East Hampton council fails to adopt resolution opposing state housing bill after heated debate

The East Hampton Town Council on Nov. 21 debated and rejected a resolution opposing state bill HB8002 after hours of discussion and public comment. Council members and residents traded sharply different views on whether the law would override local planning, require sewer expansion and change public-participation rules; the council did not obtain the four votes required under the town charter to adopt the resolution.

The council opened the special meeting and quickly moved to adopt the agenda before turning to the draft resolution opposing HB8002, which had been put on the agenda for consideration. Council member Mr. Stman, who said he had seen the legislation only recently, told the panel he could not support the town resolution: “I’m not in favor of the bill passed by the legislature, but I will not vote for this resolution because I don’t feel it will accomplish anything on productively helping East Hampton,” he said, and warned that allowing “middle housing development as a right” could bypass the town’s planning and zoning process.

Joan, who said she works at the state capital, disputed that a local resolution would change the bill’s outcome and urged a cooperative approach. “The governor is gonna sign [the bill],” she said. “It’s going to happen. So do we fight amongst ourselves or work as a community … to make East Hampton the best it can be?” Joan also said state-mandated provisions would not cut local planning and zoning out of the process and characterized parts of the bill as a modernization that requires use of current data.

Speakers raised numbers and local details during the discussion. A council member cited the East Hampton Housing Authority as operating “over 70 units” and said the waiting list stands at about 80 people, of whom roughly 34 are East Hampton residents. Other members worried the bill reduces or changes public-hearing protections for certain applications, shifts parking rules for multifamily units and could pressure the town to expand sewer infrastructure in places that now lack wastewater service.

Council members also debated tenant-protection elements of the bill, including a lowered population threshold for establishing a fair-rent commission. Supporters framed those measures as tools to prevent unlawful evictions and restrain speculative buyers who raise rents; detractors said the changes could unduly limit landlords.

During an exchange, a council member questioned whether outside political contributions affected a speaker’s position; the person denied that contributions shaped their view. The meeting included an amendment to the resolution: one council member moved that the town planner be asked to present, within 30 days, an assessment of how the state legislation would affect East Hampton’s existing plan and infrastructure. The council voted on that amendment and the body proceeded to a final vote on the resolution ``as amended.’’

When members voted on the resolution as amended, the chair said the town charter required four affirmative votes to adopt legislation; the resolution failed because it did not reach that threshold. The meeting then moved to a motion to adjourn, which passed.

A council member speaking after the meeting said the interaction between the state bill and the town’s Plan of Conservation and Development should be investigated further. The planner’s requested assessment is expected to clarify which provisions, if any, would alter the town’s current planning controls or require infrastructure changes.

What’s next: Council members asked for a planner report to clarify local impacts within 30 days; the resolution opposing HB8002 will not be adopted as written because it failed to reach the charter threshold.