Publication	The News-Review
Date	November 24, 2004
Section(s)	Top Stories

New zoning for Riverside

Officials: 'no net increase' in school-age population

By Tim Gannon

RIVERSIDE—A new zoning category planned for the Riverside area won't lead to a big increase in housing, Southampton Town officials told members of a local community association Monday.

The town earlier this year proposed two new zoning categories — Hamlet Office (HO) and Hamlet Commercial (HC) — for a number of areas throughout the town, including Riverside. But town officials postponed a public hearing on that subject in August and decided instead to hold separate hearings in each hamlet.

Some residents recently expressed concern about the new zoning proposals at a Riverhead school board meeting, saying the zoning would permit additional housing the school district has opposed.

The new zones would permit single-family lots to be converted into three- or four-family lots. However, those conversions could be made only if the property owner transferred development rights credits from elsewhere, Supervisor Skip Heaney said, addressing members of the Flanders, Riverside and Northampton Community Association.

In addition, the development rights credits could be transferred only from within the same school district, and in the case of Riverhead School District, from within the same town, according to Jeff Murphree, the town's planning and development administrator. The Riverhead district is spread throughout Riverhead, Southampton and Brookhaven towns.

Asked how many new residents could result from the new zone, Mr. Murphree said there are 13 vacant lots where single-family residences could be built and eight lots with the potential for accessory apartments, so long as development rights are transferred.

"There would be no net increase in the school district," Mr. Murphree said of the accessory apartments.

In addition, he said the requirements of the Suffolk County health department also would limit residential development in this area to one-acre lots.

"Thirteen vacant lots sounds really vague," said resident Diane Rennard. "What size are the lots?"

Mike Brewer, association president, suggested that someone could buy the lots and convert them to four-family housing.

"If it's single-family now, it could be a fourplex, but it would have to have development rights and it would have to get sewer approval from the county health department," Mr. Murphree said.

Mr. Heaney said it's unlikely anyone would purchase development rights to make a four-family home because the rights are expensive. But even if they did, it would still yield no net increase in residential development in the school district, he said.

One man who didn't identify himself said he was concerned about the environment, and said someone recently dumped a bunch of tires on Point Road.

"Can we expect more of the same when you open up the area for development?" he asked.

He said the "poshier" areas of the town have better zoning restrictions than Flanders and Riverside, and he complained, "You're going to turn this into a dump site."

Mr. Heaney said the purpose of the HO and HC zones is to reduce development density in the area and to create more stringent design requirements.

Current zoning along most of Flanders Road in Riverside permits commercial buildings of up to 15,000 square feet, whereas the proposed zoning would allow buildings no larger than 3,000 square feet.

It also would require developments to retain community characteristics, to keep parking in the rear and to set buildings back from the sidewalks, Mr. Heaney said.

The proposal still is in draft form and the town doesn't know when public hearings on the Riverside area will be scheduled, according to Mr. Murphree, who said the town is holding hearings now on zoning for the eastern part of the town.

Mr. Heaney asked for a show of hands as to whether residents would favor more senior housing, and a large number of residents did raise their hands in support.

"You have your marching orders," he told Mr. Murphree.