Letters

I’m concerned about the future of Southampton Town. I look at some of the ideas to address affordable housing, and sometimes I see nothing but political tunnel vision, combined with a willingness to ignore the rights and quality of life of homeowners throughout Southampton Town.

I’m going to vote for Rick Martel in the upcoming special election for Town Board, because Rick is looking at issues and considering all of us. Rick takes a pragmatic approach to housing. He supports appropriately sized projects throughout the town, as opposed to maximizing density on every target of opportunity.

Rick wants to use the Community Housing Fund to rehabilitate existing structures and turn blight into housing opportunities. Rick understands the risks of density saturation, especially in the western hamlets, and wants to conduct corridor studies to prevent hamlets from being overwhelmed.

Unlike his opponent, John Leonard, Rick is not in favor of accessory dwelling unit legislation that will allow secondary freestanding homes of up to 1,000 square feet to be erected and rented on half-acre parcels.

I’ve been around John Leonard. We have had pleasant conversations and have mutual friends. I give him credit for running, and I recoil at the personal attacks made against him.

That said, we disagree on some policies. John’s support of ADU legislation troubles me. The concept is nothing more than a density-doubling subdivision of land. Fair as it may seem to the homeowner and tenant, it is wildly unfair to surrounding homeowners. Make no mistake, homeowners pay for and should expect a municipality to adhere to zoning.

ADUs can potentially compromise the privacy, quality of life, noise and property values of surrounding homeowners. Moreover, ADUs likely will pop up in hamlets that already have comparatively more density. You’re not going to see backyard mini homes in Sagaponack and Quogue.

Mr. Leonard stated that he’d like to “relax zoning restrictions to make the development of affordable housing less onerous.” As a member of a land-use board, Mr. Leonard should know that restrictions exist for the benefit of all of us. Again, this is where the affordable housing tunnel vision comes into play. The goal should always be to do what is best for all. Everyone and everything in the equation need to be considered and respected throughout the process.

Rick Martel was calm, measured and fair when he served on the Town Board. Those qualities will complement Supervisor Maria Moore and the members of the Southampton Town Board. Rick is a good man looking to do good things for all of us. I think we should give him our votes and our trust.

Craig Catalanotto

Speonk