UPDATE: Suffolk County Lawmakers Approve Transfer Of Hampton Bays Land

Suffolk County lawmakers approved a land transfer Wednesday night, as part of the Canoe Place Inn redevelopment project.

The deal will ensure public access to the eastern side of the Shinnecock Canal and that the developers follow through with an estimated $1 million road reconstruction and realignment project that focuses on the eastern side of the canal.

Suffolk County lawmakers were expected to sign off on a land transfer Wednesday, part of the Canoe Place Inn redevelopment plan approved in January by the Southampton Town Board, over the criticisms of those who continue to object to the project’s approval.

Under the transfer agreement previously approved by the town, the land in question—roughly a quarter acre in size and situated along the eastern bank of the Shinnecock Canal—would be transferred from the county to the town. In turn, the town will sign an agreement with Gregg and Mitchell Rechler, the developers behind the Canoe Place Inn project, to ensure public access to the eastern side of the waterway, near where they intend to construct 37 townhouses on a neighboring 4.5-acre property.

Additionally, the transfer, which was expected to be approved last night by the Suffolk County Legislature, would require that the Rechlers follow through on an estimated $1 million road reconstruction and realignment project that focuses on the eastern side of the canal.

But some hamlet residents, including Maud Kramer, former president of the Hampton Bays Beautification Association, continue to object to not only the land transfer but the entire project itself, which also calls for the restoration of the 25-room Canoe Place Inn, the building of guest cottages and the opening of a 300-seat catering hall all on the western side of the canal. The entire project, which includes the 37 townhouses and the construction of a wastewater treatment facility on the eastern side of the canal, was approved by the town as part of a maritime planned development district.

“To transfer county land to the Town of Southampton, who intends to transfer the land to private developers, seems to me as not serving the best interest of our community and I question the morality in the town’s involvement in pursuing the County property on behalf of the developers,” Ms. Kramer wrote in a letter to Suffolk County Legislator Al Krupski, chairman of the county’s Public Works, Transportation and Energy Committee. “The PDD process does not work the way it was intended. The goal should be to achieve community benefits and something better than what the current zoning allows—not increased density, increased traffic and other significant impacts.”

In May, some four months after the Town Board approved the project, a group of neighbors sued the municipality over its decision. A decision has not been made in that case.

As part of the PDD approval, the town, county and developers agreed on certain stipulations. Among them, the county suggested improvements to two troublesome intersections, where Montauk Highway intersects with Newtown and North roads, which lie just west and east, respectively, of the Rechlers’ property. With North Road, the county suggested that the town install a “T” intersection, according to Suffolk County Legislator Jay Schneiderman.

On Tuesday morning, Southampton Town Supervisor Anna Throne-Holst explained that the land to be acquired by the town would be used to create a canal-side park, guaranteeing public access along the eastern bank. She said a path leading to a 250-foot-long floating dock will be installed near where the back deck of the now-closed Tide Runners restaurant once operated.

“What it does is create, for the first time, real public access on the east side of the canal to the canal,” Ms. Throne-Holst said. “You don’t have to buy a drink to access that side—you can just park your car and go down there. It will be safe and accessible.”

But several neighbors continue to argue that the park should not qualify as a public benefit, pointing out that they had access when the restaurant was open. They also don’t believe the road upgrades will improve traffic and safety.

“Will this T-intersection worsen or improve the site’s traffic-safety and congestion issues?” Rita Knox asked in a letter to the county. “Will we be able to enter and exit our neighborhoods safely when the proposed T-sections worsen already present traffic congestion?”

Wednesday’s meeting of the Suffolk County Legislature was scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. in Hauppauge.