Southampton Town Residents Will Vote On PDD Supermajority Provision

On Election Day, Southampton Town residents will be faced with a yes-or-no question at the polls: Should planned development district projects, and amendments to those projects, be subject to a supermajority vote by the Town Board?

If approved by the voters, the proposition would back up recent legislation enacted by the Town Board to subject the projects to the higher voting standard. Planned development districts, which are usually mixed use developments, are projects in which developers seek to surpass the underlying zoning of property, in exchange for providing a public benefit.

Under a supermajority vote, the projects would require four Town Board members out of five voting in favor, instead of a simple majority of three members. The supermajority provision would exclude agricultural PDDs.

The proposition is the latest action the Town Board has taken to retool the way such projects are treated at Town Hall. In May, the Town Board approved a number of reforms to the legislation, which revamped pre-submission criteria for such projects, established hard time frames and welcomed more community input into the process. Those reforms were largely endorsed by a number of community members.

In August, the Town Board approved putting the supermajority provision on the ballot. Town Board members argued both for and against the supermajority measure. Town Board members Chris Nuzzi, Jim Malone and Nancy Graboski questioned the need for a supermajority standard, given that a vast majority of PDDs were approved by a unanimous or supermajority vote in the past. Town Councilwoman Bridget Fleming and Supervisor Anna Throne-Holst argued the measure provides an extra layer of review.

Local community groups, like the environmental organization the Group for the East End have endorsed the supermajority provision. Ann LaWall, the executive director of Southampton Business Alliance, said her group also supports the supermajority measure.

“A PDD is a huge impact on whatever community it lands in,” Ms. LaWall said. “Therefore, the supermajority is warranted.”

Mitchell Pally, the chief executive officer of the Long Island Builders Institute, said his group hasn’t taken a stance on the measure because it’s an internal Town Board issue. Mr. Pally added that his group endorsed the reforms earlier this year after the Town Board brought them to the table to seek their input.

“If it’s a good project, it should get five votes,” Mr. Pally added. “If it’s not a good project, it should get zero votes.”