Chapter 275 – Interim Results
December 5, 2007 by joanna · Leave a Comment
The Board listens intently to the testimony being given from
a packed Town Hall, spilling out into the hall.
Through conflict comes drama, but this was not to be the occasion for it. The public hearing on Chapter 275 Amendments played out as a civilized and useful discourse between Environmentalists, Property Owners, Attorneys and Expeditors, in a packed Town hall where every seat was taken, and more listened in the hall.
Result: The Public Hearing was closed, both for oral testimony and written statements, but no vote was taken. At the time of writing, the Board was deliberating whether or not to vote tonight or table the vote for two weeks to allow for further consultation with Trustees, with a view to making changes in the light of some persuasive arguments made during the course of the hearing.
Other news: We have run out of copies of the “LWRP for Dummies” Newsletter and SoutholdVOICE bumper stickers are also proving very popular!
UPDATE Dec 9th: Board meeting with Trustees set for Monday December 10th at 5.30pm – for further information from Scott Russell, click “comments” below this post.
So here is my view of the Town hearing regarding Chapter 275 – wetlands code:
If it were up to the Nature Conservancy people (whom I’m sure car-pooled to Southold in a single Toyota Prius), there would be a 200 foot buffer zone and 1000 foot set-backs. The developers and real-estate people (arriving in their monster SUVs) would prefer no restrictions at all. The simple property owners (like myself) just want to be able to repair their dock without 22 pages of forms, a lawyer and years of bureaucratic hell. I did not stay for the whole thing (it was very overcrowded and very hot) and left at 11 PM while a doomsayer was talking about how high the tides would be in the year 2050 and that we need to add a paragraph to the law now to account for it.
The Town Board will be meeting with the Trustees at 5:30 on Monday December 10th. The one thing that was clear from the hearing was the lack of clarity of chapter 275. The proposed amendments were minor and did not infringe on fundmental property rights. They were however, ambiguous in language and to vote for them, as proposed, would make an already bad code worse. You deserve clarity and explanations for changes as they are made and why they are being made. Clarity, however, is not the same thing as permissability. There is a change in view at the state and federal level regarding wetlands use/code and this change is going to affect all property owners. At the local level it is not realistic to think that things will go on as they have historically. We will need to make changes locally as well. It is important to note that these changes should be fair and clearly explained which will benefit all parties.
The LWRP was the focus of the hearing and although I am not generally favorable of the document, we need to focus with clarity what will be permissible and what will not be permissible in the future and that there will be changes in our land use policies whether previous board had adopted an LWRP or not. Dredging last year is a good example of how these changes are dramatically changing on a state and national level and the glitches we suffered last year HAD NOTHING to do with the LWRP.
In the new year, I will be inviting the community and town board to a discussion with state representatives on the LWRP, to see if we are going in the right direction by having one. Any questions please feel free to call me at the office or home.765-1889/734-5742.
Regards,
Scott Russell
Sometimes when “Clarity” and a calm environment of cooperation prevail, the result could be beneficial to all. Respect must be given to Scott Russell and the administration for the recognition of the problem and the invitation to listen, comment and help “Clarify.”
Doug Rose, Sr.
SoutholdVOICE, Board Member