Southold Town is seeking to create new zoning that would preserve historic structures such as churches that could soon be on the market.
In recent months, Southold Town Supervisor Scott Russell has said that many churches with rich histories could be coming up for sale.
To that end, town planner Mark Terry said, at Tuesday’s town board work session, that the rough draft of an overlay zone for historic properties has been created, a “floating zone” that would protect and preserve historic churches and other community facilities such as fraternal organizations, schools, cemeteries, and firehouses.
An applicant would voluntarily petition the town for the change of zone, Russell said; the zone change would afford flexibility for new, lower intensity uses.
Some possible adaptive uses might be childcare centers, apartments, indoor farmers’ markets, and offices; the list is still being developed, Russell said.
“We have community interest in seeing churches preserved,” Russell said.
One caveat, Russell added, is that the town wants to see the historic structures protected, with tax benefits, should the properties be turned into private hands.
Justice Louisa Evans asked if other communities had created similar zoning. Terry said a nationwide search had indicated that many former churches were used for housing and offices.
Even locally, Terry said, the North Fork Community Theatre is housed in a former church building; another adaptive reuse of a church in Greenport exists.
“This is occurring,” Terry said, adding that the town was just aiming to offer incentives for preservation, which is good for the economy and scenic quality of the community.
Russell said a code committee meeting to discuss the zoning would be set up.
For months, speculation has been swirling about whether the Sacred Heart Parish in Cutchogue would be sold; last month, Sean P. Dolan, spokesman for the Diocese of Rockville Centre, said no decisions had been made.
Earlier this year, however, members of the church, the Cutchogue-New Suffolk Historical Council, and the church said they were working together to consider possible adaptive reuses should a sale commence.
