Southampton golf course development litigators get a raise

Southampton Town’s Board voted to increase the amount it would pay to the law firm representing it in a lawsuit over a contested plan for an East Quogue golf development, once called the Hills, according to Newsday. The board will now pay $50,000 to Islandia-based Margolin Besunder, about $35,000 more than what it initially approved in January. The pay increase was approved in a 5-0 vote. Southampton’s Zoning Board of Appeals voted in November that an 18-hole golf course planned for the site could be deemed an accessory use to a residential subdivision, helping smooth its approval current zoning laws. That decision propelled forward a proposal by Arizona-based Discovery Land Company — a firm founded by George Clooney pal Mike Meldman — for a housing development with a golf course known as the Hills. The town’s planning board is still reviewing the application. Meanwhile, environmentalists filed a lawsuit in Decemberto try to overturn the zoning board’s decision. On June 27, the town’s planning board is reportedly expected to determine whether a supplemental environmental review is needed for Discovery Land’s latest version of its development plan. [Newsday]