To Study Harbor, Downtown
A planning study of the commercial areas in each of East Hampton Town’s hamlets will continue this month with a focus on Montauk, both the harbor area and downtown.
During six sessions from Sept. 14 through 17, planning consultants will meet with interested members of the public to examine the issues, challenges, and needs of the two areas, and to shape planning and design ideas for the future.
The process gets under way with a walking tour of downtown Montauk and a group discussion beginning at 10:30 a.m. on Sept. 14 at the gazebo on the Montauk green. At 2:30 that afternoon there will be a walking tour of the harbor area; participants will meet at the parking lot on the water next to Gosman’s.
Then at 6:30 p.m. that day, at the Montauk Playhouse gymnasium, a public workshop on hamletwide issues will present an opportunity to share ideas and opinions with the planning consultants about “what’s working well, what needs to be fixed, and how best to plan for the future of Montauk’s commercial centers,” according to a press release.
A “visioning workshop” at which members of the public will work with consultants to explore various ideas and alternate scenarios for downtown Montauk will take place at the playhouse gymnasium on Sept. 15 at 6:30 p.m. It will be followed by a session for a similar process, but centered on the harbor area, on Sept. 16 at 6:30, also in the gymnasium.
After analyzing the comments and ideas from the workshop and tour sessions, on Sept. 17 at 9 a.m., the consultants from Dodson & Flinker will offer options for shaping the future of the two Montauk commercial areas and solicit public opinion about which are desirable.
The public has been invited to attend any of the charrette sessions, described in the release as “an intensive, multi-day planning and design exercise leading to a vision for the future of Montauk.”
“We need your input to better understand how homes, businesses, recreation, and community work today, and how they can function better in the future,” town officials and consultants said in the release.
However, those who wish to attend have been asked to R.S.V.P. by sending an email to EHHamletStudy@gmail. com.