Letters

The trustees of the Village of Southampton recently approved a well-received project for the establishment of 40 resort hotel units, along with eight affordable apartments, subject to workforce housing rental restrictions, at 71 Hill Street. I write in response to a social media post by former Mayor Jesse Warren that includes various misstatements.

First, Mr. Warren states that he voted against a prior plan that was approved by the then-trustees for development of the subject property. One can clearly see by a review of the resolution that the vote for approval was moved by the then-mayor, Mr. Warren, and received unanimous approval. Thus, despite Mr. Warren’s characterization, he unequivocally voted for a plan with six more resort hotel units than the 40 hotel units approved by the current administration, and four fewer affordable units than approved by the current administration. Mr. Warren has demonstrably misstated facts and his own voting record.

Mr. Warren’s comment that this is spot zoning evidences a significant misunderstanding of the zoning and land-use regulations in the State of New York. A village code amendment specifically allowing workforce housing on properties in the village business district was adopted as Local Law 3 of 2009, prior to either the Warren administration or the current administration. However, Mr. Warren’s vote of April 20, 2021, demonstrates that he had no qualms in voting for what he now characterizes as a “spot zone.”

A traffic impact analysis prepared by BFJ Planning, dated January 30, 2024, which Mr. Warren claims has not been made available to the public, has, as a matter of fact, been available for over a year. It should also be noted that the property is currently improved by structures capable of occupancy with any use permitted in the village business district, which uses typically have a higher vehicle trip generation than resort hotel units. This was, again, specifically noted in the traffic study.

Totally contrary to the claim that this was a February “cloak of darkness” approval, there were four public hearings before the village trustees, all properly noticed, commencing on August 8, 2024, and concluding on February 20, 2025. The application was generally well-received, with no opposition to the application. The Southampton Association did request a discussion as to the potential of opening Vahradian Way to connect to Coopers Farm Road, which, while not germane necessarily to the site plan, was nevertheless considered by the trustees.

Finally, while the removal of the clock tower is something about which reasonable minds can differ, this is not a historic structure, and I share many residents’ belief that the removal of this “faux” historic structure will be an improvement.

I write this letter solely to clarify the record.

John J. Bennett

Bennett & Read LLC

Southampton Village

Bennett & Read represents the owners of 71 Hill Street, 71 Hill LLC — Ed.