“The only way to save what’s left of our culture is to offer as much affordable housing to our local families as we possibly can,” Prudence Carabine said at a June 7 East Hampton Town Planning Board hearing on the town’s proposed affordable housing development at 395 Pantigo Road.
Ms. Carabine and six others who spoke at the hearing voiced support for the proposal. Another speaker, Mark Shilen, a neighbor of the would-be development, raised many questions, including one about the endangered northern long-eared bat, which, according to the New York State Department of Conservation, is present in the area.
Eric Schantz, the director of housing for the town, said in a June 8 letter to the planning board that while there were no known roost sites on the property, the board could condition its approval on the town’s compliance with regulations for protection of the bat, including limiting clearing to the months when they are not present.
The town wants to build 16 houses on the 12-acre parcel. Five of the 12 acres on the north end of the property were purchased using community preservation funds and will be set aside as a preserve.
Ms. Carabine’s only concern was about safety, as the road to the development spilled out onto one of the fastest stretches of Montauk Highway. “People put their foot on the gas coming out of Amagansett,” she said. However, Montauk Highway is a state road, and outside the purview of the planning board. Nonetheless, she hoped the board would consider some traffic calming coming out of the development as well, “So we don’t see any kids hit on bicycles.”
David Buda, a frequent planning board meeting attendee, was generally happy with the proposal, but wanted to “ensure that an adequate and effective public access is maintained, so members of the public can realistically reach and use and explore the rear portion of the property that is C.P.F. funded as open space.”
“I do have one practical suggestion for you. It’s a relatively high-density subdivision. There will be families living there. There will be pedestrian traffic. Don’t make the same mistake the planning board did on the Pantigo Place subdivision,” cautioned Richard Whalen, usually seen before the board representing clients as an attorney. “They should have sidewalks.”
However, Mr. Schantz, in his letter, said the town board agreed the subdivision “should be kept looking as rural as possible and that a suburban aesthetic should be avoided.” No sidewalks or street lighting were proposed.
Both Bryony Freij and Michael Daly, co-founders of East End YIMBY, an affordable housing group, called in to give their support to the plan. “The location between Amagansett and East Hampton is wonderful,” said Ms. Freij, and would allow residents to bike or walk to jobs in both nearby downtowns. She also applauded the inclusion of the preserved space in the development and hoped in the future the C.P.F. and the newly created community housing fund would be frequent partners.
Many of Mr. Shilen’s questions concerning the bats had been answered in previous meetings, at which details had been provided about the proposed square footage of the houses and whether owners would be allowed to build additions. Most houses will be roughly 1,500 square feet, and additions would be allowed, but only after approval of the Office of Housing and Community Development.
One question left unanswered involved preserving some trees on the parcel, which includes many mature oaks and other specimen trees, “particularly in the area where houses will be built,” he said. Mr. Schantz, in his letter, noted the large trees but said, “although there are numerous mature trees, no individual trees stood out as distinctive [or] were noted for preservation.” This could prove disappointing to a public weary from overclearing during the Covid building boom, and disease-ravaged beech and pitch pine trees. He did offer, however, that some might be kept as “street trees,” while mature oaks along the boundaries of the subdivision could be mapped and preserved if the board desired.
Mr. Shilen also asked about how the future occupants of the houses would be chosen. Mr. Schantz answered in his letter that a list generated from an application process and lottery from 2017 would be used and that the town board “expressed a desire to make these homes available as ‘workforce housing’ for moderate income families.”
Despite the questions, it was hard to overlook the importance of the project, especially when Jaine Mehring called in to put it into context. She raised an abutting subdivision approved by the planning board five years ago, off Holly Place, to the east of 395 Pantigo. The 10.5 acres of that subdivision were split between four lots that would support “maximally very big luxury second homes,” with perhaps 75,000 square feet of residence structure and up to 50 bedrooms, pools, “all those things” for “probably very little living in.” Compared to the yield at Pantigo, 16 homes for people “who live, work, go to school here year-round” the gross floor area of all 16 homes totals only 22,148 square feet.
“It’s important for the community to get behind what I would refer to as extremely productive land use,” she said.
The planning board voted unanimously to close the public hearing. Should it approve the preliminary subdivision at an upcoming meeting, the town will then submit a final subdivision application.
