Proposal For Affordable Apartments In Cutchogue Sparks Divide

CUTHOGUE, NY — Residents are crying out about a proposal for apartments in Cutchogue that they said could forever alter the character of the community.

The plans involve the former Knights of Columbus property, located on just over two acres at 2050 Depot Lane.

Owners of the property, the North Fork Community Club, submitted an application to the Southold Town planning board in August; a public hearing change of zone from the current two-acre zoning to the affordable housing designation will be held virtually by the Southold Town board on Tuesday at 7 p.m.

The proposal calls for an expansion of the existing 2,287 square foot building and the creation of 16 affordable rental apartments, Southold Town Supervisor Scott Russell said. The applicant is also applying to the Suffolk County Department of Health to install an alternative treatment system, "new technology that substantially reduces impacts on the water-table, unlike traditional septic systems," the supervisor said.

The project, if approved, would commence under the auspices of the town's affordable housing program; that program prioritizes local residents, primarily first responders and health care workers, Russell said.

The plan differs from the Vineyard View project in Greenport because it does not include grants or tax credits from the federal or state government, as that project did, Russell said.

"Vineyard View was not part of the town’s program and required no change of zone," he said. "Therefore, the town had no oversight or authority to put its criteria in place."

Under the town's affordable housing program, applicants would need to meet certain criteria, including falling within median income guidelines and being subject to background and credit checks; rents cannot exceed what the town establishes as “affordable” each year, Russell said.

If the rezoning is approved, the town board can green light the project as applied for, or condition the approval with covenants such as limiting the size of the building or reducing the number of rentals, Russell said. "Also, if the property is rezoned to AHD, it would have to be so in perpetuity and the rents would be required to be affordable in perpetuity, as well," he added.

Not everyone is pleased with the plan: Some residents are signing a petition that's been circulating, "Stop The Building of An Apartment Complex on Depot Lane."

"Help us stop zoning changes that would allow apartment buildings on Depot Lane," the petition said. "We need your voice at the next board meeting."

"The parcel is also outside the current halo zone of Cutchogue, the areas that are specifically designated for development like this," the petition said.

Those in opposition have cited concerns including "increased traffic on an already dangerous road," possible groundwater contamination; a lowering of property values; and the possibility of precedent-setting for future zoning changes and subsequent high-density development.

In 2017, new owners purchased the former Knights of Columbus building with the idea of creating a club for the community where weddings, craft fairs, birthday parties and other local events could be held; the business never opened.

Bill Goggins, attorneys for the applicants, as well as the current owners of the North Fork Community Club, could not immediately be reached for comment.