Where We Stand

Structures on Farms need Planning Board Review

To The Editor, East Hampton Star, February 17, 2011

Given that the mission of the East Hampton Conservators is to control development, preserve open space, protect our historic legacy, and maintain the quality of life in our town, we fully support our local farmers. Their quest to find ways to make the approval process for structures on their land less lengthy and expensive makes sense to us. Still, we believe that goal can be accomplished without reverting to eliminating planning board review, as the East Hampton Town Board has hastily suggested.

Indeed, we couldn’t agree more with what Elaine Jones and Bonnie Krupinski were quoted as saying in your story last week on the subject. Ms. Jones said, “Since when does a town change the zoning laws because an applicant doesn’t like them?” Ms. Krupinski said her family owns “quite a bit of farmland” and yet she realizes that putting limited review in the hands of the Building Department isn’t the way to go because “this is not their area of expertise.”

The Planning Department, which has an unassailable reputation and long expertise in these matters, is where the review process belongs. Helping farmers is something we all cherish and are committed to. We believe it benefits us all when farmers’ applications are appropriately reviewed, while being expedited and having the planning process include new ideas like waiving application fees and getting planners help to produce the required maps. Let’s find a commonsense solution that works for farmers, their neighbors, and the whole town.

Sincerely,

David Doty, Treasurer

East Hampton Conservators