Southampton conservation board postpones multiple hearings, grants several conditional wetland approvals

At its June 10, 2026 meeting the Southampton Conservation Board postponed numerous permit hearings to June 24 and issued conditional wetland approvals for several properties after staff reported applicants either agreed to mitigation plans or had outstanding items to provide.

Marty Shay, chief environmental analyst for the town, introduced multiple agenda files, including a pending two‑lot residential subdivision at 4098 Noak Road in the Hamlet of Noak. "This is a pending two lot residential subdivision for a property that contains extensive town and state regulated freshwater wetlands," Shay said. He described recommended advisory comments and recommended forwarding those comments to the zoning board of appeals (ZBA).

The board approved the minutes of May 27, 2026 by voice vote; a member recorded opposition to that motion. Members repeatedly used voice votes on subsequent items; several motions to postpone or to grant conditional approvals carried with at least one member saying "I oppose" on the record.

Shay told the board he had contacted most applicants and visited several properties to confirm whether owners still intended to proceed and to gather outstanding mitigation plans. He said one applicant had not yet submitted required information and warned of enforcement steps if mitigation measures were not provided: "If they don't make headway in short order, I'm going to need to prepare the necessary affidavits to have them recited by the town."

As a result of staff recommendations and applicant commitments, the board moved to postpone many files to June 24, 2026 at the applicants' request. The board also resolved to issue conditional wetland permits (subject to stated terms and conditions) for a series of files, including approvals for Remson Farm Limited Partnership and Michael G. Murker. The Jarvis Family Trust application (A025057) was described in detail; staff said the applicant agreed to establish a vegetated non‑disturbance/non‑fertilization buffer and to submit a native planting plan, and the board waived the public hearing under the town code (chapter 325, section 325‑8) before resolving to grant conditional approval.

A board member raised enforcement and compliance concerns, noting seasonal timing and the risk that some property owners might begin work before permits are finalized: "I'm worried about these people just going ahead and starting work thinking that they can ask for forgiveness instead of permission," the member said. Shay said where work had already commenced without permits (for example on a Reeves Bay cottage), staff had asked owners to remove treated lumber and to replant and legalize minor hardscape changes.

Towards the end of the meeting the board confirmed the next meeting date as June 24, 2026 and discussed a temporary change to the morning meeting time to 10:00 a.m. Several other agenda items were noted as mis‑noticed or were adjourned at applicants' requests to later dates (one item was moved to Aug. 26, 2026). The board closed the session after routine procedural items and the public‑hearing block.

The board recorded multiple voice votes on motions to postpone and to grant conditional approvals; where opposition was voiced it was recorded verbally during the meeting but individual vote tallies were not provided in the transcript. The next scheduled meeting is June 24, 2026.