Southampton Supervisor Considers Leaving Bel-Aire Cove Motel Property As 22-Room Motel

Depending on the results of an environmental study of the Bel-Aire Cove Motel in Hampton Bays, Southampton Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman said on Tuesday that he might consider leaving the current zoning allowing a 22-room motel in place—or even walk away from plans to redevelop the site to allow condominiums to be built on the land.

The supervisor in August proposed purchasing the motel for $1,060,000 using funds from the Community Development Program, with the idea that the town could demolish the motel and clear the property, and obtain the necessary permits to redevelop the land for condominiums. Once the permits were in place, the town would auction off the property to an interested developer.

Southampton Town Attorney Jim Burke told Mr. Schneiderman at a Town Board meeting on Tuesday that the town’s Land Management Department suggested a full environmental review according to the State Environmental Quality Review Act, or SEQRA, before board members vote to approve the purchase of the property.

The SEQRA could be done by November 27, according to Mr. Burke, so board members tabled a proposal to purchase the property until then.

The proposal has received backlash from community members, many of whom want to see the property purchased with Community Preservation Fund money instead, and preserved as open space. One major concern is the septic system at the waterfront motel, which is designed for seasonal motel use and has been overwhelmed and failing since the property has become year-round rental housing.

“I have read talk of redevelopment—I urge against this,” Defend H2O President Kevin McAllister told board members on Tuesday. “I think it’s an ideal location for public access.”

Mr. McAllister also suggested creating a rain garden on the site to filter water before it enters a canal that connects to Shinnecock Bay.

Hampton Bays resident Gerald Anthony also asked board members to purchase the property with CPF money and keep the property open for public access.

Janet Allen of Hampton Bays told board members she was in favor of purchasing the property and cleaning it up, but she raised questions about what happens after the property is cleared.

Mr. Schneiderman has said that once the property is cleared and the proper permits are in place, the town will work with the community to figure out what can be developed on the parcel. Once a plan is in place, the property would be put up for auction to the highest bidder.

After the meeting, Mr. Schneiderman ruled out purchasing the property with CPF money. But he said that if it wasn’t feasible to develop the property into condominiums after the town purchased it, he would just leave the property available for another 22-unit motel—this time, two stories, with 11 units on each floor. Since the property is already zoned for a 22-unit motel, he said, that would be an option.

The other thing Mr. Schneiderman said he would do is walk away from the project if the redevelopment doesn’t gain traction—but he is not ready to do that yet.

The Bel-Aire Cove Motel, over the past few years, has been accused of allowing tenants to rent rooms for long periods of time, which has resulted in the pollution of the nearby canal. It has also been cited for numerous violations, including electrical issues, bedbugs and roach infestations.