Flanders, Riverside Residents Weigh In On 'The Hills'

Developers seeking permission to build a private luxury golf course resort in East Quogue outlined their plans for members of the Flanders, Riverside and Northampton Citizens Advisory Committee last week.

Group members invited representatives of the developer, Discovery Land Company of Arizona, to attend the meeting last Wednesday night, February 24, because they are interested in water issues, explained Rob Fisher, a Flanders resident and the chairman of the committee.

“Anything that’s going to affect water quality is a big deal to us,” Mr. Fisher said after the meeting, held at the David W. Crohan Community Center in Flanders and attended by about 20 people.

Discovery Land is seeking permission from the Southampton Town Board, in the form of special zoning called a planned development district, to construct 118 homes—95 single-family homes, 13 clubhouse cabins and 10 clubhouse condominiums—as well as an 18-hole golf course centered on 168 acres along Spinney Road.

Some of the meeting attendees were concerned about the potential impact the development could have on the water.

“I’m pro-business, but my issue is with the water quality,” said Frank Fisher of Flanders, who owns Go-Green Sanitation in Southampton and is Ron Fisher’s brother. “If that’s not a problem then I don’t see a problem with it.”

Others raised concerns about how the development, if ultimately approved, would impact their quality of life, pointing to potential issues with increased traffic—both on the roads and in the sky.

“I know I’m not from East Quogue, but I’m concerned about helicopters, because they fly over my house and our area,” said Tammy Olson of Flanders. “I can see that as a potential problem … And the impact on Sunrise Highway.

“Have you thought about us?” she continued. “They have to go through here to get there. So, we’re going to have stretch limos, which is fine, but maybe another exit, maybe another lane on the south side [of Sunrise Highway], would benefit most of us.”

Charles Voorhis, managing partner of Nelson, Pope and Voorhis in Melville, the surveying and engineering company that is overseeing the project’s ongoing environmental study, said the draft environmental impact statement—which was submitted in December and deemed incomplete by the Town Board in February—goes into detail about the expected traffic impact from the development.

The document, which is expected to be refiled later this month, concludes that the development would not result in an increase in vehicular or air traffic in the area. It also points out that since the future homeowners would only be part-time residents, utilizing the units as vacation homes, they will generate less traffic than a traditional subdivision boasting as many residential units. The study also notes that those who live at the resort are expected to drive cars, concluding that they will not contribute any additional noise pollution.

“The residential component is expected to generate less traffic than primary residences,” the document reads. “Traffic patterns will be such that relatively few trips will occur during weekday morning and afternoon peak hours and Saturday peak hours. This indicates a reduced intensity of use as compared to a single-family subdivision.”

Mark Hissey, the vice president of Discovery Land, said last week that he expects to resubmit the draft environmental impact statement to the Town Board later this month. After that, he said board members have 30 days to decide if they will approve the document.