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Federal funding for a proposed 38-unit affordable housing complex, called Speonk Commons, could be in jeopardy after a Tuesday public hearing was canceled due to a procedural issue.
Southampton Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman announced at the beginning of Tuesday night’s public hearing, which more than 130 people attended, that any comments made about the affordable housing project that night would not be submitted into the official record—as property owners within 500 feet of the proposal had not been notified of the hearing by mail, as required by the town code.
The code also requires that a public hearing notice be submitted to the newspaper of record—in this case, The Press—for publication at least 10 days prior to the hearing, which the developer, David Gallo, failed to do.
A tentative date for the public hearing has been set for March 22 at 6 p.m. in either Southampton Town Hall or in the Remsenburg-Speonk Elementary School.
“The sooner, the better,” said Mr. Gallo, who is president of Georgica Green developers, on Tuesday. “I would love to see this happen sooner … It’s been an honor to work with this community. I admire their ability to be open-minded, their due diligence, to be firm at times and to truly work with us, together. It’s been a great experience and I think this is our shot at getting it right.”
To go forward, Speonk Commons, which is being jointly proposed by Mr. Gallo and the Southampton Housing Authority, would need the Town Board to agree to rezone the 4.28-acre property that sits on the west side of North Phillips Avenue in Speonk from half-acre residential to multifamily use.
The project also is dependent on town funds to offset the cost of reducing the density from 51 to 38 one and two-bedroom apartments—a response to community concerns about density. The project would also rely on an undisclosed amount of federal tax credits.
Mr. Gallo said on Tuesday that he was unsure whether Georgica Green stands to lose the tax credits if the project is not approved soon.
“I’m going to have to notify the state about this,” he said.
At a February 28 Town Board meeting, the majority of the one dozen speakers voiced support of the project, although many had reservations about setting a precedent for zone changes in their area—particularly because there is a 44-unit apartment complex proposed down the road at 85 North Phillips Avenue. That complex, which would consist of 11 buildings, each with four three-bedroom apartments, would require a zone change of 7 acres on the west side of Phillips Avenue from 1-acre residential lots to a multi-family planned residential development.
Craig Catalanotto, a co-founder of the Remsenburg, Eastport, Speonk Communities United, or RESCU, who took part in the negotiations with the town and Mr. Gallo to reduce the density of Speonk Commons, said that although he wanted the town to make sure this approval would not set a precedent, and he would like to continue to be part of discussions about the project’s details, he believed the community needed to get behind the proposal.
“I think it’s time for us all to come together and work on something great,” Mr. Catalanotto said. “Stop nitpicking over the angle of the building—we can work on all of this. At the end of the day, I think what would be very Remsenburg-Speonk of us is to have something we’ve very proud of.”
on Mar 1, 2017