Egg farm proposal frustrates its Southold neighbors

The Southold Town Planning Board on Monday said many residents’ concerns about a proposed egg farm fall outside its authority — a stance that sparked a heated exchange and sent some neighbors storming out.

Since the proposal first went public in January, Jasmine Lane residents have pressed town officials to examine its potential impacts on public health, quality of life, traffic and property values.

But planning officials reiterated at the March 23 meeting that many of those issues are governed by state and federal agricultural regulations, not local site plan review. When summarizing feedback raised at a contentious Jan. 12 public hearing and in subsequent letters, the Planning Department said day-to-day operations fall under outside oversight.

“My personal feeling on it is we are site-planning a barn here, not a poultry chicken farm, and it would be unduly interference with ag marketing,” Planning Board chairman James Rich said.

The proposal, submitted by 21-year-old NYU real estate student Grant Callahan, calls for a pasture-raised organic egg farm with up to 6,000 hens on the roughly 16-acre property. The town purchased development rights for the land in February 2007 for $1.15 million to preserve it for agricultural use.

A 2,100-square-foot barn would store equipment and supplies, including portable electric fencing, and include an egg-washing and packing area, according to planning documents. Chickens would be housed in six mobile shelters rotated across the property to prevent manure buildup, Mr. Callahan said.

Mr. Callahan said odor would be addressed and that there would be “no processing” on site.

Planning officials noted the 6,000 chickens themselves are not expressly regulated under site plan review standards. Water supply impacts would instead be governed by best management practices and oversight from agencies including the Food and Drug Administration, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets.

“We plan on being in accordance with all and in many cases exceed the suggestions,” Mr. Callahan said. 

A formal traffic study was deemed unnecessary, another point of contention for neighbors. Plans for an emergency access road from Jasmine Lane — a residential cul-de-sac off Main Road — also drew criticism.

Mr. Callahan said he considered moving the barn closer to Jasmine Lane after learning an emergency access road would be required for the originally proposed building set back 100 feet.

“It’s a tremendous cost for something we hopefully never ever, ever use,” Mr. Callahan said. However, he did not want to agree to restrict the road solely to emergency use, saying he could not predict future needs.

Board members pushed to keep the barn set back from the road. Mr. Rich urged Mr. Callahan to maintain the original 100-foot setback and consult the Building Department on requirements.

“The board does have the discretion to determine where that building goes, regardless of the setbacks,” Planning Department director Heather Lanza said. 

An alternative access point from Ackerly Pond Lane for daily operations was discussed.

“I really do not want to access from Jasmine,” Mr. Callahan said. “As a respect to my neighbors, I’ve said that from the beginning … It would really truly be 99.9% of the time, as I sit here today, my intention is for emergency access only.”

The board directed Mr. Callahan to estimate costs for the emergency road at varying distances.

Buffers requested by residents were unanimously rejected by the board, which cited the property’s agricultural designation.

Sandy Kollen, a Jasmine Lane resident whose property borders the proposed egg farm, was enraged by the board’s conclusions.

“You guys didn’t do anything that we asked, no buffer, no moving the building, no reducing the chickens, nothing,” she shouted. “15.9 acres and you don’t even move the building? You’ve got some nerve.”

Other neighbors followed her out of the meeting.

“You should be ashamed of yourselves,” said John Reichert, another resident who lives next to the proposed chicken farm.

The application will likely be on the Monday, April 6, Planning Board work session agenda.