Over objection of several town supervisors, county legislature creates ‘regional planning alliance’

A new county-wide planning entity was approved by the Suffolk County Legislature this afternoon over the strong objection of several town supervisors, who argued that the move would usurp the town’s land use and zoning authority.

The new Suffolk County Regional Planning Alliance is intended to bring the county and towns together for coordinated regional planning on “projects of regional significance.” Those are developments that will have “substantial effect on the health, safety, welfare, economy or environment” of the county or on more than one unit of local government and have been designated as projects of regional significance by the county planning commission or the L.I. Regional Planning Council.

According to its sponsor, Legis. William Lindsay III, the measure would expedite the review process and help spur economic development.

The bill makes participation in the planning alliance mandatory for municipalities reviewing projects of regional significance in order to be eligible for “designated county resources” available through or administered by the county department of economic development and planning or the department of public works. Those resources include financial assistance provided through programs such as the Main Street grants or workforce housing programs, according to officials.

North Fork Legislator Al Krupski broke ranks with fellow Democrats to vote against the bill after an effort to table it, which he supported, failed.

“It’s just creating another layer of government,” Krupski lamented in an interview this afternoon.

Krupski and several other lawmakers said during an extended discussion before the vote that they were troubled by the county’s failure to discuss the measure with town officials prior to bringing it to a vote.

“Since July [when Lindsay introduced the bill] no one has reached out to a single supervisor or mayor. And we can’t wait two weeks?” Legis. Rob Trotta asked. “That makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up. There’s no good reason why we can’t wait two weeks. Something stinks,” Trotta said.

Riverhead Supervisor Sean Walter attended the legislative meeting, which took place today at the county center in Riverside, to ask the legislature to table the bill to allow discussion with the towns.

He read aloud letters from Southold Supervisor Scott Russell and Islip Supervisor Angie Carpenter, who both voiced stern opposition to the measure.

Russell called the proposal a “heavy-handed effort to infringe on each town’s zoning and land use powers.”

Carpenter said the lives of local residents are “most profoundly impacted” by projects of regional significance. She expressed concern the “local voices will be lost in the clamor of regional interests.”

Brookhaven Supervisor Ed Romaine, in a Sept. 22 letter to Lindsay, complained that the bill would require the town to cede its zoning and land use powers to the county or forego county funding and financial benefits.

The bill also amends the chapter of the county code pertaining to procurement practices, which its sponsor and other supporters said was separate and distinct from the creation of the planning alliance.

“This does not require [towns] to use a vendor the county has qualified,” Lindsay said in a discussion before the vote. “It does not require the town to do anything. This speaks to how the county procures consultants and that’s it.”

The revision to the procurement provisions authorizes the county’s Department of Economic Development and Planning to prequalify a list of professional consultants for reviewing projects of regional significance.

But that provision, which was offered as part of the same resolution creating the planning alliance, also drew the ire of town officials, including Russell and Walter.

“It narrows the choices down to a hand-picked list, picked by a few people in county government,” Russell said. “And if we don’t do what the county wants or use the consultants the county hand-picks, we can’t access county resources for these projects,” he said. He suggested the towns should “re-think” collaboration with the county.