Bridgehampton residents push back against proposed horse farm

Residents of Bridgehampton last week assailed a proposal before the Southampton Town Planning Board to create a new horse farm with more than 70,000 square feet of structures, including three four-bedroom houses, on a swath of open land that Southampton Town bought the development rights to more than two decades ago. Michael Wright reports on 27east.com that neighbors said that the developer’s representatives are misrepresenting the allowances of covenants placed on the Lumber Lane property when it was made an agricultural reserve area in 2001; are stretching the legal definitions that allow horse farms to be considered agricultural uses; and are being disingenuous about the scope of the project’s impacts on the land to avoid a more in-depth environmental assessment.But the developer’s attorney said that the 2002 preservation deal allowed for the property to be used for equestrian purposes, which carries with it the implicit right to build related equestrian structures and, by extension through NYS agriculture law, housing for agriculture employees.The property is expected to employ as many as 15 people, attorney Wayne Bruyn told members of the Southampton Town Planning Board at a public hearing on the application last Thursday, nodding to the housing shortage for low- and middle-income workers in the region.The project’s would-be developer is Gabi Morris, the equestrian enthusiast daughter of a New Jersey housing developer, who has an agreement to purchase the land from the current owner, Steven Klein.The opposition to the project is being led by a new citizens group formed by neighbors of the Klein property, the Bridgehampton Conservation Alliance, which itself has lined up a team of attorneys to attack the legal details of the proposal.Members of the Bridgehampton Civic Association, a residents’ group, urged the Planning Board to stand up for the spirit of the preservation agreements and not let the threat of legal fights sway them.The Southampton Town Planning Board said it would hold the public hearing open for another opportunity for residents to speak on the application before proceeding with its technical review.***A former Sag Harbor PTA official accused of stealing more than $10,000 from the organization was charged with third-degree grand larceny on Tuesday, Suffolk District Attorney Ray Tierney said. Michael O'Keeffe reports in NEWSDAY that Hope Livingston, 50, surrendered to the district attorney’s office yesterday and pleaded not guilty at an arraignment before Riverhead Town Justice Sean M. Walter later Tuesday.D.A. Tierney said in a statement, "The allegations in this case represent an egregious betrayal of the trust the residents of Sag Harbor placed in this defendant, and my office will continue to hold accountable those individuals who unlawfully enrich themselves at the public’s expense."Justice Walter ordered Livingston released without bail. Under New York State law, prosecutors cannot ask a judge to set bail for third-degree grand larceny, Tierney said.Livingston was represented at the arraignment by the Legal Aid Society.Livingston served as the co-treasurer of the Sag Harbor Elementary School PTA from July 2021 to June 2022, Tierney said. She served as vice president from July 2022 through June 2024. She had access at that time to a debit card for the PTA’s bank account, which she was only to use for PTA-related purchases.When the PTA bank account was turned over to new board members in September 2024, officials learned Livingston had used PTA funds for personal expenses, including purchases from Costco, Amazon, Target, Lululemon and Sag Harbor businesses, according to the statement. The D.A.’s office said Livingston also withdrew, and stole, cash.The investigation was conducted by the district attorney’s Public Corruption Squad with assistance from Deputy Sheriff Sergeant Matthew Matz.***In celebration of Women’s History Month, the League of Women Voters of the Hamptons, Shelter Island & North Fork invites LWV members, prospective members and interested residents of the Shelter Island and North Fork communities to a program titled “LWV: History, Mission and Future” this Thursday…that’s tomorrow from 5 to 7 p.m. at Peconic Landing in Greenport.Held in the Peconic Landing auditorium, at 1500 Brecknock Road in Greenport, tomorrow’s event offers an opportunity to explore the rich, over 100-year legacy of the League and discover how to become an active participant in democracy.As a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, the League welcomes people with diverse perspectives and ideas to attend, for an evening of education and civic engagement, complemented by light refreshments.“LWV: History, Mission and Future” is tomorrow from 5 to 7 p.m. at Peconic Landing in Greenport.For information about the League of Women Voters of the Hamptons, Shelter Island & North Fork, visit its website at lwvhsinf.org ***The village of Sag Harbor, N.Y., said yesterday that it would delay releasing footage of the singer Justin Timberlake’s 2024 drunk-driving arrest after he sued to prevent making the footage public. Ashley Southall reports in THE NY TIMES that law enforcement had planned on Tuesday to release eight hours of footage from a camera worn by officers showing Mr. Timberlake’s arrest on June 18, 2024, in Sag Harbor. Mr. Timberlake filed a lawsuit before that release, arguing through his lawyers that releasing the footage was an unwarranted invasion of privacy that would only serve to humiliate him.“The harm from public exposure — stigma, harassment, reputational injury, and the permanent loss of privacy — is immediate and irreparable,” his lawyers said.According to the lawsuit, the police department in Sag Harbor told Mr. Timberlake’s defense lawyer, Edward Burke Jr., on Sunday that it planned to release the video of his arrest with appropriate redactions in response to a public-records request filed around the time of the incident. Mr. Burke objected in writing, but police officials said they were going to release it anyway. Mr. Timberlake sought an emergency order against the police department to halt the release in State Supreme Court in Suffolk County. However, the judge handling the case did not act on the request during a court meeting on Monday, according to lawyers for Sag Harbor.However, the Law Office of Vincent Toomey, which represents Sag Harbor Village, said the disclosure of the video was on hold while officials tried to work out a resolution with Mr. Timberlake and his lawyers.The singer pleaded guilty in September 2024 to a low-level charge of driving while impaired, avoiding a more serious charge. He agreed to pay a $500 fine and serve 25 hours of community service at a charity of his choosing.Officials did not indicate how much of the footage they planned to release, nor did they state what portions would be redacted.Brendan J. O’ Reilly, the digital editor of The Express News Group, one of many media organizations who requested the video, wrote on 27east.com that the police were scheduled to release it last Friday. However, at the last minute, officials delayed the disclosure citing “technical difficulties.”It was the second time that officials had agreed to release the footage, only for Mr. Timberlake’s lawyers to intervene, he said.Mr. O’Reilly, in a statement, said the footage should be made public “so that the public can assess whether police handled the traffic stop and investigation appropriately. This latest delay tactic further obstructs the public’s right to know.”***Peconic Bay Community Housing Funds, funding programs for affordable housing in four of the five East End Towns, have taken in $79.1 million between April of 2023 and the end of 2025, reported New York State Assemblyman Tommy John Schiavoni yesterday. Beth Young reports in EAST END BEACON that the programs, known locally as CHF, can be used for land acquisition, affordable and workforce housing developments, loan and grant programs for accessory dwelling units and first time homebuyers, in addition to other housing-related purposes spelled out by Community Housing Plans in each of the towns.The CHF programs, administered separately in each of the four towns, are funded by a .5 percent real estate transfer tax paid by buyers of property.This funding mechanism is similar to the Community Preservation Fund, a 2 percent real estate transfer tax that has generated more than $2.5 billion for land preservation on the East End since its inception in 1999.Community Housing Funds are in place in East Hampton, Shelter Island, Southampton and Southold towns, and like the Community Preservation Fund, significantly more money is collected in the towns with the most land and highest property values and frequency of real estate transactions.Southampton Town has taken in the greatest amount of Community Housing Fund revenue since the program began to be funded in April of 2023 — nearly $45.7 million. East Hampton Town took in nearly $25.2 million in that time period, while Southold took in a total of just over $6.7 million and Shelter Island took in just over $1.5 million, according to Mr. Schiavoni.“The Community Housing Fund is necessary to address the severe housing shortage that we face here on Eastern Long Island,” said Mr. Schiavoni of Sag Harbor. “I can’t emphasize enough that this housing is for our children. The people who are going to be living in these places are going to be, by and large, the people who already live here, people who have grown up here or who work here. We need all of them to be here.”Mr. Schiavoni added that local funding, like that created by