Southold’s Economic Development Committee (EDC) is asking local business owners to weigh in on some of the biggest challenges facing the North Fork economy, from the shortage of affordable workforce housing and difficulty finding employees to rising operating costs, traffic congestion and infrastructure limitations.
The town’s EDC just launched its 2026 Annual Business Survey, a 14-question questionnaire designed to identify the obstacles confronting local businesses and help shape future town policies and economic development initiatives.
The survey, which committee members say takes less than 10 minutes to complete, is open to all businesses operating in Southold Town and the Village of Greenport, including farms, restaurants, retail shops, marine businesses and other year-round and seasonal operations.
“We know our local businesses are the backbone of Southold and Greenport, but they are facing unprecedented headwinds,” said committee co-chair Paul Romanelli. “Whether it’s the struggle to recruit and retain qualified employees, navigating peak season demands, or dealing with infrastructure limits like unreliable internet and wastewater capacity, we need to hear exactly what our business community requires to thrive.”
Romanelli and fellow committee co-chair Amanda Giuliano said the goal is to move beyond anecdotal complaints and collect measurable data that can help town officials identify priorities, pursue funding and consider policy changes.
Among the issues the survey explores are the lack of affordable workforce housing, limited public transportation, competition for seasonal employees, high energy costs and zoning restrictions that may prevent businesses from expanding.
It also asks business owners whether shared municipal parking in downtown hamlets could help them make better use of their commercial space.
Another focus is gauging interest in a potential Business and Entrepreneurship Center that could offer assistance navigating grant opportunities, workforce training and networking resources.
In a joint statement accompanying the survey’s launch, called “10 Minutes to Shape Southold’s Economic Future,” Romanelli and Giuliano said the committee regularly hears from business owners struggling with staffing shortages, inadequate infrastructure and limited opportunities for growth.
“But to push for concrete legislative action and secure necessary funding, anecdotes are no longer enough,” they wrote. “We need hard data.”
The committee hopes to make the survey an annual initiative, with future questionnaires tailored to the most pressing economic issues facing the town.
The co-chairs emphasized that participation from a broad cross-section of businesses will be essential to producing meaningful results and developing recommendations that reflect the needs of both seasonal and year-round enterprises.
“The town cannot fix what it cannot quantify,” they wrote. “If we want policies that actually support our peak seasons and protect our year-round economy, we need every sector represented in this data.”
Business owners can complete the survey at tinyurl.com/southoldbiz. QR codes linking to the questionnaire are also available on flyers at Town Hall, local libraries and post offices.
The survey will be online for about six weeks, Romanelli said, with the results released about two weeks after it closes.
