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The Southampton Town Zoning Board Appeals will start the review process on Thursday for an application for a 120-unit condo development at the site of the town’s former dump in North Sea.
The Southampton Town Zoning Board of Appeals will begin to review an application this week that could pave the way for the owner of a North Sea property to build a 120-unit condominium development at the site of the town’s former dump.
The property, located at 1205 Majors Path Road, to the northeast of where the road intersects Straight Path, is 20.18 acres and is zoned R-60, or 1.5-acre residential zoning. Under R-60 zoning, the property owner could construct up to 13 single-family homes according to existing zoning.
Plans filed with the town show a 22-building subdivision, a two-story clubhouse, tennis and pickleball courts, and a swimming pool. They also show that all 120 units would have two bedrooms.
In order to move forward with the project, the owner, listed as the Thomas R. Stachecki Living Trust, is applying for relief that will allow a change from one pre-existing, nonconforming use to another. The current nonconforming use that has been allowed on the property is the dumping of natural organic wastes — things like trees, brush, stumps and leaves.
What’s not permitted under the property’s current zoning is multifamily use, which the applicant is seeking.
The applicant claims the development will be beneficial to the community.
“The site has a history of complaints from neighboring property owners referring to the noxious use of the property as a dump,” the application reads. “The change represents a clear benefit to the general neighborhood, ensuring a residential use in the residential zoning district.”
The Town of Southampton used the property as a municipal dump until around 1963, when the waste facility was moved across the street. After it was relocated, the former dump continued to be used as a dumping ground for natural waste.
To this day, the northeast corner of the property is still used by landscapers to dump yard clippings and brush.
Charlie Corwith, who lives across the street from the property, claims a mulching facility is operating on the property, without a permit from the State Department of Environmental Conservation.
The DEC confirmed on Tuesday that the property owner does not have a permit to conduct mulching or solid waste activities, and that they are investigating the matter.
The ZBA will take up the application on Thursday, August 15. If it eventually approves the application, the property owner would be required to remediate the land to remove any harmful substances from the soil.
The applicant’s attorney, David Gilmartin, confirmed that remediation would be completed, and he is working with the DEC to figure out what needs to be done.
“This Thursday, with the zoning board, is the beginning of the process,” Mr. Gilmartin said on Monday. “It’s basically the application we have to make to begin the [State Environmental Quality Review Act] process. My experience is that the Planning Board will ultimately take lead agency, and then we’ll work through all those issues through that process.”
Although the units would not be specifically built for affordable housing, Mr. Gilmartin said the developer would have to satisfy the Long Island Workforce Housing Act, which requires new multifamily developments to designate 10 percent of the units as affordable housing.
“You can do that in three different ways,” he said. “You can provide it on site, you can pay into a fund, or provide it off site.” He added that there is a decent chance that the units would be provided within the development.
Mr. Corwith said he plans to attend the public hearings on the application to voice his frustrations and opposition to the project.
“He’s got 20 acres of R-60 zoning,” he said. “He could put a dozen houses there, but he’s not satisfied with that. I’d rather see the R-60 zoning enforced on it. That’s a dozen houses — that’s livable,” he added.
Staff Writer on Aug 13, 2019