Southold Town officials on Tuesday began reviewing the most significant update to the Community Preservation Fund’s Open Space Project Plan in a decade, a revision that could reshape how preservation dollars are spent across the town in the years ahead.
Meanwhile, State Sen. Anthony Palumbo and Assemblyman Tommy John Schiavoni joined Southold Town Board members for part of their work session on Tuesday, to report that recent changes to the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) have been scaled back from earlier proposals but still raise concerns about local control over development decisions.
The state officials also briefed the Town Board on new immigration-related provisions included in New York’s 2026 state budget, legislation that could shape how Southold Town, its police department and other local institutions respond to future ICE activity.
The meeting also confirmed what the Sun first reported on Monday – that the town’s laserfiche records portal is back online following a cyberattack last fall.
‘Farmland and open space’
Land Preservation Executive Assistant Lilly McCullough outlined proposed changes to the CPF program’s guiding document, which has not undergone a major update since 2016. The revisions are intended to reflect changes in state law, updates to Southold’s Comprehensive Plan and evolving priorities surrounding environmental justice and climate resilience.
McCullough said the core mission of the CPF program remains unchanged.
“The overall goals for CPF remain preserving farmland and open space,” she told board members, noting that farmland, wetlands, shorelines, woodlands and other natural resources remain central to Southold’s identity and economy. The draft plan continues to prioritize farmland preservation first, followed by passive open space, recreational lands and smaller parcels that can serve as village or hamlet greens, McCullough said.
Among the proposed changes, however, is a significant new focus on disadvantaged communities, reflecting amendments made to New York’s CPF law in 2024. The amendments require that 10% of annual CPF revenues benefit disadvantaged communities. In Southold Town, Greenport Village is currently the only community carrying that designation.
McCullough described that requirement as the most substantial policy issue facing the update process.
Since the amendments were passed, Greenport officials have been actively urging the Town Board to spend that 10% on water quality and historic preservation initiatives in the village.
To develop the proposal, McCullough said she reviewed guidance from state agencies that have already been implementing similar environmental justice requirements under New York’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act.
Rather than creating a new local standard, she said the draft relies heavily on state models already being used to determine how public investments benefit disadvantaged communities.
Under the proposal, CPF-funded projects would need to satisfy both the traditional goals of Southold’s preservation program and the broader environmental justice objectives established by the state Climate Act.
McCullough said that the state’s disadvantaged community designation was created to identify areas facing the greatest combination of environmental burdens and socioeconomic challenges.
The state Climate Justice Working Group evaluated census tracts across New York using two broad categories of criteria: environmental risks such as pollution, sea-level rise and climate vulnerability, and demographic factors indicating a community’s ability to respond to those challenges.
“The goal is to identify who is most environmentally burdened and who is probably least capable of dealing with that environmental burden,” McCullough said.
McCullough said that reality will inevitably influence future CPF spending decisions, particularly as the town works to comply with a state requirement that a portion of CPF revenues be directed toward projects benefiting disadvantaged communities.
She said that the mandate does not fundamentally alter the types of projects eligible for CPF funding. Instead, it affects how those projects are prioritized.
For Southold, she said, the projects most likely to satisfy both CPF goals and the state’s environmental justice objectives are open-space acquisitions and water-quality improvement projects.
The emphasis on water quality could prove especially significant as town officials continue discussions about future CPF spending priorities. Previous debates between Southold and Greenport have centered on whether CPF resources should play a larger role in helping address the village’s wastewater, stormwater and coastal resilience challenges.
Bur McCullough was explicit in saying that another of Greenport’s needs, historic preservation, “is not a CPF priority at this time.”
No decisions were made Tuesday.
Board members will review the draft plan before returning for additional discussions later this summer. The proposal will ultimately be circulated to advisory boards, stakeholders and the public before being considered for formal adoption.
SEQRA changes
Palumbo and Schiavoni briefed the Town Board about changes to SEQRA, which were advanced as part of an effort by Gov. Kathy Hochul to accelerate housing development across New York.
Palumbo said the final legislation does not override local zoning laws and still requires an initial environmental review. However, certain housing projects on previously disturbed land may now qualify for exemptions from portions of the SEQRA process. He noted that developments of up to 100 units outside New York City — and larger projects within the city — are among those affected by the streamlined review provisions.
Schiavoni, who said he opposed the measure, described it as an attempt to cut bureaucratic red tape in order to spur housing construction. He expressed concern that the exemptions contain no affordability requirement and warned that SEQRA serves as more than an environmental review process.
“SEQRA is not just an environmental tool, it’s a planning tool,” he said, noting that reviews often examine impacts on infrastructure, schools and municipal services. He also raised concerns that farmland left inactive for several years could potentially fall within the definition of previously disturbed land and become eligible for exemptions.
Southold Planning Director Heather Lanza said the town may be better positioned than many municipalities because it already has its own environmental review provisions embedded in local code. She said modest amendments could allow Southold to continue evaluating many of the impacts typically reviewed under SEQRA.
Both state lawmakers emphasized that local governments retain zoning authority and pointed to provisions giving municipalities greater discretion over projects in flood-prone areas. Palumbo said those protections, combined with Southold’s existing environmental regulations, should help preserve local oversight even as the state moves to streamline housing approvals.
New immigration enforcement legislation
The state officials also briefed the Town Board on new legislation related to immigration enforcement.
Schiavoni told board members that portions of the proposed “New York for All” legislation were incorporated into the state budget, establishing new restrictions on cooperation between local governments and federal immigration authorities.
Under the new law, ICE agents are barred from entering nonpublic areas of state and local government facilities without a judicial warrant or court order. Similar protections extend to sensitive locations such as schools, childcare centers, houses of worship, health care facilities, parks and senior centers.
The legislation also prohibits state and local law enforcement agencies from entering into so-called 287(g) agreements that deputize local officers to carry out federal immigration enforcement functions. Schiavoni emphasized that federal immigration enforcement remains the responsibility of federal authorities, while local police should remain focused on local law enforcement matters.
Palumbo, a former prosecutor and ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said that the law draws a distinction between judicial warrants and immigration detainers. While local police must comply with court-issued warrants, he said the legislation limits cooperation with federal immigration detainers and could expose local agencies to enforcement actions by the state attorney general if they exceed the law’s boundaries.
The lawmakers said the budget also creates a new state Immigration Trust Office, which will work alongside the Attorney General’s Office to investigate complaints and help enforce immigration-related protections. Residents who believe their constitutional rights have been violated by federal immigration authorities could pursue legal action under the new framework.
For Southold, the practical implications remain uncertain. Town officials and Police Chief Steve Grattan indicated that additional guidance and training will likely be needed before local governments fully understand their responsibilities under the new law. Board members also discussed developing local response protocols to help residents and families affected by immigration enforcement activity.