Peconic Landing Looks To Expand To Southampton Town, Will Help Draft Changes To Zoning Code

A North Fork retirement community might expand its assisted living operation into Southampton Town­—and a Tuckahoe property previously targeted for a supermarket and retail shops could be among the targeted spots.

Just as town officials have begun a push to permit assisted living facilities in the municipality—currently, there is no allowance for them in the zoning code—officials from Peconic Landing, a Greenport-based not-for-profit retirement community, expressed an interest to the Town Board last week in building a new facility somewhere in Southampton Town.

Robert J. Syron, president and CEO of Peconic Landing, emphasized on Monday that the not-for-profit was in early discussions with Southampton Town officials about possibly expanding its operations onto the South Fork.

“Talks are preliminary at this point,” he said. “We don’t know whether we will get involved or not, but we’re just happy to be part of the process. We have no definitive plans to go to Southampton at this time, but if the right opportunity opens up, we would absolutely expand.”

Pat Lutzky, vice president of resident services at Peconic Landing, first broke the news of the potential expansion to the Town Board, telling members at a meeting on June 27 that she saw the expansion as a desperate need for the town.

“We’re thinking it would be beneficial to the residents of Southampton Town if we could find a way to develop an assisted living facility here,” she said. “We think Southampton Town is under-served in this area, given the population and the number of seniors who are here.”

While it already has rehabilitation facilities and nursing homes, including the Westhampton Care Center on Old Country Road and the Hamptons Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing on County Road 39 in Southampton Village, Southampton Town lacks a true assisted living facility, according to Supervisor Jay Schneiderman.

The supervisor has said he is supportive of the possibility, noting that there is a need to bring assisted living options to the South Fork. “I am encouraged that assisted living companies are interested in coming to our area,” he said. “Now, it’s just finding the right site.”

Officials have identified 21 potential properties in Southampton Town, including the Tuckahoe property owned by developer Robert Morrow and originally targeted for a retail shopping center, that could possibly accommodate such a facility. Mr. Schneiderman had previously suggested an assisted living facility at the site.

According to Kyle Collins, the town’s planning and development administrator, 11 of the potential properties are at least 3 acres in size—the estimated minimal acreage for such a facility in Southampton—and located within a half mile of a business district. Of the 21 properties, five are vacant. he added. He declined to offer the exact locations of the lots.

As he and other town officials began taking a closer look at special zoning, called planned development districts, ultimately deciding that it needs to be removed from the town code, Mr. Schneiderman said he learned that there are no other provisions that permit the construction of assisted living facilities. Currently, developers can only build such complexes in certain overlay districts, or with a PDD, according to Mr. Collins.

But with the Town Board expected to strike PDDs from the books soon, Mr. Schneiderman is now working with Mr. Collins to draft legislation that permits assisted living facilities in certain areas.

The supervisor said the current draft of the resolution, which is expected to be presented at the next Town Board meeting on Tuesday, July 11, requires that developers interested in building such facilities have at least 3 acres of land, with no more than 20 beds per acre. Also, each assisted living complex would have to be capped at 90 beds.

However, the supervisor noted that after preliminary discussions with Peconic Landing officials, that cap might need to be raised to 120 beds to “make the numbers work” for a company operating such a facility.

As for where an assisted living facility might be located, Mr. Schneiderman appears to be leaning toward the property along County Road 39 in Tuckahoe owned by a development group led by Mr. Morrow. After recognizing that the town would not approve his plans for the Tuckahoe Center, a retail complex that would have been anchored by a 38,000-square-foot supermarket, Mr. Morrow in April withdrew the application for a zoning change for his property, which covers more than 7 acres.

In a recent interview, Mr. Morrow acknowledged that he has had discussions with several entities, including Peconic Landing, that have expressed interest in building an assisted living facility on his land. “There’s no offer yet,” he said, referring specifically to Peconic Landing. “We’re just investigating whether it works for both parties.”

Mr. Morrow also noted that the number of housing units permitted will play a crucial role in whether Peconic Landing officials push to gain a foothold in Southampton Town. “They said if they can’t do 100 units, they won’t do the project,” he said.

Mr. Syron declined to identify a specific bed count that Peconic Landing would seek, but noted that the density needed to make the project economically feasible would depend on a number of factors, including the purchase price of the land and zoning restrictions.

Peconic Landing sits on 144 waterfront acres in Greenport and boasts 321 units, including 187 apartments and 108 cottages for those who can still live independently, and 26 one-bedroom apartments for those who require some assistance. It also features a skilled nursing center that can accommodate up to 43 people at once.

The complex houses nearly 400 people, age 62 and older, and offers a combination of residential, short-term rehabilitation, assisted living and skilled nursing care units. Approximately 22 percent of the facility’s residents hail from Southampton Town, according to Mr. Syron, who also noted that members of Peconic Landing’s Board of Directors live on both the North and South Forks.

The complex opened in 2002 and completed a $44 million expansion in April 2016. Presently, there are about a half dozen people on the facility’s waiting list, according to Mr. Syron.

Peconic Landing Chief Financial Officer Steven Carroll, who also spoke at last week’s Town Board meeting, said the not-for-profit has “some ideas” about potential expansion plans, and has even had discussion with a developer—though he declined to say if those talks were with Mr. Morrow.

Mr. Carroll noted that they intend to help the town tweak the proposed legislation, and will return to the board soon with more suggestions.