendment proposes to change those rules, but North Haven homeowners will still pay taxes on the entire lot, unless the Town of Southampton and the village choose to grant tax relief. Property values could decrease as a result of this change.

Lastly, the water lines may change over time due to global warming, affecting more properties.

Homeowners may feel this does not impact them because they have no plans to make changes to their home, but one cannot anticipate if they might be impacted in the future by a catastrophic fire or storm that may cause them to have to rebuild or renovate.

The mayor is likely to refute this letter and claim that few homeowners are impacted by this proposed change — but don’t be fooled: Many property owners will be impacted.

This proposed amendment is unfair and takes away property rights from one group of North Haven homeowners. It is important to be aware of the consequences if this amendment is passed by the board. The ramifications are significant and will negatively impact many property owners in North Haven.

If you are a North Haven homeowner whose property is on the water or in a tidal, marsh or wetland area, or contains a pond, or has a portion of your lot on or under a street, I urge you to attend the public hearing at Village Hall on Wednesday, August 20, at 5 p.m. and let the Village Board know that you also object to this proposed amendment.

Terie Diat

North Haven