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“Such expenses can have substantial financial impacts on Southold Town and Supervisor Russell urges you to participate,” a release from the supervisor’s office said.

In October, the Suffolk County IDA preliminarily approved a transaction to assist Enclave Southold, LLC to construct a full-service hotel located at the site.

With the SCIDA’s support, Enclave will renovate the historic 3,764 square-foot home and begin the new construction of a 72,979 square-foot hotel on the property.

The $43 million project creates a hotel that will be home to a wide-range of amenities including two restaurants, a spa with various treatment rooms, cottages and much more, a release said.

“This project checks all of the boxes; it will help satisfy a growing need for quality hospitality options on the North Fork, significantly increase tax revenue and create jobs all while keeping up with the aesthetic of the surrounding area,” said Kelly Murphy, acting executive director of the Suffolk County IDA. “We’re proud to provide our support to this project that will provide real economic growth for the area as well as local businesses while also bolstering Long Island’s tourism sector.”

According to a release from the IDA, The Enclaves is designed to be “a world class, full-service hotel” across 6.7 acres of existing land. The 72,000+ square-foot hotel will include 40 guest rooms, 4 cottages with private housing space and hot tubs, indoor and outdoor pools, a spa with four treatment rooms, exercise rooms, two restaurants and 4,170 square-feet of event and meeting space.

“The historic home on the property will be transformed into an on-site 74-seat restaurant that will be operated in conjunction with the hotel. A multi- million site work package, including a sewage treatment plant, will be installed as required by the Suffolk County Department of Health Services and the town,” the release said.

In 2015, the historic property was purchased by principal of Enclave Southold Jonathan Tibett for the purpose of “realizing his larger dream” that Southold would one day be home to a full-service hotel, the IDA said.

With Long Island’s extensive options of wineries, farms, fisheries, beaches and other tourist attractions, there remains a need for additional high-quality accommodations for travelers and visitors to Long Island’s East End, the IDA said, adding that, according to the Tourism Study and Demand Analysis prepared by HVS Consulting & Valuation, it is expected that over 90 percent of the hotel’s guests will come from beyond Nassau and Suffolk Counties.

“We are incredibly thankful to have the support of the Suffolk County IDA on the construction of the Enclaves Hotel and Restaurants project,” said Edward Glackin of Enclave Southold, LLC. “When the property was initially purchased, it was home to the Hedges Bed & Breakfast with the dreams of one day being home to a luxury hotel for visitors to Long Island’s North Fork to enjoy. Due to the support of the Suffolk IDA, that goal of creating a world-class hotel and additional lodging for those visiting our region, will now be possible.”

Project principals stated that with tourism a focus on the North Fork, “there has remained a high demand for local lodging for both leisure and business tourism, despite limited supply for lodging. The Enclaves will help to satisfy a portion of the demand for expansion of accommodation options for visitors to this region.”

In addition, the IDA said, the 51 new full-time employees to be created over the first two years of this transaction will have an overall annual payroll of $2.3 million. The renovation, building, finishing, and installation of fixtures and other equipment will be performed by almost exclusively Long Island based businesses and suppliers, the group added.

This project will also increase tax revenue from the site three-fold in the first year alone, bringing in more than $1.27 million in additional tax revenue over the course of 15 years, the SCIDA said. With increased tax revenue and by supporting and using local vendors on Long Island, the project has been calculated to provide an overall public benefit of more than $8.5 million, the SCIDA said.

A planning board discussion of the project in January, 2022, via Zoom gave residents a chance to voice their concerns.

In December, 2021, theSouthold Town zoning board of appeals granted conditional approval to The Enclaves.

Discussing the plans in 2022 via Zoom, Andrew Giambertone, a partner in the project, described the vision for what was former the Hedges B&B on Main Road.

Giambertone said the existing Italianate Victorian home will be transformed into a 74-seat restaurant open to the public; a private drive will run across the property and substantial hedgerow will maintain privacy and limit visibility of the hotel from the street.

“The concept was to make the hotel as inconspicuous as possible,” Giambertone said.

The hotel, he said, will be a two-story structure with the majority of the roof flat, except for one portion where a peaked roof will resemble an old stone barn. Plans meet all zoning setback and criteria for the lot, he said. The first floor would be comprised of 26,557 square feet, and the second floor, 22,376 square feet; the cottages would be another 2,376 square feet, Giambertone said.

Hotel guests would be greeted in a reception area with a lounge featuring a deck for cocktails and coffee overlooking a small pond and a 1-plus acre sculpture garden, Giambertone said. The idea was to have a meadow behind the hedgerows that would feature local, rotating artwork that guests could view from the open terrace doors, he said. The lounge would also open out the pool area, Giambertone said.

In the back of the hotel, a kitchen would accommodate room service and small events of no more than 100, Giambertone said. When the hotel was originally conceived, the plan was to host events with 250 people but due to the conditions set by the ZBA of no more than 100, the space is being redesigned for reduced square footage, he said.

Elevators will also be included in the plan; rooms on the west side will have terraces overlooking the pool and on the east side, mirrored windows will reflect the evergreens to lessen visual impact. The cottages will be located on the north side toward the back of the property, he said.

The second floor layout will mirror the first floor and will include an outdoor roof terrace for cocktails and coffee; the second floor will also include meeting rooms, Giambertone said.

The basement will feature a spa, indoor pool, massage and salon space, changing rooms, a gym and the requisite mechanical, utility and storage space, he said.

As for the restaurant, Giambertone said the concept is to maintain the existing footprint of the Victorian home and add 266 square feet to attach an existing garage/shed to the house to provide the storage and accessory kitchen space needed for the restaurant.

Seating for the restaurant will extend over two levels, accessible by a staircase; the building will maintain its existing facade and “from the street side, look no different,” Giambertone said.

Dense evergreens on the property line will provide screening; the goal is to plant species including Leland cypress that have a rapid rate of growth and also, to include any currently existing trees in good health. A landscape architect will create a design for the parking areas as well as the dense hedgerows, Giambertone said.

In addition, plans feature one-way ingress and egress, he said.

Giambertone said he realized plans need to address Southold’s Dark Skies lighting mandate.

Southold residents turned out in force in October 2021 for a zoning board of appeals hearing on the project.

Time and time again, residents implored the ZBA not to grant the special exception for a project they said would irrevocably alter the character of Southold Town forever.

“Just say no!” one resident said.

Some residents have spoken out on social media with concerns regarding environmental issues, noise, quality of life, and impacts on small mom-and-pop businesses in the area; a petition was created, “Opposition to the Enclaves Hotel in Southold.”

The proposed restaurant and hotel will operate year-round, with hours of operation consistent with such uses.

The application was also discussed at a Southold planning board work session in 2017.

At a past meeting, Angelina McKenna said she and her husband had come to express concerns “about this horrendous project being proposed. The Town of Southold prides itself on its heritage and strong sense of community,” she said. “Our roads cannot handle more, nor do we want more. Who will benefit from this outlandish, outrageous proposal?”

The project as proposed was first pitched as 22 rooms in 2017 and now proposes 44, she pointed out.

Also, McKenna said, there is already a dearth of affordable housing; there will be nowhere for the facility’s employees to live, meaning they would all have to commute.

“We used to say, ‘Save what’s left,'” said. Terry Walker of Southold. “Now it’s ‘Save what’s left, after I get mine.’ Enough is enough. We are the residents. We matter.”

Paul Romanelli, who lives in Cutchogue and owns a business on Main Road in Southold, spoke out in favor of the project, saying there is a need for more hotel space and that traffic studies are accurate; he does not believe traffic will be an issue. He pointed to other projects by the developers, including North Fork Table and the new Southold General. The goal of the comprehensive plan was to site new businesses in the hamlet centers and to stimulate the economy, he said. “We got what we wanted,” he said, adding that B&Bs and hotels are full year-round.

Giambertone spoke to Patch in 2017 about the vision for the plan.

He said the goal was to create a “high-end” restaurant. “We’re hoping to create a unique environment. The Town of Southold seems to be gravitating toward bringing more upscale wine tastings to the wine area.”

The owners of the property, Giambertone said, are local residents. “They’re looking to preserve the bucolic nature of Southold, and not turn it into anything else. They love what Southold is all about, love the relaxed atmosphere. And they see the need for the hotel, see the need for that opportunity.”

The need for a hotel exists, he said. But neighbors should not worry about a noisy establishment, he said. The aim is to provide guests with a place of “respite and privacy, where they can enjoy what’s beautiful about Southold — which is the peace and quiet,” Giambertone said at the time.

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