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Politics & Government

Southampton Notebook: Hammering out the Historic District Code

Decision to require a supermajority for PDDs comes down to the wire.

, the chairwoman of the , was on hand at Friday’s work session to impress upon the town board the necessity of establishing historic districts in town.

After a lengthy presentation accompanied by PowerPoint and a full-color, double-sided 52-page document, she was immediately questioned by Councilman Christopher Nuzzi about the effects a historic district would have on the rights of homeowners.

Regarding what makes a structure historic, Nuzzi said, “It’s subjective. The landmarks board and the owner might have different views.”

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To this Spanburgh, who was accompanied by Landmarks and Historic District Board member Susan Sherry Clark and Janice Sherer of the planning department, quoted federal law, saying the board cannot be subjective because it would have to follow the standards of the Secretary of the Interior. 

 

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which were quoted in her document to say “The standards are to be applied to specific rehabilitation projects in a reasonable manner, taking into consideration economic and technical feasibility.”

“We have to be sympathetic to the original building,” Spanburgh said. “There’s a lot of room for interpretation. And it doesn’t dictate the shingles or the paint.”

Nuzzi’s concern was for homeowners who buy into a historic district and wish to renovate and homeowners, who already have homes in areas that could be designated historic, who wish to renovate. Keeping to the standards, he said, could cost homeowners more than renovating at will.

Spanburgh replied that homeowners who buy a home in a historic district know what they’re getting into, just like homeowners who buy into a residentially zoned area know they can’t set up businesses. She also included in her 52-page document letters from architects and construction managers who stated that renovating in a historic district costs no more than renovating elsewhere.

Spanburgh’s goal is a rewrite of the town’s existing code regarding landmarks and historic districts because its mandate to protect the historical resources within the town is too narrow compared to other towns in Suffolk County.

The town board is the final arbiter in the creation of historic districts; 20 percent of homeowners in a proposed historic district must sign a petition for the designation before the board would consider it.

PDDs and a Supermajority

The town board must vote at its next meeting on a proposal to require supermajority approval of planned development districts, or the issue is moot for the year.

To create the rule that would bump the number of necessary votes to establish a PDD from three to four, it must go to public referendum, and a public referendum requires a 60-day period for public input before election day in November.

The fate of the supermajority proposal, to be decided on Aug. 23, is in doubt as a discussion on Friday centered on the notion that meeting the higher standard will be impossible because of board members recusing themselves from votes that present a conflict of interest. Additionally, the higher standard might deter developers from considering projects in Southampton at all.

Research by Deputy Town Attorney Kathleen Murray found that only two of the 24 approved PDDs in town were adopted with less than a unanimous vote; however, in one case the district was approved with less than a supermajority because one board member was absent.

In the proposed changes to the code, a supermajority would not be required for agricultural PDDs, nor for an amendment to an already approved PDD.

Planned development districts allow the board to approve a project that falls outside existing zoning if the developer agrees to create an element that will benefit the public, such as setting aside some of the land for a park or affordable housing.

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