Letters

The indefinite postponement of the U.S. Coast Guard housing auction [“Federal Government Delays Auction Again for Former Coast Guard Housing in Westhampton,” 27east.com, September 6] means Southampton Town now has all sorts of time to seek state funding before any private bidders will have a chance to submit an offer.

It is being done at the expense of the 175 homeowners in the Hampton West development. Already the town officials are calling their plan a “moderate” income plan.

This is a distortion. The town will float numbers saying that a family of four with an income of $173,000 can participate in the plan, whatever the plan may be (it seems to be 26 rentals and 26 sales, but there might be many more rentals, as the town has partnered with a firm that constructs “affordable” rentals like Speonk Commons). And that seems to be true — except who in their right mind with an income of $173,000 a year buys a house where you will never really own it in the traditional homeownership way; that is, you build equity over time, and you sell it and keep the profit. The town plan, as I understand it, has caps on this appreciation.

So no rational person at that income level would ever participate in this program. It’s designed for low-income families.

Also, I would like to point out that the town median income, as reported from the U.S. Census, is $108,000. Hampton West? $65,000 (see U.S. Census BG1 1904.02). The town is essentially committing economic segregation by placing low-income residents in a lower-income neighborhood relative to the rest of the town.

Where is Westhampton Beach Village in all this? Your school district will suddenly have about 150 to 200 new students, maybe more, should that open field on the site be developed by the town’s partner.

Many years ago, there was a move to take Hampton West and form its own village. Perhaps it’s time to reconsider, and, if that happened, to also include the Coast Guard site, given our historical links to it. Perhaps even the airport could be included — the historical links are strong there also.

Oh well, just a thought.

Forest Markowitz

Westhampton Beach