Public Set To Speak On Plan For New Hotel, Restaurant In Southold

SOUTHOLD, NY — The public is ready to speak out this week on a new hotel and restaurant proposed for Main Road in Southold — with some voicing opposition to the plan.

The Southold Town zoning board of appeals will hold a public hearing regarding a special exception on Thursday at 5 p.m. for the proposed hotel and restaurant, known as The Enclaves. The meeting will be held in person at the Town Hall meeting room, as well as virtually via Zoom. Face masks are required for those who attend in person. To watch by Zoom, click here.

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.

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."

According to the final environmental impact statement for the project, also proposed is possible enclosed space to the south of the hotel building to accommodating indoor events, such as weddings and fundraisers; the potential enclosed event room was added to the proposed site plan during the preparation of the FEIS to address noise concerns associated with outdoor events, and the application was modified to eliminate outdoor events, the FEI said.

Also, plans include construction of an on-site sewage treatment plant to the north of the hotel building to accommodate sanitary waste from both the restaurant and hotel; the proposed STP is designed with a 100 percent plant expansion area, and 100 percent leaching pool expansion area, the FEIS said.

Access to the proposed development will be via an existing curb cut to the east of the existing single-family residence, with egress via a new separate driveway on the west side of the residential structure or proposed restaurant, the FEIS said. Dedicated parking for each use will be provided on-site; however, due to an anticipation of events such as weddings, birthday parties, etc. on the subject property, additional parking over the required supply will be provided, the FEIS said.

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.

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

He said the goal is 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."

What makes the parcel unique, Giambertone said, "is all you see from the street is the restaurant. What you see today is what you'll see in the future."

As for the eatery, Giambertone said, with competition from top-notch restaurants nearby, "We're hoping to bring an equally significant flair."

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.