Government Briefs 02.11.16

East Hampton Town

East Deck Land Is Rezoned

A zoning change approved by the East Hampton Town Board last Thursday paves the way for the subdivision and redevelopment of oceanfront property in Montauk that is the site of the East Deck Motel.

The board voted to change the zoning district from resort to half-acre residential, which will allow a plan to create four house lots on the property, at 40 DeForest Road near Ditch Plain beach, to proceed.

The town planning board can now review the plan, which replaces an original proposal for a luxury membership club at the site, scrapped in the face of community opposition. It specifies that public access to the beach will be maintained and that easements will be placed over the house lots to protect dune areas and to assure that the lots will not be further subdivided.

Houses to be built on the site will be subject to current setbacks from the bluff, moving construction further from the beach than where the East Deck stands.

A bid by concerned residents to have the town purchase and preserve the property was pursued but was dropped because the asking price was too high. Subsequently, the property owners met with town officials and civic group representatives to tailor an acceptable proposal. Final approval will be needed from the planning board.

Amber Waves Lease Is Extended

Amber Waves Farm can use town-owned agricultural land on Buckskill Road in East Hampton for another three years, the town board resolved last week. The farmers have been using the property since July 2010; this is their second extension. Amber Waves pays the town $1,363.80 per year for use of the land.

Harbor Boulevard Buy for Open Space

After a hearing in December, the East Hampton Town Board voted unanimously last Thursday to purchase a .15-acre lot at 2 Harbor Boulevard in Springs from Alison and Gaetano Lupo, with $735,000 from the community preservation fund.

The property contains two multifamily dwellings and other structures, which will be removed at the sellers’ expense before the purchase is finalized. The land will be returned to its natural state and will be maintained as open space.

Amagansett Bathrooms Coming Soon

A comfort station in Amagansett, long discussed, may be nearing fruition with the town board’s issuance of a bond to pay for its construction, and the selection of a bidder on the work.

With a vote last Thursday night, the board agreed to pay Carter-Melence Inc. $329,675 to get the project underway and approved the issuance of a $300,000 bond. The estimated maximum cost of the project is $545,000; the new bond amount will be added to $245,000 that was previously bonded. J.P.

Southampton Town

Southampton’s Credit Rating: All A’s

Southampton Town has again received the highest credit rating from Standard & Poor’s Rating Service. In a report issued Feb. 3, the service recognized the town as having “very strong management and strong financial policies and practices.”

The town first received an AAA rating in June 2014, after a five-year recovery period.

Standard & Poor’s predicts that the town’s economic factors are likely to be maintained and that the rating will not change over the next two years. Leonard Marchese is the town comptroller.

Supervisor Jay Schneiderman led a presentation in front of S&P rating analysts. Anna Throne-Holst, who is looking for the Democratic endorsement for Congress, was Southampton’s supervisor from 2010 to 2015, taking over as the town struggled to rebound following multimillion-dollar deficits in 2009.

First-Time Homebuyers Get Help

More first-time Southampton Town homebuyers could be eligible for a tax exemption that the town board moved to increase this week. Since 2001, buyers paying up to $250,000 for a house could apply for the first-time homebuyer’s exemption. That figure no longer reflects the fair market value of typical homes in the township, and the board increased the amount, through the state’s low-interest mortgage program, to just under $597,000. To qualify for the exemption buyers would also have to meet combined income limits, which have also increased, from $73,000 to $130,800.

Qualified homebuyers receive a five-year decreasing real property tax exemption, starting with 50 percent of the purchase price in the first year and decreasing by 10 percent each year until the owner is paying the full amount.

Only four new homeowners qualified for the exemption under the 2015 town property tax bill, for a total savings of $220. The four would increase to nine under the increase, with a total of $1,500 in savings to the homeowners. School taxes are not exempt unless the school district opts in, and Riverhead Town is the only one that does so in the Town of Southampton.

Other criteria that qualify buyers include not owning property for three years, and buying a newly constructed house or one that will be renovated within 90 days of the purchase. T.K.V.

New York State

Seek More L.I.R.R. Service to Montauk

New York State Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele Jr. has called on Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo to amend his 2016 state budget to include money for the construction of a second Long Island Rail Road track from Sayville to Montauk. The track would permit additional seasonal service, and, according to a press release from Assemblyman Thiele, “would facilitate the goal of increased year-round service through a shuttle to the South Fork.”

The assemblyman spearheaded the addition of $37.5 million to the Metropolitan Transit Authority’s capital plan some years ago for such a shuttle service, but the L.I.R.R. did not implement it.

Mr. Thiele notes that the governor’s 2016 budget proposal already calls for a major capital improvement along the L.I.R.R. line in Nassau County. But, he said, “The L.I.R.R. has to expand its mission beyond just being a commuter railroad between [Long Island] and [New York City]. The L.I.R.R. is missing an important opportunity to increase public transit to the South Fork, not only during the busy summer season, but year-round.” Better public transit, he said, would benefit the economy as well as improve traffic conditions on the South Fork.

An East End train-shuttle service was among the transportation options examined and recommended in a transportation study commissioned by the five East End towns some years ago. J.P.