What Do You Think About Vineyard 48?

With the public slated to speak out about Vineyard 48, a Cutchogue winery that has sparked a strong response among residents who've complained about loud music, traffic and parking woes, and other issues -- Patch wants to know what you think.

A second public hearing on an amended site plan submitted by Vineyard 48 to the planning board is scheduled for Monday night at 6 p.m. at Southold Town Hall. 

The expanded plan includes a proposed expanded parking lot, with 100 spaces, and an outdoor pole barn pavilion.

In recent weeks, neighbors who said their quality of lives have been irrevocably altered turned out at a Southold town board meeting to blast Vineyard 48 and the site plan.

The winery, located on County Road 48 in Cutchogue, has sparked fierce opposition in recent years with loud dance parties, large crowds, and a flood of cars, limos and party buses that residents say have converged on their bucolic landscape.

Neighbor William Shipman reminded Supervisor Scott Russell that the town has commenced litigation against Vineyard 48 and retained attorney Frank Isler in 2012 in regard to the legal proceedings. 

The case, Shipman said, has been adjourned numerous times, with no opposition from the town. The business, Shipman added, is operating under a state protection act that allows them to operate despite pending litigation.

Of the proposed site plan amendments, Shipman said, "I see an extreme conflict of interest in approving this site plan amendment and building permit."

Councilwoman Louisa Evans told Shipman that the town board had nothing to do with the planning board.

"We can't interfere with their decision-making process," Russell said. "But the planning board is diligent in their discussions with the town attorneys."

"If it's approved, it's criminal," Shipman said. "They're trying to sneak this through so they can go to the State Liquor Authority and say the town approved a 140-foot structure to have events in."

In April, the SLA launched an investigation of the business that could potentially revoke its farm winery license.The vineyard has been the topic of debate as it's promoted parties on site, asking people to "come join the sexiest people on Long Island!" 

While managers Dale Suter and Matt McBride have argued that the parties are the vineyard's cost of doing business, town leaders have revisited the town code to review the issue of recurring large-scale events at agricultural operations such as wineries, which some say is a pattern beyond just Vineyard 48.

The SLA probe investigation was prompted by a list of complaints, including noise, public lewdness, and parking issues neighbors say are ruining their quality of life.

Southold Town Police Chief Martin Flatley said last month that so far this season, there have been about five to six calls about the business and one arrest.
 
The hearings are expected to begin again soon, as the Southold police just "delivered a large amount of police department records that they (the Vineyard 48 attorneys) subpoenaed," Flatley said.

"They're terrorizing a community," Shipman said. "They're bleeding this small-town community out of money."

One neighbor, who asked not to be identified, lives on County Road 48 near the business and asked if the town could prevent the party buses and limos from parking in front of her driveway.

Tears in her eyes, the woman said there is a "For Sale" sign outside her home. "We have to move out of town because of that crummy business. Our life has been ruined. It's an ongoing safety issue for my family and me. It's just very painful."

Owners of Vineyard 48 could not immediately be reached for comment.

What do you think about the ongoing controversy surrounding Vineyard 48? Is the business ruining your quality of life in Southold Town? Or do you think the crowds are good for the local economy? Share your thoughts with Patch.