Proposed Southold Zoning Code Amendments
The Group is reviewing updates to the Southold Town zoning code to ensure our land, water, wildlife, and community character is protected for future generations.
When the Town of Southold prepared its final comprehensive plan update in 2020, the Group applauded several of the plan’s many land use recommendations, which would help protect Southold’s land, water, wildlife and community character for the future. Without a doubt, protecting the Town’s natural resources is a matter of top importance across the community, and a well-established priority in the comprehensive plan.
Recently, after a review of proposed updates to the Southold Town zoning code, which is the most significant legal method of implementing local planning and land use goals, the Group was surprised to find that several key environmental and community planning protections that were specifically identified in the town’s compressive plan did not make their way into the most recent draft.
In particular, the draft zoning amendments did not address the creation of several recommended land use tools, including the creation of:
An Aquifer Protection Overlay District to protect drinking water resources
A Coastal Resiliency Overlay District to prevent the overdevelopment and erosion of natural shorelines in the face of climate change
A Tree Code to protect significant trees throughout the community
Clearing Restrictions to limit the amount of natural habitat that can be cleared when developing an undeveloped parcel of land
A Battery Energy Storage System Code to safely manage rising electrical demand with battery-based energy supply systems that do not impact community character or public safety
The comprehensive plan also recommended attention to several broader natural resources and land preservation goals and objectives, which could be addressed through further zoning code amendments. Such recommendations include:
Limiting the use of the sole source aquifer for filling pools
Developing and applying land use tools to preserve Plum Island’s water quality
Avoiding or minimizing pollution from stormwater runoff, pesticides, nitrogen pollution, and more in our coastal waters, and using native plants to mitigate these concerns
Protecting tidal and freshwater wetland habitats
Promoting sustainable use of marine habitats and resources in the town
Protecting and restoring habitats and ecological quality by reducing development scale and intensity
Requiring the use of native plants in landscaping plans
Protecting vulnerable fish, wildlife, and plant species
And much more.
In the spring and summer of 2025, the Town of Southold held several important and well-attended community meetings to gather feedback from residents. The Group participated in a roundtable on the topic of protecting our natural resources, and expressed our concerns about the significant attention that is still needed to address critical environmental protection efforts that were called for in the comprehensive plan. Following the roundtable, we followed up with extensive additional comments.
The Group’s input was well-received, and the town is currently amending its draft zoning code in response to this feedback and that of other community members and organizations. We anticipate the release of a new set of draft zoning code amendments and subsequent public hearings beginning this winter.
Development has a direct impact on environmental quality — what is permitted on a parcel of land impacts our water resources, wildlife habitats, energy usage, traffic, community character, climate, and more. As a result, the Group supports many of the proposed updates that were included in the initial zoning code amendments, especially those that would:
Reduce the intensity of use on various sites, particularly in near-shore areas and other sensitive environments
Require the use of native vegetation in landscaping plans
Implement water conservation requirements
Increase protection of the Town’s wetlands
Preserve natural habitats, reduce stormwater runoff, and preserve existing trees
What You Can Do
Visit the Town of Southold’s dedicated zoning code update website here
Participate in community meetings and voice your desire to see additional environmental conservation amendments adopted into the code
Attend upcoming public hearings (check back here in late 2025, early 2026 for updates)
