Land Use Accelerates
More land in East Hampton was given subdivision approval in 1997 than in any other year since 1991, and the amount of new commercial square footage approved was up more than two and a half times from last year.
The figures, revealed last week in the East Hampton Town Planning Department's annual report to the town, are "bearing out" what planners predicted several years ago, said the department's director, Lisa Liquori.
The town's new Open Space Plan, released in 1994, foresaw all the town's remaining vacant land being committed to one use or another within the next 10 years.
New Building Lots
This past year, the East Hampton Town Planning Board approved the subdivision of a total of 458 acres of land and the creation of 92 new building lots.
Since 1991, the board has approved almost 600 new lots on more than 1,800 acres - that translates into an average of roughly 85 new building lots per year.
"These figures are bearing it out. We don't have much left," said Ms. Liquori. "We're looking down the barrel at every acre in town being committed."
Two In Northwest
Two large subdivisions in Northwest Woods were responsible for more than half the acreage divided last year.
Northwest Estates created 34 lots on 186 acres, and Grassy Hollow carved 16 lots out of 91 adjacent acres.
Another 42 acres was split in two subdivisions (Huckleberry Woods and Chelsea Woods) involving woodlands off Route 114 in East Hampton.
Preserved Acreage
While subdivision acreage was up over previous years, the amount of land protected as open space in the lot splits remained high.
A total of 198 acres was preserved through the subdivision process, or roughly 43 percent of the land subdivided.
As for commercial development, the Planning Board saw a drop from last year in site-plan and special-permit applications.
The amount of new square-footage in those applications was significant, however.
Altogether, the Planning Board approved 14 site plans involving 85,158 square feet of new commercial structures or uses. That was roughly twice as much as in 1994, 10,000 square feet more than in 1995, and two and a half times more than in 1996.
The commercial projects approved included a new 21,155-square foot building for East Hampton Self Storage, 11,725 square feet of barns and structures on Olney Gardiner's farmland on Route 114, and new warehouse structures in the Goodfriend Park and Turnpike Commercial subdivisions.
Z.B.A.'s Year
The Planning Department's report also highlighted the year for the Town Zoning Board of Appeals.
The Z.B.A. ruled on 71 applications, granting 110 variances from zoning restrictions and 41 natural resource special permits for construction near wetlands.
The board denied 13 applications for variances and four requests for natural resources permits.
The year was a busy one for planners outside of the normal Planning Board and Z.B.A. routines. The year-end report outlined some of the work of the Planning Department, including:
-- Coordination on the Local Waterfront Revitalization Plan and transportation update to the Town Comprehensive Plan.
-- Assisting the Town Board on the upzoning of 852 acres of land in accordance with the Open Space Plan, as well as preparing a grant that earned the town $165,000 toward farmland preservation.
-- Outlining and beginning work on the "Buckskill Study," involving the possible rezoning of 680 acres of commercial-industrial property between East Hampton and Wainscott.
Subdivision Activity
1991 '92 '93 '94 '95 '96 '97
Acres subdivided 123 87 310 248 326 259 458
New lots created 76 74 108 93 70 80 92
Acres preserved 68 96 89 69 183 64 98
Subdivision approvals* 26 15 22 21 7 15 16
Site-plan approvals 33 n/a 22 22 26 19 14
*Does not include preliminary approvals
New commercial square footage approved (approximate, includes conversion of existing spaces):
1991: n/a 1993: 105,930 1995: 72,468 1997: 85,158
1992: n/a 1994: 36,570 1996: 36,830