Members of a new civic organization galvanized last week at the American Legion in Mattituck to voice their opinions on how they’d like to see the future of the hamlet take shape.
On Wednesday, the Mattituck-Laurel Civic Association engaged in a facilitated workshop aimed at forming a decision to present to the town board on the controversial project proposed by Paul Pawlowski for Main Road.
The meeting began with the announcement that the MCLA would be introducing a new $500 scholarship, to be presented to a June graduate of Mattituck High School.
According to MCLA president Mary Eisenstein, one of the primary focuses of the civic group is to give all members a voice when discussing important issues.
To that end, Wednesday’s membership meeting was held to formulate the MCLA position on the proposed Pawlowski project, on 20 acres across from old Capital One building on Main Road, and his request for a zone change that could lead to the creation of new businesses and apartments.
Currently, the parcel is zoned residential, or R-80, and Pawlowski is requesting a change to general business, with an eye toward developing the 3.78 acres that fronts Route 25 and donating the remaining acres to Southold Town for preservation, according to Pawlowski.
The Pawlowksi proposal has been discussed at a number of MCLA meetings, including one where the developer was a guest speaker and answered questions directly.
Approximately 50 members turned out, and were organized into groups of five; each group was given a resource sheet with five categories for discussion. Those categories included zone change, and whether the approval of the zone change request could set a precedent for future zone change requests.
Another issue involved the pros and cons of the economic impact of the project, if the potential job creation met the criteria outlined in the town’s comprehensive plan, and if the project could lead to further increases in population or business activity.
The third topic discussed was the proposed apartments in the plan, including the pros and cons of the 12 one-and-two bedroom units and how they would impact the community.
Also discussed was community character, and if the project would adhere to the objectives of the comprehensive plan, whether it would impact traffic patterns or community character in Mattituck, if consideration should be given to the cumulative impact of the project on the Main Road corridor, and the benefit or negative impact of the proposed pavilion.
Finally, members discussed the potential impacts to the environment, with questions about how wastewater will be handled, as well as if residents thought the donated 17 acres would offset the increased usage of water and septic system use by the proposed five businesses and 12 apartments.
Members were asked to weigh in on what they believed the recommendation to the town board should be, in regard to the proposal.
The small group discussions lasted 45 minutes; next, one member of each group reported their group’s responses, which were collated by two recorders at the front of the room.
“The membership enthusiastically embraced this process and the discussions were lively,” Eisenstein said.
Southold Town Supervisor Scott Russell also attended the meeting, speaking to the group and answering questions ranging from how affordable apartments are administered to what happens to open space once it’s established.
Once the responses are gathered, including those from members who were not able to attend last week’s meeting, they will form the basis of the MLCA’s position on Pawlowski’s proposed project and petition for a zone change, which will be presented to the town board at a public meeting.
