More Time to Take Community Priority Survey

The last day to take Southampton Town's hamlet priority survey was supposed to be Friday, but now the town is giving residents until March 30 to give their input on what projects they want to see in their communities.

“Several community members have asked for more time to generate participation in the survey, and we are happy to oblige this request,” said Supervisor Throne-Holst.  “Our interest is simply in hearing from as many residents as we can, and it does take some time to spread the word that the survey is available.” 

The survey is designed to help develop a list of hamlet-specific community benefits that can later be included in Planned Develop District applications. "PDDs are a zoning tool that provides an opportunity to develop a property in a manner that is not limited to the underlying zoning restrictions, in exchange for public benefits," a statement reads.

Projects ideas range from open space preservation, historical preservation, affordable housing, day care and elder care and community meeting facilities. A scale of 0 to 5 is provided in which 0 should be considered “not wanted” or “not appropriate” in a specific hamlet and where 5 indicates a “strongly desired” or “top priority” in a specific hamlet.

“When we revamped the PDD Code our goal was to make adjustments to the criteria, standards and evaluation process that would result in project proposals that are fitting and appropriate for the community in which they would be located,” Throne-Holst said.  “One of the primary areas of concern aired during the overhaul process was with the concept of community benefits, and the idea that because our Town varies so greatly from one hamlet to the next, improvements like affordable housing or open space preservation that might be considered a priority public benefit in one area, might not be considered a benefit at all in another area.  There was an overwhelming desire to make it clear to prospective developers from the outset what the planning priorities are — or are not — for each hamlet.”

To take the survey, click here.

Who projects would you like to see in your hamlet? More open space and historical asset preservation? Day care and elder care? Community meeting facilities? Something else? Leave a comment below.