Government

Top Stories 2021: ZBA gives conditional OK to Enclaves hotel

The Southold Town Zoning Board of Appeals granted a conditional approval for the Enclaves Hotel and Restaurant in Southold on Dec. 2.

The proposed 44-room hotel and 74-seat restaurant on Main Road in Southold has been met with significant community pushback for years, culminating in a lengthy public hearing with a packed Town Hall in October. The application had been up for a special exception use permit and is variance free.

The approval comes with conditions, the ZBA said. No outdoor events of any size will be permitted at the venue. No special events as defined by town code or large events over 100 guests will be permitted either. Small indoor events accessory to principal use, under 100 guests, will be allowed. Expansions of the number of approved hotel units will not be allowed and hotel amenities are for hotel guests only. Outdoor music is not permitted on hotel property.

ZBA member Patricia Acampora cast the lone vote in opposition to the proposal.

Residents’ concerns in public hearings and dozens of letters filed with the ZBA focused on how the project would impact traffic, noise, community character, beach congestion and the environment. 

There were also several letters of support, including one signed by Jonathan Tibbett, the hotel applicant and owner of the North Fork Table and Inn. Several other local land and business owners signed letters of support as well, including Christopher Pia and Charles Salice, who have current development projects before the town, and Stacey Soloviev, who has plans to build a 40-room resort at her winery in Cutchogue. 

Supporters of the proposal have argued the hotel will benefit the local economy, support local farms and improve local safety by offering visitors to wineries and breweries a place to stay for the night. The ZBA noted in its decision that the hotel would meet “an existing demand.”

Besides the Enclaves, there is a proposal for a 125-room hotel, 275-seat restaurant and bar, and 300-seat catering facility along Main Road in Mattituck and court filings indicate Silver Sands resort in Greenport hopes to add new restaurants as well.