What could be the largest ever land development project in East Hampton Town is under consideration for a site off Montauk Highway in Wainscott. Though it is getting scrutiny from town officials, it has not drawn anywhere near the attention of an underground cable route that will link the deep offshore South Fork Wind farm to the electrical grid. The relative silence of the anti-cable side on this new plan is puzzling.
The imbalance is stark. The cable is to extend underground along Beach Lane and Wainscott Northwest Road then make a turn at the Long Island Rail Road tracks to travel in a straight line to a PSEG-LIPA substation on Cove Hollow Road and Route 114. There will be traffic diversions while the cable and access vaults are dug into the ground, but after that, the disruption is expected to be minimal and in the form of occasional maintenance.
The Wainscott Commercial Center, by contrast, would be as many as 50 separate light-industrial and business sites spread over 70 acres. The developers envision a bustling place where builders, landscapers, and others in the service trades could base their operations. As the South Fork becomes more built up, the need for contractors of all sorts remains acute. Offering commercial space, the developers say, might help ease traffic congestion through Southampton by cutting down on vehicles in the deeply problematic daily “trade parade.” But at what cost?
Georgica Pond, which has been the subject of many restoration studies and remains a jewel among the town’s waterways, is only about 500 feet away from one corner of the proposed commercial center. Unlike the temporary detours made necessary by the wind farm cable installation, traffic troubles created by a 50-lot industrial zone would be permanent. The groundwater impact of such an intense use could be significant. And if new jobs were created, where would the additional work force live — it is a safe bet that the anti-cable folks would not hurry to invite blue-collar laborers to settle next door.
Meanwhile, East Hampton Town planners are talking about a progressive revamping of the congested area of Wainscott along Montauk Highway. A mixed-use business and residential district could reverse the strip-mall look there now and create affordable second-floor apartments that could help more local people continue to live here as real estate prices climb ever upward. Conversations among the members of a study group are ongoing and could eventually result in positive changes for the blighted area. What a delight it would be if the anti-cable activists would participate in long-term planning that would actually make Wainscott a better place. Their energy, resources, and vociferousness would be a welcome addition to a critically important process.