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The site of a proposed affordable housing development in Quiogue called The Preserve at South Country.
An artist's rendering of the housing units proposed in Quiogue. COURTESY NRP GROUP
As the East End continues to struggle with the lack of affordable housing for workers, with all eyes on the Community Housing Fund and revenue that may prove a remedy, the NRP Group, a national multifamily housing developer, is looking to build 104 units in the hamlet of Quiogue.
Dubbed The Preserve at South Country, the housing complex would be situated on 17 acres of land bordered by South Country Road, Corwin Lane, East Lane and Montauk Highway. It would entail eight two-story residential buildings, a clubhouse, open space with a walking trail, 148 parking spaces and an onsite sewage treatment facility.
NPR needs a zone change, from single-family residential to multifamily use with a density of six units per acre. The developer originally wanted 10 units per acre but later reduced the ask.
A public hearing on the proposal is slated for March 28 at 6 p.m. at Southampton Town Hall. Lawmakers will seek public comment on the code change question combined with the environmental review compiled by the developer.
An earlier hearing held in November saw just a handful of opponents, predominantly neighbors of the site, looking askance at the density of the development.
Other concerns voiced included its potential impact on the Westhampton Beach School District and already crushing traffic congestion. Generally, however, the project has not been the subject of controversy and extensive opposition.
Supporters at the November hearing underscored the need for affordable housing and lauded NPR’s plan to include a mix of affordability eligible residents in the units. Annual income levels for eligible tenants would range from $32,700 to $120,880, with rents ranging from $724 to $2,884 per month.
The developer noted the site is ideal because it’s already disturbed, but environmentalists worried groundwater contamination discovered nearby might migrate to the site.
Last month, the Town Planning Board discussed its reservations about the project, reiterating concerns raised at that first public hearing. The Town Board required the developer to produce a Draft Environmental Impact Statement, as part of its review under the State Environmental Quality Review Act.
The Planning Board, which will be tasked with closer review of the development should the Town Board grant a zone change, also weighs in on the DEIS and zone change request, providing a written referral. Members say what they want to see included in the Final Environmental Impact Statement.
The board’s referral document states, “Given this existing rural population density of Quiogue, limitations of emergency services, and the lack of community amenities, the Town Board should require a project with a reduction in density in efforts to maintain consistency with the existing character of the hamlet.” Even by conservative estimate, the referral notes, an increase of 250 new residents would mean a population increase of 46 percent.
“Those are huge numbers,” Planning Board member Craig Catalanotto said during the February review. “We’re talking about a tremendous amount of density.”
Board members wanted the developer to double check their figures in terms of tenants. Board Chairwoman Jacqui Lofaro said that with 40 one-bedroom units, 48 units at two bedrooms, and 16 three-bedroom units, she calculated a low end of 288 people and a high end of 352.
So, too, were the estimates for the number of children added to the area school district questioned. Catalanotto recalled that the initial analysis for the Speonk Commons development estimated four schoolchildren, when the actual number turned out to be 12. NPR estimates the project would add 37 students to the school; if the land were developed “as of right,” the 28 five-bedroom homes the property could accommodate would send 33.
“If we think the projections are too low and the system can’t support it, then you have to have fewer apartments,” Planning Board member Glorian Berk said.
Should the zone change request be granted, planners will review the proposed subdivision. It carves 23 acres into two parcels. One, at 5 acres, will remain in use by Strebel’s Laundromat and Hand Car Wash. A larger portion — some 17 acres — will be used for a cluster development of housing units that leaves approximately 5 acres as open space.
