Public hearing set on law that would limit house sizes in certain zoning districts

The Southold Town Board has set a public hearing on a law to limit the maximum size of one and two family dwellings in certain zoning districts for Oct. 18 at 4:30 p.m.

A vote on the proposed legislation was postponed after a June public hearing, to accommodate concerns from some residents about roof restrictions.

The draft as currently written would apply to residential dwellings in the A-C, R-40, R-80, R-120, R-200 and R-400 zoning districts. Maximum square footage would be scaled based on lot area, defined as buildable land. 

Lots in excess of 200,000 square feet, or 4.59 acres, would permit homes as large as 10,100 square feet plus 1% of any additional lot area. Lots containing up to 10,000 square feet of area, or a little less than a quarter acre, would allow homes up to 2,100 square feet.

New construction, re-construction or improvement of any dwellings would be limited by standards established in the new code or by a variance not to exceed the average gross floor area of dwellings in the immediate area, as determined by the Zoning Board of Appeals. Existing dwellings that exceed maximum square footage would be deemed nonconforming.

Farm labor housing is exempt from gross floor area restrictions set in the legislation. 

Buildings must be within the sky plane, unless the chief building inspector deems it not possible, in which case the overall height of a building or structure may not exceed the average height of adjacent parcels within 500 feet to each side.