Southold Town Board candidate Planamento seeks to balance development, property rights

Nicholas Planamento, a Republican candidate for Southold Town Board, has deep roots in local government. The vice chairman of the town’s Zoning Board has also served on the Architectural Review Board, Board of Assessment Review Committee and as town liaison to the Suffolk County Planning Commission.

Mr. Planamento moved to Southold Town about 25 years ago, though his family ties date back to the 1920s. As an associate real estate broker for Town and Country Real Estate in Mattituck, he brings a perspective shaped by both local policy experience and the housing market.

To him, affordability isn’t one-size-fits-all.

“I don’t think anyone really knows what is affordable, because what might be affordable to me might not be affordable to you,” he said. “I think that there should be a bigger initiative to establish a varied type of housing within the Town of Southold for marginalized at-risk people or those that qualify.”

Mr. Planamento knows many North Forkers resist change, wanting to keep Southold as it’s always been. While he believes change is inevitable and can be positive, it doesn’t mean the town can’t preserve what it has.

The town’s waterways, beaches and agricultural heritage make the area unique, and he hopes to help protect that character. But he also believes everyone has dreams for their property, and the two priorities must be balanced.

“I made the decision to buy an existing house. I didn’t want to develop a vacant lot because I wanted to preserve what I like about the community,” he said. “Not everybody necessarily shares that opinion. As individuals, we all want our dream home, but I do think that we have to work within the confines of recognizing that change, while we respect our heritage.”

As vice chairman of the zoning board, Mr. Planamento is intimately familiar with the code. While development is a concern, he strongly believes in property owner rights. If somebody purchased property with the intent of development or redevelopment, they should be entitled to develop it within the zoning parameters. He fervently opposes eminent domain.

“While I’m not in favor, per se, of development, I do believe it’s the individual property owners’ rights to use the land to the highest value that they’re entitled to by that zoning,” he said. “Hopefully, I’ll have an opportunity to have a voice to the best of my ability to protect property owner rights.”

If elected, Mr. Planamento hopes to continue the town’s efforts toward transparency and providing accurate information to residents.