What's Next for Southold's Zoning Code?June 4, 2026The Zoning Update Project, as originally conceived, aimed to comprehensively revise the entire zoning code in a single effort. We made good progress towards this goal with a draft that went out for public review in 2025. We identified some major changes needed to that draft based on the public input. When it became apparent that our outside consultant had taken the project as far as they could, we chose to revise it with Town staff.
The approach of comprehensively revising the entire zoning chapter all at once has proven to be impractical for a small municipality with limited staff and resources. Accordingly, the Town Board is restructuring the project into a series of smaller, more manageable phases.
The next step is to prioritize the key areas of the zoning code to address first.Priority areas of the zoning are those that advance community goals and the Town’s Comprehensive Plan. Some will involve corrections to the code where there are inconsistencies. And these changes may involve chapters of Town Code in addition to Chapter 280 Zoning.RESOURCES FOR IDENTIFYING PRIORITIES• Southold Town Comprehensive Plan• Public Input on the Zoning Update• Zoning Board of Appeals Code Interpretations• Town Committee & Town Department InputRECOMMENDED PRIORITIES
ZONING MAPThe proposed zoning maps from 2025 are being set aside. New maps will be created as needed for the priorities to be identified by the Town Board.
PREVIOUS DRAFT OF THE ZONING CODEThe Town Board will transfer the good ideas in the Public Review Draft from 2025 into the context of the existing code in smaller, more manageable pieces.
QUESTIONS?Attend our information meeting on June 11, 2026, at 6:30pm in the Southold Town Recreation Center.