Southampton scuttles East Quogue’s incorporation bid to handle land issues

Southampton Town officials have rejected efforts by East Quogue residents to incorporate their hamlet to better handle land issues because their petition included 34 dead people and lacked sufficient “regular inhabitants,” Newsday reported. Members of the East Quogue Village Exploratory Committee launched their incorporation campaign because they wanted a “thin layer of government” for the village to better regulate land use issues, such as the proposed 118-unit golf course and luxury housing project formerly called The Hills, which has been subject to a contentious, drawn-out review process. Southampton Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman rejected the East Quogue group’s petition with 780 signatures, well over the 595 required by law. The group now has 30 days to appeal his decision, but didn’t immediately do so because, according to its co-chair, Karen Kooi, their previous efforts to list all the “regular inhabitants” had already proved to be difficult. If the group eventually succeeds, East Quogue’s village would border Quogue Village to the west and extend to the Atlantic Ocean. [Newsday]