PREAMBLE
Environment matters. Irrigation and water use; rural amenities and soil conservation; land use, value and management; organic farming and marketing; all matter. Natural and historic resources; marine and built environments; green building design and energy conservation, all matter. Economic prosperity and environmental well-being; environmental governance and sustainable development; eco-system health and human health; water and air quality, all matter. Southold Town’s ability to meet its current and long-term environmental stewardship and comprehensive planning responsibilities, matters. The members of the Southold Town Democratic Party recognizes that the 2011 election cycle represents a critical moment and an excellent opportunity for it to field, and the voters to elect, a full slate of candidates fully engaged with and responsive to the general public for whom environmental matters.
The emergence of a Democratic majority on the Town Board will represent a fundamentally new architecture in Town governance and would enlarge those voices that matter most: long time residents and recent arrivals, year round residents or second home owners, local farmers or farm producers, vintners, vine and farm workers; retirees, artists and artisans, restaurateurs, and local fishers and boaters of all sorts as well as those individuals and families who seek to preserve and improve Southold Town for their children, residents, and visitors alike.
Therefore, we the members of the Democratic Committee, recognize that Southold’s social, environmental, and historical heritage is found in the people who live, work, and play here; and that the importance and value of its villages and hamlets, landscapes and marine resources, require a carefully considered approach that brings forth the significant benefits derived by integrating environmental management with human needs, and the need to engage from the full spectrum of private sector businesses, agricultural and coastal landowners, home owners and renters, hereby recommend the following resolutions:
- The STDC respects individual property rights. However, consideration must be given to ensure individual property rights do not interfere with or diminish the health and well-being of neighbors, community and natural environment.
- The STDC acknowledges the reality of Global Climate Change and proper legislation and appropriate public policy can mitigate the some of the effects of and help us prepare for a changing climate.
- The STDC believes our locally elected officials must take an active role in ensuring that the operations of the Millstone Nuclear Power Facility do not adversely affect the health and safety of east end residents or our environment. Effective emergency planning must be in place in the event of an incident.
- The STDC supports the adoption and enactment of a Comprehensive Master Plan with the following components:
1. Preservation of our rural character and the Agricultural Industry.
The world food supply is stressed by increased production and shipping costs, the continuing loss of productive farm land, and by the effects of climate change. The food supply is further pressured by increasing world population and hence an increase in world hunger. In the face of this, it will become more critical to maintain Southold’s agricultural base and the ability to produce food locally. Incentives should be created for those who want to grow food for local markets. In addition, CSAs (Community Supported Agriculture) and community gardens must be supported.
Preserving farmland is beneficial to the local economy. Reducing build out will keep taxes down. All reputable planning groups agree that added housing raises taxes:
Please see the Economic Benefits of Open Space Preservation issued by the Office of the State Comptroller, March 2010: http://www.osc.state.ny.us/reports/environmental/openspacepreserv10.pdf. In addition, preservation of agriculture and the production of local wine and foods maintain Southold’s rural character, which in turn supports tourism, a key component of our local economy.
Currently, as codified in Town Law, Agricultural Conservation (AC) land can become residential development. Although the Town identified prime farm land and acknowledged the importance of preserving AC land to preserve farming, AC land permits the same uses as R80 (2 acre/res. unit) land. The Town has a fairly successful Purchase of Development Rights Program (PDR), but it relies solely on the willingness of land owners to participate, the success of which is heavily influenced by market forces, and doesn’t guarantee farmland will be preserved. Current zoning has created a situation where farmland is often too expensive for farmers, especially for new farmers and those wanting to grow food crops as they are competing with developers for land.
Please see the Economic Benefits of Open Space Preservation issued by the Office of the State Comptroller, March 2010: http://www.osc.state.ny.us/reports/environmental/openspacepreserv10.pdf. In addition, preservation of agriculture and the production of local wine and foods maintain Southold’s rural character, which in turn supports tourism, a key component of our local economy.
Currently, as codified in Town Law, Agricultural Conservation (AC) land can become residential development. Although the Town identified prime farm land and acknowledged the importance of preserving AC land to preserve farming, AC land permits the same uses as R80 (2 acre/res. unit) land. The Town has a fairly successful Purchase of Development Rights Program (PDR), but it relies solely on the willingness of land owners to participate, the success of which is heavily influenced by market forces, and doesn’t guarantee farmland will be preserved. Current zoning has created a situation where farmland is often too expensive for farmers, especially for new farmers and those wanting to grow food crops as they are competing with developers for land.
2. Preservation and restoration of critical environmentally sensitive lands and habitats.
Preserving habitats will preserve biodiversity on the North Fork. Southold Town can achieve this by continued partnerships with the NYS and Suffolk County to purchase critical environmental parcels of land, through Planning and Zoning initiatives and by strengthening and adhering to environmental protection laws
3. Protection of Ground Waters
Climate change is creating water shortages globally. The North Fork water is provided by a sole-source aquifer. We are bound to face water shortages in the coming decades and we cannot depend on out-of-town supplies of water to meet community needs. The heavy use of both residential and agricultural fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides have polluted both ground and surface waters and jeopardized human health. We must eliminate the use of dangerous chemicals, encourage best management practices, and phase out the use of household lawn and garden chemicals. In addition, we must carefully conserve our resource.
4. Protection/restoration of wetlands, shorelines and surface waters and facilitate/restore public access to our shorelines.
Our beaches, wetlands and water bodies have been degraded by pollution, inappropriate shoreline development and overfishing. Subterranean septic systems are responsible for much of the harmful nitrogen that leaches into our groundwater and our surface waters, damaging wetlands, killing fish and encouraging the growth of invasive species.
The Peconic Estuary Program is one of only 28 such marine preservation programs in the country. It is a heavy responsibility on Southold to control pollution and to join in bringing back our marine life. We are part of a world wide effort: http://www.peconicestuary.org/CCMP.html
Current law regarding the maintenance of septic systems is inadequate, routinely ignored, and rarely enforced. Run-off from roads and farming operations has further polluted creeks and estuaries. (http://www.peconicbaykeeper.org/sitecontent.cfm?contentID=4&storyID=10 )
Shoreline hardening in the form of docks, bulkheads and groins has hastened the erosion of our shores and limits public access to our shorelines. The accelerating rise in sea level confronting our hardened shoreline will result in the disappearance of salt marshes and intertidal zones. Episodes of storm surges launched from higher sea levels will cause destruction and financial hardship to public and private properties.
To this end we promote the following actions:
A. Adherence to the Local Waterfront Revitalization Plan http://www.nyswaterfronts.com/LWRP/Town%20of%20Southold/default/Town_of_Southold_LWRP.htm
B. Adoption of the proposed “Residential Dock” legislation (please see attached)
C. Creation and adoption of a Comprehensive Shoreline Plan as outlined by the
A. Adherence to the Local Waterfront Revitalization Plan http://www.nyswaterfronts.com/LWRP/Town%20of%20Southold/default/Town_of_Southold_LWRP.htm
B. Adoption of the proposed “Residential Dock” legislation (please see attached)
C. Creation and adoption of a Comprehensive Shoreline Plan as outlined by the
Conservation Advisory Council (CAC)
D. Adoption of progressive septic codes, based on current science.
5. Decrease the potential number of building unit allowed under present zoning and redirect development away from farm land and open space to more appropriate areas.
Tourism is a key piece of Southold’s economy. To support tourism, the maintenance of open space, agriculture, our clean marine environment, and the rural small town feeling of Southold is extremely important. By this means we also maintain the Southold that we all love.
In addition, Southold has limited resources (especially clean, potable drinking water) and the community has agreed preserving farming and protecting our natural resources are priorities, build out should be substantially reduced from what is allowed under current zoning. Rather than creating new subdivisions on AC lands, development should be directed to the Hamlet Centers and Halo Zones, where opportunities for mixed housing, including work force housing, may be greater. But it is imperative that we attain overall control of land use and planning so that the enactment of sanitary waste purification does not open the development floodgates.
6. Promotion of green building standards and LEED certification for commercial buildings. http://www.usgbc.org/ShowFile.aspx?DocumentID=3330
7. Promotion of renewable energy and mechanisms to lower Southold’s Carbon Footprint
The gulf coast disaster revealed the real cost of continuing to rely on fossil fuels for energy. If we are to transition from carbon producing fuels and do our part to stem the tide of global climate change, reduce our dependence on foreign energy sources and become more self reliant, the Town must act proactively to promote this transition. This can be done in a number of ways including through tax incentives, more liberal laws in relation to wind and solar development (especially in AC land and SGAs) and Town Sponsored Renewable Energy projects.
8. Preservation of Plum Island or limitation of uses to R&D of non-polluting uses such as renewable energy research or generation. Plum Island is both an ecologically diverse and historically significant island and must not be developed commercially or residentially. Plum Island should be preserved as a National Wildlife Refuge as argued by the Preserve Plum Island Coalition. (http://www.preserveplumisland.org/)
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