UPDATE: Southold 2020 Masterplan

Southold 2020 Update: “Community Character” Chapter eliminates the goal to reduce shoreline hardening by 20%. Suffolk Times report by Beth Young, with comments by Chairman John Betsch and Planning Director Heather Lanza. Read the letter that made the difference.

VIDEO: Hashamomuck Cove – The Last 17 Feet

Including footage shot over more than a year, this short documentary video (less than 5 minutes) touches only briefly on the long 8 year battle waged by Lynn Laskos and the Hashamomuck Cove Group to save their homes and raise awareness of the threat to County Road 48. It’s a race against time, so what are the options? This story really deserves an hour long documentary to explore the science and government challenges in depth, but it does include footage from before the Nor’easter, in the immediate aftermath and updated as recent as this last weekend, October 16th 2011. Please watch it and share to help raise awareness.

Our Time to Choose – 2011 Southold Town Elections

Southold VOICE was the first in our community to introduce an online candidate Q&A at election time, and 2011 is no exception. Here are the 7 questions that were submitted to each candidate running for office in Southold Town for 2012, and a short form biography for each of them.

Q1: Your Motivation to Run ?

What motivates a candidate to run for office? What do they hope to accomplish? Do they care about the issues affecting you? Find out here.

Q2: Waterfront Views ?

One of the values of waterfront property is a water view. This is frequently obscured by an overgrown jumble of growth in non-disturbance zones. If we vote for you, how would you remedy this so our waterfront property owners can enjoy their waterfront views? Find out here.

Q3: Buildable Land ?

Set backs are based on total lot size regardless of the buildable land area so it forces the waterfront property owner to apply for variances in every case. Why or why not would a candidate for election support a correction to the town zoning regulations to remedy this?

Q4: Coastal Stewards ?

Normally all private property owners get a least a once a year free brush cleanup. As waterfront owners have brush, flotsam and jetsam on their beaches and shorelines, which candidates would support a change in the definitions of allowable debris to equalize the cleanup program for all property owners?

Q5: Storm Damage ?

Both waterfront property owners on the LI Sound and waterfront owners and dock owners on the creeks and bays are faced with challenges such as ice damage to docks, gradual erosion from storm surges and Nor’easters, and hurricane damage and erosion. What background or experience gives each candidate a full appreciation of these problems that waterfront property owners confront on a continuing basis?

Q6: Bluff Protection ?

Do candidates support the use of landscape retaining walls to protect Sound-front bluffs? Can Southold VOICE members get a candidate’s support vs. the DEC?

Q7: Candidate Qualifications ?

What qualifications does each candidate have to make decisions on how waterfront property owners can protect their property? Would they be willing to consider professional recommendations as they relate to various applications/permitting processes that may or may not conform to the existing policies?

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