Southampton Planning Board Endorses Fulmer Road Conservation Parcel Transfer, Sets Conditions

SOUTHAMPTON -- May 6, 2026, Southampton Planning Board unanimously endorses conservation land transfer and clears solar site revision. The three-member board, Chair Paul Damon, Mark Darnold, and Paul Fergal, voted 3-0 three times on an approval-not-required plan to convey a conservation parcel at 156 Fulmer Road to the town, financing the purchase with 34 percent Community Preservation Act funds and 66 percent from a state land grant program, with a hard close deadline of June 30, 2026. Open Space Committee representative Mark Cassis described unresolved boundary questions on the east side of the property, including a submerged one-acre parcel owned by an out-of-state family, and the board conditioned its endorsement on state sign-off on those title issues. The board also waived the standard $125 filing fee, with Damon noting it made little sense to "swap dollars in town departments that don't have much money." In a second unanimous vote, the board approved a de minimis site plan modification for Blue Wave Energy's solar installation at 160 East Street, allowing a replacement solar module with different physical dimensions; the underlying permit expires December 20, 2026. A public hearing on a proposed Atlantic Wireless cell tower at 1 Cook Road was set for June 3.