A crowd packed the Southold Town Hall meeting room tonight to speak out on both sides of the controversial Heritage at Cutchogue project, a proposed senior development that has some seeing red and others welcoming a chance to live their golden years in the town they love.
The evening was marked by civility, with both sides speaking respectfully and intelligently on the issue, and with the audience clapping politely for their respective viewpoints. And all came together on the urgent need to address water quality.
The proposed residential site plan is for the development of 124 detached and attached dwellings, a 6,188 foot community center with an outdoor swimming pool and one tennis court, 284 parking spaces — of which 256 are associated with the residential units and 28, with the community center, on a vacant 46.17 foot parcel in the hamlet density zoning district.
The property is located at 75 Schoolhouse Road, on the northwest corner of Griffing Street and Schoolhouse Road, approximately 1,079 feet north of Main Road in Cutchogue.
The proposal has sparked some public pushback, with residents crying out about the density of the project and the potential impacts to the quality of life in the hamlet.
Planning board chair Donald Wilcenski told the public that the meeting was a preliminary hearing, an initial opportunity for the applicant to present the project to the public and for the public to be heard. Once the draft environmental impact statement is complete, another public hearing will be scheduled; the planning board has environmental consultants working on that review, with a report due shortly.
Hauppauge attorney John Wagner, representing the applicant, described the project and said the proposal was for the 124 residential condominium units, a clubhouse, pool and tennis court.
The residences, he said, will be two stories, with a maximum height of 35 feet.
He went on to explain the project’s buffers, as well as side and rear yard setbacks that would be greater than the required 35 feet.
The property, he said, would have 284 parking spaces and feature a sanitary and wastewater system that would be “fully compliant with Suffolk County” standards.
Cutchogue resident Benja Schwartz, who has long been a vocal opponent to the plan, said the hamlet density zone was created in 1989; the first version of the Heritage at Cutchogue project was born in 1982.
Schwartz said the state environmental review “looks at the forest, but not the individual trees,” and said the issue at hand was not merely parking spaces but the whole picture and how the development would impact the environment and community character.
The goals of the public hearing, he said, are to look at the developer’s proposal, consider potential impacts of the proposal, and weigh alternatives to the proposal.
Back in 1983, Schwartz said, the Southold town board was lead agency for the project, when the parcel was zoned agricultural residential. He gave an overview of the history of the project and said the current application is based on a 2007 environmental assessment statement.
The proposal, Schwartz said, would be a “separate community of luxury houses adjacent to the hamlet center of Cutchogue. They call it the Heritage. I call it the inheritance. They’re looking to make as much as they can from the property they inherited, and at the same time, they’re squandering the heritage of our community. We will have no heritage if this is developed as proposed.”
Ponds lined with plastic would be detrimental to the environment, Schwartz said; Wilcenski said the current version of the plans has eliminated those ponds.
Environmentally friendly solutions might include rain gardens, to help purify air and recharge the aquifer, green roofs, and solar panels, Schwartz said.
“These plans haven’t been updated in years; they don’t relate to the environment. It’s horrible,” Schwartz said.
He added that rather than provide affordable housing, the developer has chosen to pay a fee in lieu of taxes, to the tune of $2 million, and said the planning board should outline to the public what it would do with those funds.
Others, however, applauded the proposed project. Mike Nickich of Cutchogue said the new residences are needed by those who wish to stay in their North Fork homes.
Another Cutchogue resident said he did not feel the project was a detriment to the community, but instead, would meet the needs of an aging population. The needs of the community must be balanced with the rights of developers, others said.
Residents from all corners echoed concern for the environment. Tom Wacker, whose family own several Cutchogue properties, said some are “downstream of the sewage flow. There are a lot of reasons why this doesn’t belong, but the Achilles heel is the lack of sewage treatment. In light of warnings at every level of government about the dangers of excessive nitrogen loading, it’s astounding that we are considering this with no plan for nitrogen abatement.”
Kevin McAllister, former Peconic Baykeeper and creator of Defend H20 said protecting water quality is critical. “We have reached the tipping point,” he said. “Our homes are contributing to water quality degradation.” He said when he heard that plans for the Heritage project included a conventional wastewater treatment system that meets Suffolk County code, he “bristled. We have to find a way to break the inertia. This is a great opportunity to advance wastewater treatment.”
And, if Suffolk County is not going to move forward in mandating advanced wastewater treatment systems, towns and the state have to do so, he said.
Local business owner and Cutchogue resident Paul Romanelli thanked the developer for coming back with various changes to the plan, including the setbacks above what’s required. However, he challenged the planning board and developer to come up with “true solutions for water quality and runoff.”
Others warned that the proposed project, if green lighted, would change life for every Southold Town resident, increasing the population in Cutchogue by ten percent; the plans are “totally out of character for the hamlet of Cutchogue and for the North Fork,” one resident said, calling the plans a potential “invasion.”
Kelly Evers, a mom who lives on Schoolhouse Road, voiced safety concerns for her own children and others in the community with the increase in traffic. “People on Schoolhouse Road are really going to take the brunt of this. It’s an unfair burden and everyone is going to feel it.”
Environmental concerns are only one issue, said Bill Toedter, president of the North Fork Environmental Council. “We’re in the unique position of looking at environmental concerns, but also, at preserving a way of life.” Affordable housing is a critical need on the North Fork, he said. He added that many moved to the area to enjoy its natural resources.
In addition, Toedter said the project would use over 50,000 gallons of water per day, to serve residents’ needs.
Aaron Virgin of the Group for the East End asked the planning board to keep the process open. “The development pressure that has overrun most of Long Island is now squarely on our doorstop,” he said, asking that the environmental process lead the way.
“It’s disgusting. This will change the whole North Fork,” said Nancy Sawastynowicz.
Neighbors including William Lee, who farms the land next to the parcel, asked about the timeline for the project and how it would impact their quality of lives during the construction phase.
New Suffolk’s Linda Auriemma said with today’s technology, “it would be shameful in this day and age” to rely on conventional septic systems.
Richard Jordan of Cutchogue agreed, adding that the area has “pristine areas” filled with migratory birds and wildlife. “These wonderful environmental areas could be destroyed and once that happens, you can’t undo it,” he said.
Representing the new generation of farmers and winery owners, Giovanni Borghese asked the planning board to “look in the mirror” and adhere to the highest possible standards, with an eye to the future.
But Jane Minerva said her wish was simple: To remain in the community she loves, near the people she knows.
Schwartz stood at the podium in closing and said there was no way to ensure that a young family would not move in with an individual 55 or older, adding children to the school system.
The planning board reminded that the hearing was just preliminary, with much discussion to follow.
