The developer of a hotel and conference center proposed for Riverside since 2001 has filed a $25 million federal civil rights lawsuit against Southampton Town and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, charging that both entities purposely delayed signing off on the necessary permits for her project.
Dede Gotthelf, the developer of the proposed 106-room hotel and conference center called Rivercatwalk, which targets 20 acres off Flanders Road in Riverside, filed the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York in Central Islip on October 10.
Her attorney, Andrew Campanelli of the Mineola-based firm Campanelli and Associates LLP, explained that, in the lawsuit, Ms. Gotthelf charges that Southampton Town officials violated her civil rights by favoring the approval process of another proposed development—the Riverside Hamlet Center—and discriminated against her because she is a woman. The litigation also notes that the DEC has contributed to the delay by refusing to sign off on the necessary permits to build the complex.
“There’s no reason why this project didn’t go forward. She’s hit stumbling block after stumbling block,” Mr. Campanelli said. “It’s been frozen for at least three years.”
Ms. Gotthelf has had her plans for Rivercatwalk before the town since 2001, and she has submitted a number of environmental reviews because the proposed hotel and conference center will be built on wetlands. In an interview on Thursday, Ms. Gotthelf said she filed the lawsuit because she has grown tired of waiting for a green light.
“It took a lot to do this—it was something I thought I could avoid,” Ms. Gotthelf said. “But I had a final realization in August that there isn’t a way to get the town’s attention without taking a more aggressive action. It’s very sad that this has come to this.”
Town Attorney Daniel Adams said on Thursday that the municipality has not yet been officially served with legal papers. However, Mr. Adams noted that he had met with Mr. Campanelli only a few days ago regarding his client’s project. During that meeting, Mr. Adams said he had agreed to mail a letter to Ms. Gotthelf that provides an update of the status of her plans and describes any remaining hurdles of the review process.
“We’re still trying to work with her and help move her project along,” Mr. Adams said. “We wanted it to be a constructive meeting, but now there’s a lawsuit out there and it’s disheartening. The town wants to help her along, just like we like to see all projects move along to completion.”
Officials with the DEC could not be immediately reached for comment.
According to Mr. Campanelli, Southampton Town officials wronged Ms. Gotthelf by pushing through similar approvals for the Riverside Hamlet Center, a commercial complex that sits on more than 50 acres and lies directly across the street from Ms. Gotthelf’s Rivercatwalk property.
“It’s not difficult to see which is favored by the town,” Mr. Campanelli said. “You can see the hamlet center proudly framed outside the [Southampton Town] Planning Board’s door.”
Mr. Campanelli also represents developers Robert Muchnick, who earlier this year filed a $25 million federal civil rights lawsuit against Westhampton Beach Village, and fellow developer Rocco Lettieri, who filed a similar $25 million lawsuit against Quogue Village. Both suits charge that officials in those respective municipalities unfairly delayed their approval of new construction projects.
