Southampton Town Gives Win to Small Hotel Developers

The new town law establishes a floating zone that the board may apply to hotel applications that meet certain criteria, including minimum two-acre sites and rooms counting between 16 and 65.

“I know that this is the most responsible way to do this with the most possible oversight,” said the bill’s co-sponsor Councilmember Cynthia McNamara.

The board debated the merits and flaws of the bill up until the final vote. Each imploring that applications would still be considered by the board on a case-by-case basis, councilmembers McNamara and Bill Pell and Supervisor Maria Moore voted “yes.” Councilmember Thomas Neely voted “no,” and a skeptical Councilmember Michael Iasilli abstained.

“This town board is not in the business of doing site plan approvals, and yet we will do the initial concept approval [under the new law],” Neely said, adding that he was also, “still concerned about the density issue.”

Suffolk County had more than 12,000 seasonal and year-round hotel rooms in 2025, with roughly ten percent of them in Southampton. While the new law states an intention to improve affordability it does not, as Iasilli pointed out, include provision to ensure it. It does, however, include prohibitions on certain uses, namely extended stay hotels, youth hostels, time-shares, and residential units. It also stipulates hotels must be “architecturally compatible” with the historic surrounding area.

Despite having hosted three public hearings on the proposed law in Dec. and Jan., several local residents and civic leaders attended the meeting to voice their continued opposition citing traffic, crowding, and other concerns. Southampton’s population, approximately 70,000, doubles in the summer months, according to the town’s own estimation.

“Who is asking for this increase in visitors and traffic, and who will decide what is an affordable hotel?” said Pamela Harwood, president of the Bridgehampton Civic Association, who noted the difficulty of ensuring affordability on such expensive land. “That troubles me a bit,” she said.