Southampton Town Board Eyes North Sea Affordable Housing Concept Plan

There was no need to discuss the affordable housing crisis in Southampton Town — everybody knows it, attendees at last week’s work session of the Southampton Town Board acknowledged.

Looking to do his part to meet the need, Southampton Village’s Zach Epley presented a request for a zone change to aid the development of affordable housing on a site located off Majors Path in North Sea last week during the Town Board’s June 8 work session.

In the earliest stage of a zone change request, the Town Board takes a look at an initial concept, then must vote on whether members will “elect to consider” the request. For this particular plan, board members said they wanted to see the reaction of the North Sea Citizens Advisory Committee before they’d vote.

Located at 1100 Majors Path near its intersections with Straight Path and Mary’s Lane, the property comprises 8.855 acres on the east side of the road. It’s about 1,000 feet from Southampton Youth Services and just south of the transfer station.

A previously proposed housing complex is located to the south.

A pre-submission conference on that proposal before the Southampton Town Planning Board in 2020 drew ardent opposition from community members to a proposed 120-unit condominium development alternatively titled 1205 Majors Path and Thomas R. Stachecki Living Trust.

The land for the Epley proposal is currently zoned for 5-acre residential development. He’s asking for a change to a multifamily designation to allow for approximately four units per acre.

Supervisor Jay Schneiderman had a lot of questions. He wanted to know if the property is situated in an Aquifer Protection Overlay District, since those come with clearing restrictions. It is.

He also pointed out the development would need to include a sewage treatment plant. Noting one is proposed, the supervisor wondered if it could be moved so it’s not close to neighbors. Epley said they picked that site due to its flat topography. It meets setbacks, but he is amenable to shifting it.

Attorney David Gilmartin Jr. represents the developer. He emphasized that the plans shared Thursday were preliminary and that if board members elect to consider the application, it would undergo an extensive review process. “You get a lot of bites at this apple,” he said.

Michael Schnurr from GRCH Architecture described the draft concept. It calls for 34 units in five two-story buildings in a shingle style design. Ground floor units would be ADA adaptable, while second floor units may have balconies. A mix of two-bedroom and one-bedroom units are proposed, with 26 of the former and 8 of the latter shown on the plans.

Epley and his wife Brittney bought the land about two years ago and at first thought of building their own house there. But they didn’t see relocating from the village. Instead, the couple decided to pursue creating an affordable unit complex.

“I get calls every day from people looking for apartments,” Epley said. The pair wondered what they could do to make the best impact on the community. They decided to try to construct affordable rentals because, Epley, a one time candidate for Southampton Village Board, said, “We feel there’s such a need.”

The couple reckoned the site was a good location, and the density was “not crazy” and, he said “It meets a need.”

In 2021, Epley proposed a similar scheme in Southampton Village on the site of the old John Duck’s restaurant on West Prospect Street. It called for 26 affordable housing units, proffering an alternative development map that comprised 12 market value, high end apartments. The Village Planning Board warmed to neither idea and it was shelved. Instead, Epley and partners redeveloped the site and leased it to the owners of the Main Prospect restaurant.

“We’ve always had a passion to do affordable housing,” he said. Epley recalled taking the West Prospect Street plan to village officials and their response was, “Don’t even think about it,” he said.

Schneiderman next asked Epley how he would ensure the rents were affordable and the tenants were qualified. Epley said his goal was provide housing for teachers and nurses. The chief executive director at Seafield Center in Westhampton Beach, a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center, he’s aware of the shortage of housing for nurses.

The supervisor pointed out the property is contiguous to “an awful lot of open space.” Acknowledging the property owner has a right to build a house on the acreage, he wondered if clearing for the apartment buildings would be the same as the amount of clearing for a house. It would be easier to support the project if the clearing was the same as a McMansion, he said.

“I know we need the units,” Schneiderman underscored.

It was noted two town-sponsored housing developments had similar clearing. The Sandy Hollow development has 28 units on a smaller parcel and the Speonk Commons development has 38 units on 4 acres.

But this proposal, Schneiderman pointed out, is “a big divergence from current zoning.”

Looking beyond the lot, “it’s not a large density in that area,” Gilmartin reasoned.

The design would cut into open space, Schneiderman countered.

Turning to layout considerations, the initial concept calls for four buildings set in a U-shape with the fifth building located inside the U. The supervisor didn’t seem sold on the layout.

“Provide your goals and we’ll meet them, “ Gilmartin said. There are a multitude of things that can be done to satisfy the town’s goals, he asserted, “Just let us know what they are.”

Councilwoman Cyndi McNamara said she’d consider letting the plan move ahead to review once officials get feedback from the North Sea CAC. She cautioned that the nearby intersection with Mary’s Lane is a busy one.

Pointing out how badly housing is needed, Councilman John Bovier said the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development supports the type of development Epley is proposing.

Gilmartin asserted, “The only way you’re going to solve this problem is density.”

You can’t argue the need, Schneiderman affirmed. The question is whether the site is appropriate and under what conditions.

“It’s an uphill battle,” Bouvier said. Speonk Commons was, he recalled, “a long haul.” But now people talk with pride about it. “It can be done,” he said.

Councilman Rick Martel also supported moving ahead, as did Town Planning and Development Administrator Janice Scherer. “We can work with this,” she said. “I recommend you do consider this because we are in a crisis.”