Enclaves hotel wins another six-month extension; police called to Southold meeting
The controversial Enclaves resort hotel project, on the drawing board for nearly a decade, got another lease on life Monday — despite a neighbor’s outcry that prompted staff to call police.
The Southold Town Planning Board unanimously approved a new six-month extension for the $43.9 million development as its site-plan approval neared another expiration date.
The approval follows two previous six-month extensions and keeps the site plan valid through Jan. 13, 2027.
The project calls for a 44-unit, two-story resort hotel on a 6.75-acre Main Road property in the hamlet of Southold, including four detached cottages, the conversion of an existing two-story home into a 74-seat restaurant and 160 parking spaces.
The vote met with fierce objections from Barbara Pantino, who lives near the proposed resort and interrupted the meeting as board members considered the extension.
“This is the third extension they’re asking for,” Ms. Pantino said. “People are harmed by this. The traffic is an issue. I live there. It’s a nightmare now.”
Ms. Pantino took a seat at the board table rather than returning to the audience in the Southold Town Hall Annex basement meeting room and continued objecting to the vote.
She expressed concerns about noise, dust and the project’s compatibility with the surrounding residential neighborhood.
Board members repeatedly asked her to return to her seat. But Ms. Pantino remained at the table as members finished reading the resolution and unanimously approved the extension.
“You are not voting on this issue without public approval,” Ms. Pantino said, continuing to raise her voice. “We pay the taxes. We pay for your seats. We pay your salary. We pay your medical benefits that many of us cannot afford to pay. Get a security guard. Get a cop. I’m not leaving until I’m heard.”
Planning director Heather Lanza announced that police had been called.
After the vote, Ms. Pantino left the meeting and spoke with town officials and police outside the hearing room before leaving the premises.
The project has faced repeated delays since developer Jonathan Tibbett first proposed it in 2017. The Planning Board conditionally approved the site plan in June 2023, and three months later the Suffolk County Industrial Development Agency voted to approve a $2.7 million tax incentive package.
The project has required repeated extensions since financing problems stalled construction in 2024. Developers’ attorney David Altman previously told the board that Dime Bank had withdrawn a $25 million commitment because of what he described as regulatory considerations involving the lender.
