Public Meeting For Springs Fireplace Road Corridor Study Coming

EAST HAMPTON, NY — Residents will soon have a chance to weigh in on the Springs Fireplace Road Corridor Study.

According to East Hampton Town officials, the town board will be holding a public meeting on Thursday, Feb. 27 in the Baldwin Room of the East Hampton Library, located at 159 Main Street, at 6:30 pm.

The consulting team will be presenting an overview of the study and asking for public input, town officials said.

The study is an intensive evaluation of the traffic, land use and environmental issues affecting Springs Fireplace Road and the surrounding area; through collection and analysis of existing conditions, projected buildout conditions and issues facing the area, a plan to improve the functionality and visual character of the area while also reducing potential environmental threats will be developed, town officials said. Field observations will be made, various existing data sets will be analyzed, and information will be solicited from businesses, property owners, citizen groups, the public and town officials, a release said.

According to town officials, conducting a more detailed study of the Springs Fireplace Road Corridor was a recommendation made by local residents during the review process of the Springs and East Hampton hamlet studies.

As the gateway to Springs and one of the most heavily traveled roads in the town, "the area is suffering from traffic congestion and lack of landscaping. There are multiple site plan applications pending development approval in the area and the East Hampton planning board requested the town retain an outside consulting team to help evaluate the cumulative traffic impacts of these development projects," the release said.

In addition, the Springs Fireplace Road Corridor has been designated a New York State Special Groundwater Protection Area because it is an area where "disproportionately large quantities" of rainwater are recharged and stored in the aquifers supplying East Hampton’s drinking water —"therefore, all activities and land uses in the area must be closely monitored and evaluated to prevent potential groundwater contamination," town officials said.

The boundaries of the corridor study run from the North Main Street intersection, north on County Road 41, or Springs Fireplace Road, to Floyd Street then east to Accabonac Road, then northeast to Abraham’s Path, then northwest to CR40, or Three Mile Harbor-Hog Creek Road, and then south on County Road 40 to the intersection with County Road 41 on North Main Street.

“The kickoff meeting is an opportunity for community members to meet directly with the consulting team to provide input, local knowledge, concerns and aspirations for the area. We hope property owners in the corridor will be active participants in the planning process," said East Hampton Town Councilwoman Kathee Burke-Gonzalez.

Dodson & Flinker, the landscape architecture and planning firm that conducted five hamlet plans for East Hampton Town, along with Fine Arts & Sciences and LK McLean Associates, have been retained by the town to conduct the Springs Fireplace Road Corridor Study. The team will be assisted by the town's planning department, office of information technology and officials.