Keep On Fighting

Discovery Land, the developers of the proposed 118-unit housing development and private golf course on Lewis Road in East Quogue, appears to have successfully played the long game, dumping money into the project and quietly waiting out the loud throngs of public opposition.

After nearly a decade of debate — and two iterations of the plan, originally dubbed “The Hills” — the project will once more return to the spotlight on September 8 at a public hearing before the Southampton Town Planning Board. Earlier this month, the board voted to deem the application complete and to schedule the hearings on parallel site plan and subdivision reviews.

Will the public come out in droves again to object to the plan? Or have residents simply accepted the plan, now retitled the Lewis Road Residential Planned Development, as a done deal? That remains to be seen.

It was once seen as a victory when the Town Board failed to approve a zoning change to allow The Hills. But that quickly turned into a losing battle when the Zoning Board of Appeals ruled that the golf course could be allowed as an accessory use to the housing plan. The Pine Barrens Commission failed to block the project due to environmental concerns, and, finally, the courts dismissed several actions challenging the application.

But not everyone was left discouraged. Environmentalists, including Group for the East End President Bob DeLuca, have pledged to keep on fighting. DeLuca said he is seeking to overturn the dismissal of a lawsuit that he and others filed challenging the project and hopes to be back before the court arguing the case’s merits. At the same time, he said his organization will be at the hearing next month to review the latest Discovery plan.

DeLuca also accused town officials of “running scared” in their review of the plan in light of a $100 million lawsuit filed against the town after The Hills was rejected: “Sadly, the town appears to have decided that it’s better to surrender the value of a public review process as an acceptable trade-off in its bid to appease the developers.”

It’s important to note that several newer members of the Planning Board have no experience with the East Quogue application and will have to catch up on the details of a plan that has changed significantly over a decade. What shouldn’t be forgotten, amid the details, is the possible impact the project, which sits over the single-source aquifer and is located, in part, in the Pine Barrens, would have on the environment.

Representatives of Discovery have asserted that changes to the plan over the years have eased any possible impacts. It’s incumbent on the environmentalists to make sure that’s true, but concerned residents also must continue to be the watchdogs and hold Discovery’s feet to the fire, and ensure that if the project does ultimately get built, it will have the least negative impact that’s possible.

The fight isn’t over to protect the community and environment. Active participation next month will make that clear.