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The developers who own the Canoe Place Inn property in Hampton Bays picked up the applications last Thursday, September 30, needed to demolish the 88-year-old structure, two days after Southampton Town Supervisor Anna Throne-Holst called for a moratorium on the zoning tool that would most likely be needed to preserve the structure.
Gregg Rechler, a partner of R Squared LLC in Melville, the group that owns the inn property, said Friday he believes that Ms. Throne-Holst has lost interest in preserving the structure after she announced during last week’s Town Board meeting that she is considering a moratorium on planned development districts, or PDDs. PDDs are a zoning tool the Rechlers had hoped to utilize as part of a deal that would have allowed them to build 40 condominiums on the east side of the Shinnecock Canal in exchange for preserving the exterior of the Canoe Place Inn and reopening it as a catering facility.
“Unfortunately, my feeling is that Anna no longer has interest,” Mr. Rechler said, referring to negotiations that have been ongoing between the town and his company since the spring. “It’s because of her letter to the editor and what she said at the Town Board meeting—all these actions are contrary to moving forward.”
Ms. Throne-Holst, who has personally spoken with Hampton Bays civic groups about the proposed deal that would preserve the exterior of the Canoe Place Inn, did not return multiple calls and e-mails this week.
Mr. Rechler said Friday that he is keeping all of his options open, pointing out that he can legally demolish the structure as it is not a protected historic landmark.
“We’re going to go ahead and pull the [demolition] permits out,” he said. “[We’ll] do what we need to do as of right, within the next week the board should give us an indication of whether they want to move forward [with the condo plan] or they don’t.”
The Rechlers have not yet submitted the demolition application, according to town officials. Mr. Rechler said he will not make a decision on whether or not to submit it until after Town Board members discuss their plans for the proposed PDD moratorium during their next work session scheduled for today, Thursday, October 7.
As of earlier this week, there was a clear divide among board members regarding Ms. Throne-Holst’s suggestion.
“I don’t think we should be shutting down PDDs,” said Town Councilman Jim Malone, who lives in Hampton Bays and said he is the Town Board’s liaison to his hometown. “It’s a knee-jerk reaction. We already have the authority to deny these applications.”
Mr. Malone said he thinks the supervisor’s statement is an example of elected officials acting as “starting pistols,” adding that he believes the Rechlers picked up their demolition application in order to protect their interests. “My response to the Rechlers would be, ‘Not so fast,’” Mr. Malone said, regarding the moratorium on PDDs. “It is not the consensus of the board. One individual, albeit the supervisor, said that.”
If they decide to move forward and raze the Canoe Place Inn, the Rechlers could not immediately demolish it, according to Michael Benincasa, the town’s chief building inspector. He said the review process, which would be conducted by the town’s Historical Preservation Board, would take about five weeks because the building is more than 75 years old.
Once they receive a demo permit application, town officials make copies of it and forward them to members of the preservation board, which includes community leaders from across the municipality. They then have 30 days to review the application. Though they lack the authority to deny an application, preservation board members can make suggestions to the town’s building department which, in turn, shares that feedback with the applicants.
As part of their latest proposal, the Rechlers would preserve the outside of the Canoe Place Inn and provide a public walkway along the east side of the Shinnecock Canal. In exchange, the town would have had to approve a PDD and allow the developers to build the luxury condominiums where the Tide Runners and 1 North Steakhouse restaurants now stand.
Brenda Berntson, the president of the Hampton Bays Historical Society, said this week it would be a shame if the inn is lost forever. She said she supported the condominium plan because, at the end of the day, the inn would be preserved.
“This is one of the few times when the community has gone to the Town Board and asked for something and worked with the developer to come up with a plan,” Ms. Berntson said. “It actually worked and the developer actually listened to us.”
If the inn cannot be saved, Ms. Berntson said she would ask the Rechlers to preserve the five cottages also located on the property. She said she thinks those cottages are older than the inn itself.
“This is the last historic building in Hampton Bays,” she said of the inn. “If it gets razed, there’s not going to be another time. I think the town needs to stop asking for input [on the proposal] and follow their master plan and say this will be what’s best for the town.”
As part of their original plan, the Rechlers wanted to level the Canoe Place Inn and build 75 timeshares on the property—a project that they say would not require a change of zone. Town officials have previously stated that current zoning only allows for up to 28 timeshares to be constructed there, or about one third of what the Rechlers had hoped to build.
On Friday, Mr. Rechler said he did not know for certain what would be constructed on the property if they decide to demolish the inn. He said they could build a restaurant on the site, adding that several potential tenants have already expressed interest.
If the Town Board agrees to move ahead with the temporary ban on PDDs, it will be the latest in a series of moratoriums targeting Hampton Bays since 2008. R Squared LLC is currently suing the town over its prior moratoriums, alleging that the building bans have illegally blocked their rights to develop the land.
“My hope is that maybe someone else on the Town Board steps up and champions this settlement,” Mr. Rechler said about the condominium plan. “My hope is to move forward, but my belief at the end of the day is that it might not happen. If it doesn’t, I have to move forward.
“We’re going to move forward on both tracks,” he added, noting that he expects to make a final decision before the end of the week. “I’m preparing for the worst, but hoping for the best.”
