A crowd of residents turned out last night to hear about a developer’s proposed plans for a parcel fronting Route 25 in Mattuck — and they came with questions.
Over 60 residents attended a meeting of the Mattituck-Laurel Civic Association, held at the Mattituck Firehouse on Pike Street, to listen to Paul Pawlowski discuss his proposal for a zone change on a 20-acre parcel located on Main Road in Mattituck, across from the old Capitol One building, that could lead to the development of new businesses and some 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.
According to the Southold Town planning board, Pawlowski hopes to create five buildings, which feature 12 second-story accessory apartments, each with two bedrooms.
A new addition to the plan is a public pavilion in the back of the area.
According to Mary Eisenstein, MLCA president, Pawlowski first gave a presentation about his plan and then answered a series of questions from residents ranging from zone change issues, to employment opportunities Pawlowski has said will be created, questions about the affordability for the proposed apartments, traffic, parking, land preservation, and water quality.
Suffolk County Legislator Al Krupski also stopped by to address the group and state how he believes civic associations are important to the community.
“The overall all feel by the participants was that they were very satisfied by this forum,” Eisenstein said, adding that the MLCA wished to thank the Mattituck Fire District for hosting the format. “Steve Libretto and the staff were most helpful,” she said.
Of the event, and the new civic association, Eisenstein added that a quote by Margaret Mead rings true: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed it’s the only thing that ever has.”
In February, a group of neighbors who care deeply about their community met together for the first time at the inaugural gathering of the new Mattituck-Laurel Civic Association.
Eisenstein, the new, interim president of the organization, said she came up with the idea when she was running for office in Southold and attended a meeting of the East Marion Civic Association. After seeing how well run that group was, Eisenstein thought a similar group would be a good fit for Mattituck and Laurel.
“This is definitely a voice for Mattituck and Laurel,” she said. The goal, she said, is to create a “consensus building organization.”
Eisenstein said plans for the group include meetings focusing on the issues the community faces, such as last night’s forum.
The positive response she’s received since announcing plans for the group, Eisenstein said, reflect an “energy and pulse” in the community. “This is really exciting, to be launching. People are really hungry for this.”
