Government Briefs 03.29.18

East Hampton Town

Seasonal Housing for Montauk Harbor

The East Hampton Town Board plans to issue a request for proposals for a 30-bed seasonal housing structure to be situated on town-owned property at Montauk Harbor. 

Tom Ruhle, the town’s director of housing, told the board at its March 20 work session that the pilot program, which would begin next year, would see one entity serving as a licensee and manager of the housing, providing a single point of contact for the town. Housing would be erected on or after April 1 and removed by Oct. 31. 

The housing would be on a 25,650-square-foot parcel that is partially occupied by a comfort station, which will remain. The lot is served by public water, Mr. Ruhle said, and the licensee would be prohibited from using the comfort station’s septic system in its proposal. 

All businesses in the area would be eligible to seek housing for employees, he said, citing smaller businesses with few employees. Larger businesses, such as Gosman’s Dock, long ago acquired older motels in the area to house employees of its seasonal restaurant and wholesale and retail seafood businesses. 

Mr. Ruhle proposed a three-year license, with the board reserving the right to terminate the program if it became problematic. He recommended a July 31 deadline for responses to the R.F.P. 

Management of the structure would be important, Mr. Ruhle said, so that “this didn’t become a party camp” at the dock area, which has an active nightlife in the summer season. The licensee would be responsible for any and all improvements to the site, he said. “The town is, importantly, providing the land and asking the private sector what they would consider doing,” he told the board. 

Board members proposed an addition requiring video surveillance of the site to the R.F.P., and stipulated that it be operational no later than the Thursday before Memorial Day. Mr. Ruhle said he would add those provisions prior to the R.F.P.’s issue. C.W. 

Outdoor Dining in Montauk

The East Hampton Town Board will hold a public hearing next Thursday on a proposed amendment to a pilot program that would permit takeout food stores in downtown Montauk to offer outdoor dining. The amendment would add takeout stores such as delicatessens to the pilot program under which restaurants are allowed up to 16 outdoor seats within right-of-way areas. 

Businesses would be eligible to participate provided they possess a certificate of occupancy that includes the permitted use as a takeout food store, Beth Baldwin, an assistant town attorney, told the board at its March 20 meeting. The town’s fire marshal would ensure that access and egress to the site comply with code. 

Seats would have to be removed daily and stored on the businesses’ property. 

Councilwoman Sylvia Overby said that she hoped the program would be in place in time for the summer season, “so that any tables out there are out there legitimately and comply with the fire marshal.” 

Next Thursday’s meeting is at Town Hall at 6:30 p.m.