Town board votes 5-0 to close East Hampton Airport and reopen it as private facility

The East Hampton Town Board voted 5-0 Thursday to temporarily close the town’s Wainscott airport and reopen it as a private facility, a move officials characterized as striking a balance between community concerns and aviation interests.

The all-Democrat board approved a resolution authorizing the town to follow the Federal Aviation Administration procedure for deactivating the public airport and reopening it as a private facility with new restrictions in place.

The town will close the airport on Feb. 28 and plans to reopen it as a private facility on March 4, according to a news release. Town officials said March 1, 2 and 3 are typically dates where there is very low traffic at the airport.

East Hampton was legally permitted to shutter the airport after mandates tied to federal grants expired in September, an outcome called for by anti-airport activists who cite noise, danger of low-flying planes and fuel emissions. As a compromise, the town will instead first pursue what is known as a "prior permission required" model.

"Operation of a private-use airport will enable us to review and analyze potential changes to airport operations and make adjustments to address long-held community concerns." Supervisor Peter Van Scoyoc said in a news release Thursday.

The specific restrictions would be developed and presented to the public for discussion before the start of the busy summer season in May, according to a news release issued Tuesday. There could be restrictions on type of aircraft, time of day, noise level and many other parameters.

The town anticipates issuing a "positive declaration" pursuant to state environmental review law for the private airport, which will require preparation of an environmental impact statement.

The decision follows eight public workshops last year, several studies commissioned by the town, meetings with the FAA and advice from East Hampton’s outside legal counsel, William O’Connor of Cooley LLP in Palo Alto, California.

Aviation advocates have said the town’s timeline is too optimistic and that lawsuits could block the town’s ability to reopen the airport. Others have noted that traffic could increase at surrounding airports and heliports, including Francis S. Gabreski Airport in Westhampton Beach and Montauk Airport, an outcome supported by a traffic diversion study commissioned last year by the town.

"East Hampton Town’s reliance on faulty legal advice to close the East Hampton Airport without a realistic plan to have it reopen is misguided, reckless and will ultimately prove disastrous for the surrounding communities like Southampton, Southold and especially Montauk," Loren Riegelhaupt, a spokesman for the Eastern Region Helicopter Council said in a statement.

By Vera Chinese

vera.chinese@newsday.com@VeraChinese

Vera Chinese joined Newsday in 2017 after working as an editor for the East End lifestyle publication northforker and a general assignment reporter for the New York Daily News.