Latest recommendations outlined for Southold zoning update

Members of Southold’s Zoning Advisory Committee presented recommendations for the town’s ongoing comprehensive zoning update to the town board Tuesday, Aug. 19.

Hundreds of comments on the proposed draft code, released in April, were received by the town’s planning department. Next steps for the project include the revision process, release of a revised draft code and map, and at least one public meeting to review the changes made. An environmental review will be conducted and public hearings will be held regarding the revised draft when it is available — a deadline not yet set.

“We all know that this is a work in progress,” Leslie Weisman, chairwoman of the ZAC, said. “This is not in any way a final product.” 

Below are some of the recommendations presented to the town board this week:

Residential zoning recommendations to be included in the updated draft code included changes to the gross floor area stipulations for house sizes to prevent overdevelopment on residential lots; updating uses permitted in accessory structures; and developing a bulk schedule for nonconforming residential lots that are less than 40,000 square feet. 

Ms. Weisman posited that allowing bed and breakfast businesses to exist in business zones, hamlet centers and higher density hamlet HALO zones along Main Road and Route 48 without an owner-occupancy requirement could “promote tourism and reduce AirBnBs.” 

The ZAC also said it is evaluating the draft code to identify any obstructions to creating accessory dwelling units, also known as ADUs, and affordable housing.

Commercial zoning recommendations identified by the design subcommittee were issues regarding design, uses and nonconforming commercial lots.

The subcommittee will evaluate building lengths and design elements to maintain scale, visual buffers, and suitable locations for large business uses and parking requirements for different uses; review zoning district maps’ permitted uses and propose new uses in commercial zones; and balance protecting property rights with the goal of eliminating nonconforming uses in various zone districts.

“What we really need to do is analyze to make sure the numbers are working, because some of the lot coverage numbers got changed, some didn’t,” planning director Heather Lanza said. She added that the planning department is gathering input from the town’s building department on the code. “So, we’re trying to do some modeling around that to make sure what we’re proposing actually is better.”

Finding a way to balance the “reasonable rights” of property owners and business owners with the town’s comprehensive plan and welfare of the community is a goal Ms. Weisman highlighted as part of the ZAC’s review. 

“The goal [is to get] rid of nonconformities, so that we have seamless uses and land use regulations that reflect the character of different kinds of neighborhoods,” Ms. Weisman said. Ms. Lanza added that the ZAC is also working to make parcels conforming to avoid creating more nonconformities. 

Analyses to determine how the draft code is consistent with the town’s comprehensive plan will continue, Ms. Weisman said. Overdevelopment prevention, simplification of the zoning code, support for a diversity of housing choices, agricultural and rural character preservation, and an update for permitted accessory uses are some of the goals of the comprehensive plan. 

No hard deadline for when the revised zoning code will be ready was given. However, a marked up Google document of the current draft code with comments from the design and definitions subcommittees will be available by early October.