From: SouthamptonPatch
By Lisa Finn
Southampton Town’s waterfront areas were front and center this week as initiatives were announced that focus on sustainability.
The Southampton Town Coastal Program is aimed at addressing coastal issues including nitrification, natural resources protection, open space preservation, coastal zoning, capital projects, waterfront business revitalization and more.
The first meeting of the project advisory committee took place this week; the project is funded by the state and town.
Coastal planning professionals from the Urban Harbors Institute of the University of Massachusetts were hired to perform a study; town staffers and locals with waterfront concerns and expertise comprise the advisory group.
Multiple public forums will be held; the first is slate for late October, with a website expected to unveil in late August.
Councilwoman Bridget Fleming has long advocated sustainability.
“As a community with around 658 miles of shoreline, bordering two major estuary systems, it is imperative that Southampton Town address key sustainability issues related to our waterways and wastewater planning,” Fleming said. “The maintenance and balance of these precious resources are not only vital to our ecosystem and quality of life, but are the lifeblood of our local economy.”
Guided by the New York State Local Waterfront Revitalization Plan, which the town has recently embarked upon, the project is dubbed a coastal program to reflect emphasis on conservation and protection of resources.