Plans Move Forward For LI Hotel, Restaurant That Sparked Outcry

NORTH FORK, NY — Plans for The Enclaves hotel and restaurant on Main Road in Southold moved forward Thursday despite a public outcry last month from residents concerned about impacts including traffic and quality of life.

The Southold Town zoning board of appeals granted conditional approval to The Enclaves.

Plans for The Enclaves, located at 56655 Route 25 at the former location of The Hedges bed and breakfast, call for the conversion of an existing 3,026 square foot residence with a 584 square foot addition into a 74-seat restaurant and the construction of a 3,806 square foot, two-story, 40-unit hotel with four detached guest cottages, a swimming pool, and 123 parking spaces, on 6.75 acres in the hamlet business zoning district, according to the planning board.

To proceed, the project requires a special exception from the Southold zoning board of appeals for its planned hotel use.

In addition, Southold Town Attorney Bill Duffy said, site plan approval from the town's planning board is needed before the project can proceed.

According to Duffy, the conditional approval came with caveats: No outdoor or special events can be held — and no expansion will be allowed, he said. In addition, no events with more than 100 guests can be held and all amenities on-site will be for guest use only.

Some residents have voiced fears that guests would use Founders Beach, a family beach they feared would be overcrowded with tourists and possible revelers. Duffy said the determination states that the application was referred to the park district and that the park district expressed no concerns at the present time and also stated that any issues would be addressed through their by-laws.

Southold residents turned out in force in October for a zoning board of appeals hearing on a project for a new hotel and restaurant proposed for Main Road that the majority feared would shatter their bucolic quality of life forever.

Time and time again, residents implored the ZBA not to grant the special exception for a project they said would irrevocably alter the character of Southold Town forever. "Just say no!" one resident said.

Some residents have spoken out on social media with concerns regarding environmental issues, noise, quality of life, and impacts on small mom-and-pop businesses in the area; a petition was created, "Opposition to the Enclaves Hotel in Southold."

The proposed restaurant and hotel will operate year-round, with hours of operation consistent with such uses.

The application was discussed at a Southold planning board work session in 2017.

Duffy began the October hearing by saying the ZBA was focused on listening to testimony. But, he said, "This is not a popularity contest. We are bound by the code."

The meeting began with attorney for the applicant David Altman involved discussing changes made to the project in response to community concerns, including shifting egress and adding a vegetative buffer to mitigate impacts on neighbors; a 6.5-foot wooden stockade fence for visual and noise mitigation; the elimination of fish from the pond, a barrier added to the rooftop bar as well as limited hours for that lounge, which, along with the spa, would be open to hotel guests only.

The outdoor event space was eliminated from the plan; the indoor space would be allowed to hold no more than 10 events a year, no more than one per week, with notice given to the town in advance, Altman said. Amplified music generating from cumulative sources will not exceed 5 decibels over background levels, an "unnoticed to tolerable" ranking by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Altman said.

He added that plans include less rooms than permitted and the plan complies with the intent and requirements of the zoning code; the applicants "are not seeking relief in any way, shape or form," Altman said.

Traffic consultant Ron Hill said that a traffic study done in 2018 indicated that people entering the hotel and restaurant on a typical summer day would not impact traffic. Special events on a summer Saturday could mean traffic and delays, he said.

Residents who live in the area said traffic has increased dramatically since 2018 due to people who have moved out to Southold during the pandemic; another traffic study is needed, they said.
Some questioned whether it were true that shuttle buses for guests were planned to Founders Beach and if events would be held there; Altman said that was not being considered.

James Groeneveld said as a resident and taxpayer he was not sure how many of the consultants actually live in Southold. "I live in Southold and I consider myself an expert in this town and traffic," he said. "It has gotten nothing but worse and worse, year by year . . . There is nothing harmonious about this project."

Angelina McKenna said she and her husband had come to express concerns "about this horrendous project being proposed. The Town of Southold prides itself on its heritage and strong sense of community," she said. "Our roads cannot handle more, nor do we want more. Who will benefit from this outlandish, outrageous proposal?" The project as proposed was first pitched as 22 rooms in 2017 and now proposes 44, she pointed out.

Also, McKenna said, there is already a dearth of affordable housing; there will be nowhere for the facility's employees to live, meaning they would all have to commute.

One East Marion resident who grew up in Southold said the project would set an unwelcome precedent. "This project is just too big and it opens the door to drastic and permanent changes to the surrounding community," she said.

Skip Albertson, who grew up in the home on the parcel, said the zoning was changed to hotel business in 1960 to allow for the single room that his mother wanted to rent to tourists on the weekend. There is a shingle in the attic on a beam that dates to 1732; he questioned if the supporting beam would remain after restoration. "This house withstood the Hurricane of '38 but I can't imagine it supporting a rooftop terrace," he said.

Farmer Vincent Gustomaelia was one of two who spoke out in support of the project. Farmers, he said, need people who will come out to stay. Those who stay overnight will spend twice as much at area businesses; the town needs visitors to support retail, he said.

"I'm very worried about what this development could lead to," said Joe Fenora, who said the neighborhood was one of young families.

John Schandler expressed environmental concerns; Randy Wade of Greenport suggested the project be "whittled down" and asked if the paved landscaping might be used to erect tents.

Anne Murray of East Marion said the project is an example of the "Hampton creep that is now everywhere, from outsized home and roads clogged with traffic from the trade parade. Is this really what we want Southold Town to become? This would be a disaster for the town."

Connor Haragan spoke heatedly to the board. "We're not fools," he said. The public deserves better than a 2018 traffic study, he said. "This is a bunch of BS masquerading as a legitimate study — and shame on everyone that is entertaining this. . .This belongs on Mars."

He also suggested a new road north, near the railroad tracks, so businesses owners can reach their shops without utilizing State Route 25.

"We used to say, 'Save what's left,'" said. Terry Walker of Southold. "Now it's 'Save what's left, after I get mine.' Enough is enough. We are the residents. We matter."

Paul Romanelli, who lives in Cutchogue and owns a business on Main Road in Southold, was one of the others to speak out for the project, saying there is a need for more hotel space and that traffic studies are accurate; he does not believe traffic will be an issue. He pointed to other projects by the developers, including North Fork Table and the new Southold General. The goal of the comprehensive plan was to site new businesses in the hamlet centers and to stimulate the economy, he said. "We got what we wanted," he said, adding that B&Bs and hotels are full year-round.

Southold Town Supervisor Scott Russell spoke to Patch after the October hearing. "I generally don't comment on pending applications and I don't necessarily have issues with any specific uses allowed by code such as a hotel. However, this proposal is over the top," he said. "The applicant says he thought he could bring something unique to Southold. He needs to look around. Southold is already unique. The proposal, as applied for, is too big, seeks too many intense uses and is completely out of character with the surrounding area."

Russell said Thursday he was unable to comment until he'd read the full ZBA determination.

Andrew Giambertone, a partner in the project, spoke to Patch in 2017 about the vision for the plan.

He said the goal was to create a "high-end" restaurant. "We're hoping to create a unique environment. The Town of Southold seems to be gravitating toward bringing more upscale wine tastings to the wine area."

The owners of the property, Giambertone said, are local residents. "They're looking to preserve the bucolic nature of Southold, and not turn it into anything else. They love what Southold is all about, love the relaxed atmosphere. And they seen the need for the hotel, see the need for that opportunity."

One of the partners in the project is a restauranteur from Paris who owns hotels there and in the south of France, who's "looking to bring a little more continental feel" to the menu, Giambertone said.

But, Giambertone added, "As residents of Southold, we're enamored with the farm to table concept, and are hoping to utilize local produce."

The need for a hotel exists, he said. But neighbors should not worry about a noisy establishment, he said. The aim is to provide guests with a place of "respite and privacy, where they can enjoy what's beautiful about Southold — which is the peace and quiet," Giambertone said at the time.