Speonk Commons, Affordable Housing Plan, Gets Green Light

SOUTHAMPTON, NY — After years of debate, one failed proposal, and a change in owners, a dilapidated old building in Speonk could soon be a memory as a new affordable housing complex, Speonk Commons, got a green light from the town board to move forward.

The Southampton town board voted unanimously this week to authorize the change of zone application that will open the door for the development of the project, which calls for the creation of 38 units of affordable apartments at 41 North Phillips Avenue in Speonk.

The change of zoning will allow for the multi-family residential designation. Developer Georgica Green Ventures teamed up with the Southampton Town Housing Authority to work toward creation of workforce housing in the hamlet.

Next, the project will go before the Southampton Town planning board; another public hearing on the site plan will follow.

The change of zone comes after one public hearing and several community meetings that prompted the developers to scale back the original proposal from 51 units to 38, town officials said.

“This was a real community effort to create affordable housing for our hardworking residents,” Southampton Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman said.

The project, which includes a wastewater treatment facility, must also be approved by the Suffolk County Health Department.

“I am excited to see a developer and a community work together towards creating attainable housing for our younger generation, our seniors and others who thought they could not afford to live in our beautiful town," Southampton Town Councilwoman Julie Lofstad said.

The agreement comes after a number of contentious meetings between the community and the developer — some consensus was reach after the developer reduced the number of units and changed the design, the town said.

Georgica Green President David Gallo said, “We’re thrilled to move one step closer to delivering desperately needed housing in Southampton. I can’t thank the local community, civic associations and the town board enough for their willingness to collaborate and create the best plan for Speonk and Southampton."

Executive Director of the Southampton Housing Authority, Curtis Highsmith, Jr. praised the residents of Speonk and Remsenburg. “They demonstrated a willingness to compromise and successfully took a stand for their beloved community.”

“I am particularly proud to have voted in support of this project. The unanimous vote in favor reflects the commitment this board has to begin to work to solve the very serious housing deficit facing the Town of Southampton," said Councilman John Bouvier.

Years of contention

This week's vote was a long time coming.

Not only did the property have a change of owners, but there was a sea of opposition in recent years from residents concerned about density in their sleepy hamlet.

In July, 2016, wearing buttons that said "No Zone Changing", a crowd of concerned residents turned out for a Southampton Town board work session for a presentation on the proposed project in Speonk they said could bring an excess of density.

And while residents who spoke said they fully support the concept of affordable housing, the project as pitched was too much for the quiet street proposed, at the previous number of apartments pitched.

The plan involves a parcel located at 41 North Phillips Avenue in Speonk, the site of a dilapidated, faded blue building, once majestic, that's long stood in disrepair, an eyesore on the blighted property.

For years, developer Jay Kopf had proposed a plan that called for 68 units on the 4.28 acre parcel, but those plans ultimately fell through.

Next, Jericho-based Georgica Green Ventures, LLC came before the town with a workforce housing plan that required the zone change.

Gallo has long said the project is aimed at addressing the "deficit" of workforce housing in Southampton.

The zone change would not require any variances or special exceptions, he has said.

Currently the parcel is split zoned, with a village business zoning designation along 1.45 acres along the streetfront, and the 2.83 acres on the back of the parcel zoned R20, or residential.

At present, seven buildings sit on the land, he said, including the crumbling blue building so well known in Speonk.

The hope, Gallo said, has been to convert a portion of the village business, and all of the residential zoning, to MF44, or multi-family, and create affordable housing units on the land.

The businesses would have apartments above; the first building would have apartments above and a not-for-profit agency community room.

There housing mix would include studios, one-bedroom units, and two-bedroom units, he said.

The studios would range from a minimum of 450 to a maximum of 550 square feet, the one bedrooms would range from 660 to 725 square feet, and the two bedrooms would run from 750 to 950 square feet; none would be "overly generous," he said.

All of the units, he said, would be rentals. A property manager would be on-site, he said.

Last July, Schneiderman asked about rents. Gallo said studios would range from $930 to $1434; one-bedrooms from $1,000 to $1,500, and two bedrooms from $1,195 to $1,1750.

The income range would run from $37,000 to $86,000, with $86,000 the income for a family of four, restricted to 90 percent of the area median income.

The goal, Gallo said, would be to provide housing for the area's teachers, nurses, firefighters, Town Hall and hospital employees, and other young professionals who cannot afford to live in Southampton Town. All would be carefully vetted, with six months of banking information, paystubs, personal references and other criteria required, Gallo said.

The residential mix would be similar to the Sandy Hollow project in Tuckahoe, a project also spearheaded by Georgica Green, Gallo said.

The board asked for a yield analysis between what could be developed on the land as of right, compared to the what the project proposes.

Gallo said as of right, five, six-bedroom single family homes could be built, and that number could go up to seven if the units were affordable — as well as apartments above the businesses fronting North Phillips; the units may not be owner occupied and well cared for, he said, and there would be no manager on-site.

Schneiderman asked if there was such a thing as an "affordable" six-bedroom house "in the Hamptons."

A lengthy discussion was held in July on the proposed sewage treatment plant; as soon as the first alternative wastewater treatment system is approved, Gallo said, the best system possible would be given the green light, "whatever the best technology is."

As for design, Gallo said the hope would be to incorporate the turret design from the dilapidated old home on the parcel into the new structures.

Schneiderman brought up traffic woes on a street already hit hard by congestion once the guard rails go down for Long Island Rail Road trains to the north of the parcel.

Lofstad said in July she'd had a sea of more than 150 emails from concerned residents, "almost entirely opposed to the project."

Schneiderman said he had received a total of 191 such emails before the meeting, then told residents they could voice their thoughts.

Joyce Duck, longtime Eastport resident, was livid at the July meeting. "I find it hard to believe in this quaint area we are exposed to a zoning change that could mean the deterioration and destruction of our community. This is not progress, and it only fills a few people's pockets."

She added that the roads, school system and local community could near handle the influx of people, stating that she opposed the project.

Speonk resident Craig Catalanotto, a founder of the Remsenburg Eastport Speonk Communities United, or RESCU, group, said, "We are not opposed to affordable housing. Our issue here is density."

With other projects on the horizon nearby slated to bring 70 homes in the small, bucolic area, known for its tree-lined streets and quiet, residents say density concerns are escalating, and traffic on North Phillips is already a concern. "Our goal is to find an equitable solution," he said.

The once-grand blue building, known to some as the "Castle," has a rich history. Originally a "cottage" owned by the Fordham family, the building was later know as the Kropp house.

Patch file photo from a previous meeting in 2016 on the proposed project.