Greenport Village Board not too keen on Northwind Village plan
Greenport Village Board members aren’t buying the KACE-LI, LLC argument for annexing town land into their backyard. That’s the conclusion of comments they’ll be sending to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation by Monday.
The KACE project, known as Northwind Village, proposes to build 128 condominium units, half of which would be dedicated to workforce housing, according to developers Michael and Dino Kontokosta.
But to gain permission for annexation, the developers would have to be able to show that the benefits to the village would outweigh the detriments to Southold Town, according to village attorney Joseph Prokop. Mr. Prokop has been on both sides of the issue because he represented Greenport Village during former mayor Dave Kapell’s term and continues in that role under the administration of Mayor David Nyce. Mr. Kapell favored Northwind Village, even accepting the Kontokosta brothers’ offer to pay the village’s cost of litigating a case against Southold Town for turning down the plan.
Mr. Nyce opposes the project, but said he has been unable to cancel the litigation while the DEC continues with its environmental study of the project.
At a Village Board meeting Thursday night, the mayor said he believes it would cost Greenport more money to render services to Northwind Village than would be received by its residents in taxes. The Kontokostas have argued that the land is contiguous to the village, a fact the mayor admits, but that connection is through Moore’s Woods and the land in question on Route 48, east of San Simeon Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation is approximately two miles from Greenport’s downtown area, Mr. Nyce said.
Because the proposed development is a condominium complex, not co-ops, the tax rate would be lower, according to Trustee Mary Bess Phillips.
Because of its distance from the village, rendering services to the development would incur more expense and put stress on
existing staff and facilities, Ms. Phillips said.
And while the Kontokostas maintain the development meets Smart Growth concepts, the mayor said that it’s too far from downtown Greenport to qualify as a Smart Growth project.
“Based on location, this project does not meet Smart Growth concepts,” Mr. Nyce said.
The Kontokostas couldn’t be reached for comment.
