Letters

When developer Discovery Land of Arizona filed an application to build a 600-acre golf course resort in the Pine Barrens of East Quogue, the application was filed using a zoning vehicle called The Hills Planned Development District, or PDD.

Unlike most zoning vehicles submitted to Southampton’s Planning Board, a PDD application was required to be submitted to Southampton’s Town Board. After review, The Hills PDD was denied by the Town Board, and Discovery Land sued the town for $100 million, apparently believing that all of the requirements for approval had been satisfied. Discovery Land then submitted a different application, this time to Southampton’s Planning Board, using a zoning vehicle called the Lewis Road Planned Residential Development, or PRD.

Regardless of which zoning vehicle was used, the entrance to the golf course resort was always located on Lewis Road in the Pine Barrens.

When The Hills PDD was submitted to the Town Board, two important issues were raised that concerned Lewis Road: water quality and road safety. Discovery Land planned to provide public water to all of the structures on its 600-acre resort while cutting off public water to a small number of houses with private wells located near the entrance to The Hills PDD.

However, it was indisputably documented that wells in the area were indeed subject to pollution. As a result, Southampton assumed responsibility for installing a public water main to the houses near the entrance to The Hills PDD. In other words, water quality along Lewis Road was a proven issue that wasn’t addressed in The Hills PDD.

Next, after The Hills PDD was denied by the Town Board, Discovery Land prepared a new application, called the Lewis Road PRD, which was submitted to the Planning Board, then reviewed and approved by the Zoning Board of Appeals, and then returned to the Planning Board for final review and approval. Along the way, Discovery Land made a few changes to the Lewis Road PRD.

In the site plan, Discovery Land informed the Planning Board that the entrance to the golf course resort had been moved to a different location on Lewis Road: “Entry road shifted 500 feet meeting all traffic safety design requirements.” The move was accomplished, admittedly, due to the generosity of Discovery Land and two landowners on Lewis Road whose acreage was involved or purchased.

I’m sure Discovery Land was sore about the fact that The Hills PDD was denied, but a $100 million lawsuit seems to be a bit of an overreaction, given that two significant issues (water quality and road safety) were proven to exist but were not resolved. Therefore, all of the requirements for approval of the PDD were not satisfied.

Susan Cerwinski

East Quogue