East Quogue Residents Vow to Fight Hills Project

The East Quogue Citizen Advisory Committee has unanimously voted to support the residents of Spinney Road in rejecting the most recent version of a development project, called The Hills.

The CAC made the motion at their Wednesday evening meeting.

In its third pre-application to Southampton’s Town Planning Board since 2006, East Quogue Partners, LLC hopes to build 82 homes on 428 acres that it owns off Lewis Road.

According to the proposal, although the property is zoned for five-acre lots, the majority of the homes would be clusterd onto 3/4 acre lots near the bottom of Spinney Hills.  And because of zoning regulations, 268 acres would be preserved for the town.

The company recently disclosed, however,  that they would be willing to sell all of the acreage to the town for $35 million­, thus securing the entire parcel for preservation.

In a preemptive strike, residents of Spinney Road met on Monday to discuss The Hills development and draw up a draft letter to convey their displeasure before the next planning board meeting,

“There is two parts to this issue,” said Tom Jack, a concerned Spinney Road resident and East Quogue CAC member, “the first part is the preservation of the land and the second part is our reservations with the building plan.”

As outlined in their draft letter, the Spinney Road residents would not like to see The Hills development come to fruition; however, because the project is only in its pre-application stage with town’s planning board, also addressed amending the building proposal.

Amendments requested would guarantee no access into the development via Spinney Road, except in an emergency, as well as an increase to the buffer zones.

According to the present building plan, the proposed buffer zone between The Hills and Spinney Road properties is about 70 feet, which for Spinney Road residents is especially unacceptable

 “I would like them not to touch the land at all,” said Mrs. Geraldine Jack, a Spinney Road resident.

Holding the letter composed by her neighbors, Jack read aloud: “Spinney Road residents state their objections citing the preservation of the pine barren forest in its natural pristine state, is an absolute priority. This unique ecological system survives in only two other locations in the United States, and further development must be prohibited under all circumstances.”

In addition, the letter highlighted other grievances such as the project’s added pollution to the ground water, via sewage runoff; its destruction of local flora and fauna; the increased amount of vehicles and noise pollution; and the development’s burden to the school district.

I’m brand new to East Quogue,” said Vito Gentile, who has not yet joined the  Quogue CAC, but has attended several meetings, “and I do believe in the sanctity of a person’s home and when someone, with deep pockets wants to build in back of your house, they should be stopped. As neighbors we owe them that respect.”

No date has been set for the next The Hills pre-application hearing before the planning Board.