Neighbors Say Lavender Farm Traffic is 'Life or Death' Situation, Beg Town for Solutions

EAST MARION, NY — "This is a very serious accident waiting to happen."

That was the resounding message residents had for the town board Tuesday as they begged for relief in regard to traffic woes and critical safety issues they say are raised by traffic near Lavender by the Bay in East Marion.

Since the July 4 weekend, when gridlock residents say was sparked by the popular lavender farm left motorists at a dead standstill, the situation has continued to worsen, neighbors said.

Anne Murray of the East Marion Civic Association stood up with photos of the traffic woes. "This weekend was worse than last weekend," she said, adding that it's the third year in a row the community has had to deal with the backlash from the thousands who flock to the farm during the times when lavender blooms.

"The town has been aware for awhile but doesn't seem to take a proactive position," she said. She thanked Southold Town Supervisor Scott Russell, who has worked with Southold Town Police Chief Martin Flatley on enhanced traffic control efforts. "However, it was a consensus of those in East Marion that it wasn't enough," she said.

One photo depicted an ambulance with a police escort. "Had someone been in an accident, they wouldn't have been able to get through, even with an escort," Murray said. "People are afraid this is a life or death situation."

She said she believes off-site parking is the only answer because even if the blooms have ended for the season, the masses of people who come to the farm don't know that, and will still be flocking out to the business.

Residents on Rocky Point Road, near the farm, are dealing with the traffic woes and fallout, she said. She urged the board to come take a look for themselves. "It's not pretty," Murray said.

Another neighbor, who lives on Main Road, said this weekend from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., traffic was "stopped dead . . .and it was because of the gridlock caused at the lavender farm." While he said he was not trying to take anyone's livelihood, the traffic jams means he and his family can't leave home.

He suggested the skate park on Moores Lane in Greenport as a parking solution, with a shuttle bus paid for by the owners of Lavender by the Bay.

"The problem is, someone is going to get really hurt in this gridlock," he said. While he said he was not trying to disparage anyone's driving ability, many motorists have been making U turns on Main Road. He thanked the town for the enhanced police presence but said it wasn't enough. "This is a very serious accident waiting to happen."

Supervisor offers solution

Russell said he met with key staff after the July 4 weekend and worked with Flatley to commit more resources, but it wasn't enough.

The supervisor said he had researched the property and had been unaware, until now, that "not all the development rights were sold."

Russell said the owners of the property have three acres that could be used for on-site parking. "That's an issue that I'm going to push the owners and their attorney on," he said. "Right now, it's planted in lavender."

In addition, Russell said he would go to the Suffolk County and note that while there are programs for purchase of development rights, there is no allowance for parking to support the on-site retail. "They are working at cross purposes," he said.

The supervisor said there are short term and long term solutions that need to be addressed; he plans to convene a meeting with the owners of Lavender on the Bay Wednesday.

"With all due candor, I'm stumped as to what we can do to address next weekend, but it's not that we're not trying," Russell said.

But looking ahead, Russell said the owners will need to find a solution for their parking problem. "Not to sound militaristic but we we can put temporary 'no parking' signs for five miles in each direction if he doesn't provide parking on-site. There's three acres there. They can do a lot more."

The New York State Department of Transportation is the only agency that could permanent "no parking" signs on the road, he said.

His suggestion was met with enthusiastic applause.

Bob Hanlon, president of the Orient Association but speaking as an individual resident, said a few years back his father had to be rushed to Eastern Long Island Hospital with a head injury but had that happened over the past two weekends, he wouldn't have been able to get there in a timely fashion.

Hanlon said he's seen drivers making K turns in the middle of the road.

"This is truly something that is out of control," he said.

Both Orient and East Marion ambulance and fire departments rely upon one another in the event of emergencies and need to be able to utilize the roadway, he said. "This is a critical issue. We are an island except for that road. If something happens to us, we cannot get out, except by plane or boat."

Another resident said guests of the lavender farm have started to use the tennis court's parking area. "There's a lot of unsafe behavior," she said.

Murray added that some are parking in spaces allocated for first responders at the East Marion Fire Department.

And, she added that a local business on Rocky Point Road had to shut down on July 4 weekend because of the traffic.

Katie Sepenoski, who runs Sep's Farmstand with her husband Peter, said this is the third year for the traffic issues sparked by the lavender farm.

The first year, she said they were asked if they would provide off-site parking, which they did, for one day, but they spoke to their insurance agent and were told it wasn't a good idea due to liability issues; the idea is something they as a family do not wish to pursue, she said.

Although her husband has worked hard since March 1 to plant corn for the July 4 weekend, battling rain and freezing temperatures, they lost sales due to the lavender farm traffic. "To not be able to sell that corn was pretty disconcerting to us," she said.

Sepenoski thanked the town for their efforts but said allowing only one person to cross at a time added to the log jam.

She also said the throngs who saw advertisements urging them to come to the farm from New York and other locales "had no idea" of what they would face.

What was most "disconcerting" to her was the "disregard" of the owners, who, she said, have not provided bathroom facilities for customers "desperate" to use them; those individuals have asked to use the firehouse.

"They are taking advantage of this community and of people who are led to believe that this is a pilgrimage to them." Many who come, Sepenoski said, do not speak the language; some walk all the way from the Greenport train station.

The situation is worse than pumpkin season, she added, because in the fall, groups of people cross the road.

Russell said during pumpkin season, there is traffic generated but at least there are options, with both the North and Main Roads. "In East Marion, you have two lanes and that's it," he said.

Sepenoski said the situation gave residents a glimpse of what would happen in the event an emergency evacuation was ever needed.

Another resident suggested changes to the town's special events code. He said Southampton is able to handle the U.S. Open crowds by planning parking at Gabreski and shuttles.

Others said tourists have urinated on people's property and had picnics in their driveways.

Another man, who said he lives at "Ground Zero," said there is garbage strewn on his property, along with yelling and fights in his driveway. "I don't know their language. They spit on each other. It's not good." His own children can't have birthday parties because there is nowhere for his guests to park, he said.

He's so angry that he's considered having his friends line up trailers with empty boats along the road as a protest. "This is not the place I want to live. It's changed. I love my home, my people. It's got to stop."

Theo Panagopoulos said residents are in "desperate need" of pedestrian crosswalks at Sep's and the post office.

"My mom is on lockdown from Friday night to Sunday. She can't go out, can't go to yard sales anymore. It's too dangerous," he said.

Russell said there was a request from hamlet stakeholders for a pedestrian crosswalk years ago; the request was turned down by the New York State Department of Transportation but he said he'd send it along again.

In recent years, the farm has seen an explosion of popularity, largely due to an influx of Asian customers who flock to the farm after a 2001 movie, "Lavender", a romance film. Hundreds of tourists and cars converge upon the business and guests eager to smell the lavender cross Main Road freely.

Lavender by the Bay owners Susan and Serge Rozenbaum have said in the past that they try to mitigate the problem by only advertising locally. Serge Rozenbaum has also maintained he's been unable to expand his farm due to restrictions that will not allow for increased parking solutions. The couple has also said for years that the lavender's peak season is short, so the huge crowds are not a year round concern.

Chanan Rozenbaum, son of Susan and Serge, spoke to Patch about the heavy traffic after the July 4 weekend. "I think it's a result of the bloom coinciding with the holiday weekend and it being a Sunday," he said

In addition, the farm has had some increased coverage in the news in recent weeks. "As a result, people want to see the beauty of our blooms. We have one of the only lavender farms in the northeast and this is the prettiest time. People want to come and experience it for themselves. Unfortunately, the bloom coincided with one of the busiest holiday weekends of the year," he said.

When the business first launched, Rozenbaum said, "We never would have imagined the response to be what it is."

Russell said Tuesday that now, the owners know just how many patrons to expect and need to find a parking solution for their business.

While the town has let the business expand its parking to some extent in recent years, Rozenbaum said the sheer volume of visitors who head to the farm during bloom periods continues present a parking challenge nonetheless.

Rozenbaum said he and his parents constantly promote other businesses, including restaurants and shops, on the North Fork.

Rozenbaum said recently with the harvest already begun, the fields will continue to get smaller, meaning the crowds coming to soak in the beauty will soon decrease.

"It's not a yearly issue," he said. "It's four to six weeks of blooming each year and two weekends of traffic due to holidays."

Others, however, don't mind the traffic woes and say Lavender By the Bay is the highlight of their visit to the North Fork.

"It's just beautiful," said one woman who was visiting with her family from Norway and made a special visit out to the farm.

Some supporters have said that one business alone cannot be blamed for traffic on a holiday weekend, and reminded that the pumpkin season brings gridlock traffic to bucolic North Fork roads.

Owners respond

On Tuesday night, Serge Rozenbaum told Patch that the business does have six portable bathrooms that are cleaned twice a day. "I have no clue why they went to Sep's," she said.

Rozenbaum, when asked about Russell's plan to use the three acres on-site for parking next year, said, "It's an option."

But, he added that on Sunday, traffic control officers said not to use the parking lot that he currently has, to keep traffic flowing.

When asked if traffic control officrs said not to use the lot, Flatley said, "I'm not sure what he's referring to."

The traffic situation is exacerbated, Rozenbaum said, by the number of roads nearby.

The bottom line, he said, is the lavender blooms only three weekends per year and patrons love the farm. His main business, he said, is not the tourists, but the drying and selling of lavender year round.

"We brought beauty to the North Fork," he said.