Southampton Planning Board wants answers from ‘Hills’ developers

The Southampton Town Planning Board has presented Discovery Land Company with a series of questions the Arizona-based company must answer before its proposed 18-hole golf course and luxury housing development can proceed in East Quogue, 27east reported. The town is trying to determine whether an earlier environmental review for Discovery Land’s Hills development is sufficient. Board members hired a third-party consultant in January to review the environmental impact statement for an earlier version of the project. Fort Salonga-based B. Laing Associates has helped board members formulate questions for Discovery Land, which is led by George Clooney pal and real estate tycoon Mike Meldman, to get more information about the controversial project, which has spawned a series of lawsuits. The developer revised its plans for the site when it was unable to switch the zoning from a Planned Residential District to a Planned Development District, 27east reported. To get in line with current zoning, Discovery Land plans to limit the use of the golf course to those who would live at the 118-unit subdivision and their guests. The developer had hoped to open the golf course to the public. Discovery Land initially intended to only open the course seasonally, but its current plan may keep it open year-round, something that 27east noted the planning board and its consultants are keen on understanding more about. [27east]