Southold Hotel Moratorium Debate Revived

Developers revived the debate over the Town of Southold’s moratorium prohibiting the construction of hotels on the North Fork during a town board meeting on May 13.

Attorneys Christopher Kent and John Armentano, representing 9025 Main Road LLC, requested an exemption from a site development moratorium as the town considers extending it. The moratorium has been in place and continuously extended for six years. The proposal involves converting a building on Rt. 25 in Mattituck, vacant since 2011, into a hotel.

“Allowing this property to stand vacant and unutilized, rather than occupied and operational as a hotel, is a lost revenue source to the town,” Kent argued. Armentano added that the hotel would reuse the building’s existing footprint without expanding it.

“This property is not a new piece of land being developed,” he said. “It is a defunct building.”

The attorneys said the project would meet tourism-related lodging needs and argued it would not alter the character of the Rt. 25 business corridor. But some on the town board weren’t having it.

“I grew up in Mattituck, so it’s a precious place to me,” Southold Town Councilman Brian Mealy said. “And as somebody who is a decider on how the future of Southold develops, particularly I’m sensitive to things being developed in Mattituck.”

Mattituck Laurel Civic Association President Chris Shashkin urged caution, noting the town’s zoning update is still under review.

“I really feel strongly that we should wait for the full outcome of the new zoning code to be enacted and put into place,” he said.

Concerns raised by residents included traffic, water usage, and the broader impact on the town’s infrastructure and identity. Some questioned why other uses, like affordable housing or a biomedical facility, weren’t considered.

The public comment period remains open through the board’s next meeting on May 28, when a separate hearing on extending the hotel moratorium is also scheduled.