Sep 20, 2017 1:17 PM

Southampton Town Board members are expected to vote next week on the findings statement for a proposed luxury golf course targeting nearly 600 acres in East Quogue and, if approved, the final step would be a vote on the controversial application itself.

Last Thursday, September 14, board members unanimously accepted the final environmental impact statement, or FEIS, filed by the developer, Discovery Land Company of Arizona, possibly clearing the way for a vote on the findings statement this Tuesday, September 26.

No one spoke during the public comment portion of last week’s meeting, which was also held at Town Hall.

At Tuesday’s meeting, which begins at 6 p.m. at Town Hall, board members are expected to vote on the findings statement for the proposed development, called “The Hills at Southampton.” Compiled by staffers in the town’s Planning Department, the document is supposed to offer an independent conclusion on the project’s potential impact on the environment, while also noting how it compares to that offered by the applicant in the FEIS.

On Wednesday, Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman said that the findings statement is nearly complete. The document, which requires only the support of three Town Board members, is part of the State Environmental Quality Review Act, or SEQRA, process.

If approved, board members can then schedule a vote on the application itself, a planned development district, or PDD, that seeks permission to bypass current 5-acre zoning on the 600 acres so that Discovery Land can build 117 homes and an 18-hole private golf course on 168 acres along Spinney Road in East Quogue.

Unlike the findings statement, however, approval of the PDD requires the support of four of five Town Board members, a supermajority.

If approved, The Hills at Southampton will be the last PDD permitted in the town: The board voted earlier this year to strike the legislation from the books, arguing that it offers would-be developers too much latitude when seeking to bypass zoning restrictions.

Board members have not yet indicated how they intend to vote on the application itself once it is before them. First, however, the board must accept or reject the findings statement, and many in the community are eagerly awaiting the vote as it could provide the first indication of where members stand on the application.

Robert DeLuca, president of Group for the East End and a vocal opponent of the project, noted that the actual vote on the findings statement could very well set the stage for the PDD’s approval or rejection. A 3-2 vote in favor, for example, could mean that the PDD application will be short the required four votes needed for final approval.

“It’s very important, because it essentially represents the town’s final opinion on the results on the final environmental impact statement,” Mr. DeLuca said.

Mr. Schneiderman dismissed the notion that there will be a direct correlation between how the votes fall on the findings statement and the PDD, explaining that the former will focus only on the development’s potential environmental impact.

“You can vote against [the PDD] for other reasons,” the supervisor added.