Southampton Adopts Hampton Bays Rezoning That Kills Cannabis Biz - 27 East
logo logo logo logo

Business / Government / News / Southampton Press / 2375028

Southampton Adopts Hampton Bays Rezoning That Kills Cannabis Biz

icon 2 Photos
More than two dozen properties along Montauk Highway leading into downtown Hampton Bays were officially rezoned from

More than two dozen properties along Montauk Highway leading into downtown Hampton Bays were officially rezoned from "highway business" to "hamlet commercial" by the Southampton Town Board on Tuesday, including a long vacant former bank building, on the right in this photo, that is the subject of an application to the town for a cannabis dispensary. The rezoning will block the town Planning Board from approving the pot shop application because such businesses are allowed only in highway business zones. MICHAEL WRIGHT

Joe Lustberg has been renting the former North Fork Bank building in Hampton Bays for nearly a year, as part of a plan to open it as a cannabis dispensary. He accused the Southampton Town Board of changing the zoning on some two dozen properties surrounding his specifically to prevent him and his partners from opening their business. MICHAEL WRIGHT

Joe Lustberg has been renting the former North Fork Bank building in Hampton Bays for nearly a year, as part of a plan to open it as a cannabis dispensary. He accused the Southampton Town Board of changing the zoning on some two dozen properties surrounding his specifically to prevent him and his partners from opening their business. MICHAEL WRIGHT

authorMichael Wright on Jul 9, 2025
The Southampton Town Board unanimously approved a sweeping rezoning of a swath of Montauk Highway on the edge of downtown Hampton Bays on Tuesday. The move came barely a month... more

You May Also Like:

Korey Williams, Longtime Teacher and Lifetime Westhampton Beach Hurricane, Retires After 32 Years

Some teachers spend their entire career at one school. For a select few, they spend ... by Dan Stark

Let's Make a Deal

Since his swearing-in in January 2023, U.S. Representative Nick LaLota hasn’t faced a series of votes that rivaled the recent domestic spending package, which he played a significant role in pushing through Congress and onto President Donald Trump’s desk. It gave him a notable win: He proudly says he delivered on his promise to 1st District voters that he would get a reprieve on the federal government’s cap on the state and local tax deduction, or SALT. Ultimately, that’s true, with an asterisk. But it’s fair for voters to ask: At what price? Did a single-minded focus on this goal ... by Editorial Board

Stony Brook Medicine, UnitedHealthcare Reach New 3-Year Deal To Maintain Coverage

Stony Brook Medicine and UnitedHealthcare have inked a new three-year contract that will maintain coverage of visits to Stony Brook Southampton Hospital and Meetinghouse Lane Medical physicians for those with UnitedHealthcare or Oxford insurance plans. The agreement was announced just a day before the expiration of a temporary extension of the previous agreements announced in June, when the state’s largest insurer began notifying its customers that Stony Brook’s hospitals and doctors would be out of network coverage soon. “There will be no interruption in coverage for any of our United/Oxford patients,” Stony Brook announced in a statement this week. “We ... by Michael Wright

GOP-Backed Candidates Knock Democrats Off Working Families Party Line in Primary Shake-Up

Absentee ballots that came in after last month’s primary voting bumped Democratic Party candidate Tom Neely from the Working Families Party line for the November ballot. Even though Neely had a one-vote lead after ballots from early voting and the June 17 primary day were tallied, 11 additional absentee ballots, which all went to challengers Ieshia Galicia and Andrew Smith, put the two first-time political candidates over the top for the tiny party’s line with 23 and 21 votes, respectively. A Working Families Party challenger to the Working Families Party’s official endorsement for town clerk, Mark Bernardo, had trailed his ... by Michael Wright

PSEG 'Storm Hardening' Power Lines in East Quogue This Summer

Crews from PSEG-Long Island will be conducting “storm-hardening” work on electrical transmission lines and circuits in East Quogue throughout the remainder of the summer as part of the company’s Power On initiative to improve reliability and resiliency in the face of severe storms. Crews will be replacing and upgrading mainline circuits along Spinney Road between Lewis Road and Serenity Place, along Lewis Road between Old Country Road and Quogue-Riverhead Road and on Damascus Road. The work is expected to take about two months to complete, PSEG said. “PSEG Long Island is committed to strengthening the electric infrastructure and improving reliability ... by Staff Writer

Former Trustee Robin Brown Alleges Discrimination, Defamation, Files Complaint Against Southampton Village Ethics Board

Former Southampton Village Board member Robin Brown — who lost her seat on the board ... by Cailin Riley

Southampton Eyes Protections for, and From, Growing Trees

Southampton Town is in the midst of crafting two new codes that would regulate the ... by Michael Wright

Southampton Village Board Makes Appointments at Organizational Meeting

At the annual organizational meeting of the Southampton Village Board, held shortly after the swearing-in ... by Cailin Riley

HCBL Stars Set to Battle ACBL’s Finest in Sag Harbor Showdown

The Hamptons Collegiate Baseball League will play its 12th All-Star Game this Saturday, July 12, ... by Drew Budd

Jonny Wilson Returns To Win 34th Annual Firecracker 8K

After finishing as runner-up at last year’s Firecracker 8K, Jonny Wilson returned to the 34th ... by Drew Budd