Town Board Calls For Full Environmental Study Of Proposed Housing Project In Southampton

Before a proposal for some 60 units of affordable housing located between County Road 39 and the Hillcrest neighborhood behind the Southampton Full Gospel Church property in Southampton can move forward, developers will have to undertake an extensive environmental review.

The developers, the nonprofit housing provider Concern for Independent Living, is seeking a zone change from the Southampton Town Board, looking to move from residential to multi-family use and increase the permitted density to enable 12 units per acre on the property where six are currently permitted.

Located on five of the church’s overall 9.48 acres, the development would host units that are 100 percent affordable in five two-story apartment buildings. Two of the buildings would have 14 units, two would have 10 units and one would have 12 units.

Before the Town Board acts on the zone change request, members must make a determination as to its potential environmental impacts in compliance with the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA). A negative declaration under SEQRA would mean the project doesn’t appear to have a negative impact on the environment; a positive declaration says there is a potential for adverse impacts.

Voting to issue the positive declaration on July 13, Southampton Supervisor Jay Schneiderman speculated that the decision was anticipated and “not a surprise.”

The vote triggers the need for an environmental study and the compilation of an Environmental Impact Statement. Hardly a mere statement, the EIS is a comprehensive look at every potential impact of a project, plus every possible mitigation strategy for lessening impact. A Final Environmental Impact Statement is often a massive, multi-page tome that costs tens of thousands of dollars to compile.

Before the FEIS is adopted, a draft version must be authored and subject to a public hearing. And even before the DEIS, there will be public scoping sessions where officials and stakeholders list items they want to see explored in the DEIS. No date was set for the scoping session following the SEQRA vote this month.

It was back in February 2019 when Ralph Fasano, the executive director of Concern for Independent Living, presented conceptual plans for the project. The Medford-based organization would purchase the acreage from the church for the development.

But first, the zone change.

A developer would be permitted to build seven single-family homes on the site under the existing half-acre, or R-20, zoning designation. A developer could construct six units per acre, with 30 units total inside them under a multifamily designation; the application under review calls for five apartment buildings. If the units are offered as affordable housing, the developer could be permitted to construct 12 units per acre, or 60 units in total.

During the work session discussion in 2019, Mr. Fasano described a concept that included 36 one-bedroom units that would rent for anywhere from $550 to $800 per month, and 24 two-bedroom units that might go for between $1,100 and $1,200 per month.

In crafting the positive declaration, town officials made note of an array of arenas where an adverse impact may occur, such as transportation, land and water resources, consistency with adopted land use plans and community character.

Inconsistency with community character was listed, as the nearby neighborhood is home to single family housing.

The board’s environmental assessment notes that the original plan called for access through the Hillcrest Terrace neighborhood as well as through Season’s Lane. Board members suggested a shared access plan with the rehabilitation center to the east, but so far, the plan only calls for one access point onto County Road 39. Beyond the traffic impacts of the single access, the proposal is inconsistent with the town’s Comprehensive Plan which recommends limiting the number of access points onto CR 39. Officials are asking for an analysis that includes prohibiting left turns onto CR 39 from the site.

Among the impacts to land and water resources noted in the board’s determination, officials articulated the clearing of 4 acres of woodland, and the need for a wastewater treatment facility. Also, since the project entails creating a subdivision, and separating the church property from the housing property, officials want the development potential of the church property to be analyzed.

While there is a raft of specifics to address, Town Board members appeared amenable to the project when the concept was first presented. At the time, Mr. Schneiderman suggested that having housing for local workers in Southampton could lessen traffic.

On Tuesday, Mr. Fasano said he was aware of the town’s process and said “we will try to do our best to give the town everything it needs to make its decision.” However, he pointed out that an area that needs affordable housing needs to know that funding sources are very competitive. New York State, for example, wants to give money to a project within a year. “The delay and length of time this takes hurts us and hurts Southampton in attracting funds to provide the housing it desperately needs.” He pointed out that in the same time his organization has been in process in Southampton Town, it’s already completed projects in other areas.