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Hampton Bays residents split over whether town should buy fire‑department parcel using CPF funds
Summary
Public commenters at the Southampton Town Board meeting urged both for and against a town purchase of a Hampton Bays fire‑department parcel; arguments focused on Community Preservation Fund eligibility, timing, traffic and the parcel’s effect on downtown commerce.
Several Hampton Bays residents used the public‑comment period at the July 14 Southampton Town Board meeting to urge the board either to buy a fire‑department parcel on Montauk Highway or to reject the purchase and preserve Community Preservation Fund (CPF) priorities.
Christine Taylor, president of the Hampton Bays Chamber of Commerce (speaker 13), told the board that CPF rules limit activities that can occur on CPF‑held parcels and warned that putting the parcel into CPF ownership would remove it from the tax rolls and could prevent local fundraisers and business uses. “The main aspect of CPF funds ... is that we are not allowed to do anything that involves money exchanges on CPF properties, which means we could never do a fundraiser on that property,” Taylor said (speaker 13).
Other commenters pressed the board from the opposite direction. One resident speaking by card said returning the parcel to the tax roll and active use would benefit the hamlet, citing independent appraisals and an offer of $1,000,000 as reasonable (speaker 15). By contrast, Sean Deary (speaker 5) urged the board to reject the purchase if it relied on CPF or town funds, arguing the acquisition would not meet CPF mandates and describing the purchase offer as substantially above appraised values.
A representative of the Hampton Bays Civic Association pushed back against accusations that the civic group misled voters, saying the fire commissioners are not forcing a town purchase and that the property could return to the market if a sale falls through (speaker 14). Town staff clarified for the record that the town was not actively pursuing the purchase at that time (speaker 8).
Board members did not take final action on that parcel during the meeting. Several residents also brought up related concerns — including the timing of a downtown post‑office parking lot repaving that has disrupted summer commerce and state DOT work on the Sunrise Highway — and asked the board to consider coordinating major road projects around the summer season.
The matter was entered into the record during public comment and the board indicated any formal consideration of acquisition would follow required procedures and public hearings.
