At the November and December Trustees meetings, the main topics of conversation were discussions regarding the redevelopment of the Village Latch, the establishment of a dog park at Lola Prentice Park and the possible rezoning of North Sea Road to permit additional retail uses. In addition, the Southampton Village Volunteer Ambulance Corp. reiterated their need for a renovated or new facility and the Southampton Association offered to work with the Village to update parking requirements in the R-20 and smaller districts, as many new homes are being built in these areas with insufficient on-site parking.
The board of Trustees continued their discussions on changing the zoning at the Village Latch property on Hill Street. The Village Latch (which is the historic district) has been operating as a pre-existing, non-conforming Inn for many years. An initial conceptual proposal was outlined showing the building of several new multi-use structures which would include a restaurant, hotel (76 rooms), pool and bungalows, as well as relocating and renovating the current front buildings forward towards Hill Street. It was determined that an environmental study would be undertaken after which discussion could continue.
The Trustees also began reviewing a proposal to re-zone North Sea Road. Current zoning allows office or residential development, although much of the street is grandfathered to have retail uses. This change would allow certain properties to have a retail special exception, primarily from Aldrich Lane to Prospect Street (some sections further south on North Sea Road would also be included.) This change will require Board of Trustee approval and a change to the formal master plan which has recently been adopted. As a result, the Planning Commission will likely need to make a formal recommendation.
In early January, a new application came in front of the Architectural Review Board (ARB) for the construction of a house by Farrell Building Corp. on a flag lot on the north side of Hill Street in the Historic District. Several neighbors are concerned that while the house is within the numeric zoning regulations, it is massive in scale and bulk compared to its neighbors. Ann Pyne and Barbara Missett have been following this. Lastly, a 56 unit senior housing condo development has been proposed on 11 acres on the north side of Moses Lane (currently farm land.) We are following both of these developments.
January 20, 2014
