Conduct surveys of significant historic, architectural and cultural landmarks and historic districts within the Town.

Recommend the designation of significant historic, architectural and cultural landmarks and the establishment of historic districts to the Town Board.

Conduct research on the ownership and local history of historic resources to evaluate the historic integrity and historic significance of properties being considered for landmark designation or under review for demolition and/or alteration, including but not limited to site visitations and communication with property owners.

Conduct site visits for building condition analysis and/or photographic documentation purposes required for landmark and historic district designations, baseline documentation reports, maintenance award applications, certificate of appropriateness applications and application referrals from the Building Division made pursuant to § 123-9.

Compile baseline documentation reports for historic preservation easement acquisitions in coordination with the Community Preservation Department.

Increase public awareness of the value of historic, architectural and cultural preservation by developing, implementing and participating in public education programs.

Make recommendations to the Town Board concerning the donation or acquisition of historic preservation easements, development rights or other interests in real property as necessary.

Make recommendations to the Town Board concerning the utilization of state or private funds to promote the preservation of landmarks and historic districts within the Town of Southampton.

Recommend acquisition of a landmark structure or site of historical, cultural or archaeological significance to the Town Board where its preservation is essential to the purposes of this act and where private preservation is not feasible.

Make recommendations to the Town Board regarding staff and professional consultants necessary to carry out the duties of the Landmarks and Historic Districts Board.

Engage in opportunities for professional development.

Approve or disapprove applications for certificates of appropriateness.

Submit advisory reports on survey and previously conducted inventories of historical resources of the Town of Southampton or potential historic, cultural or archaeological resources to the Town Board, Zoning Board of Appeals, Planning Board, Architectural Review Board, Conservation Board, or any other Town department, providing historical background and/or information relevant to any application involving or within 200 feet of a potential or recognized historic structure, site, landscape, or setting within the Town, pursuant to § 330-321B(1)(a) through (e) and as defined in § 330-5. Nothing herein shall be construed to require a referral from any of the aforementioned boards, departments or entities to the Landmarks and Historic Districts Board other than as otherwise required by this chapter.

Submit reports to county, state and/or national agencies regarding the historic merit of Town sites, settings, landscapes, or structures upon request of the Town Board.

Develop potential incentives and programs to encourage the designation, preservation and protection of the Town’s historic resources for consideration by the Town Board.

Recommend site selection as Hamlet Heritage Resource Areas.

Manage the Landmarks Maintenance Program under the auspices of the Town Board and the Department of Land Management, recommend project recipients, and recommend issuance of award checks, for consideration by the Town Board.

The Cultural Resources Subcommittee shall be empowered to:

The Town Board may designate an individual property, a portion of a property, a cultural resource or a structure as a landmark if it meets one or more of the following criteria:

The Town Board may designate a group of properties as an historic district after a public hearing in accordance with this article if it:

The Town Board shall hold a public hearing prior to designation of any landmark or historic district. As directed in the resolution setting the hearing, notice of a proposed designation of property as either an historic landmark or of its inclusion in an historic district shall be sent by certified mail to the owner(s) of record thereof by the Town Clerk, describing the property proposed and announcing a public hearing by the Town Board to consider the designation. The Town Board shall hold such a public hearing within 45 days of receipt of an advisory report from the Landmarks Board regarding the proposed designation. Notice shall be published in the official newspaper at least 10 days prior to the date of the public hearing.

Once the Town Board has authorized the publication of a proposed designation, no building permits for demolition may be issued for a proposed landmark or a structure which constitutes a contributing element of a proposed historic district and no building permits shall be issued for substantial alterations or addition for a proposed landmark or a structure which constitutes a contributing element of a proposed district.

Nothing contained in § 330-321E(2) shall prohibit an owner of a property proposed for landmark designation or for inclusion in an historic district from applying for a certificate of appropriateness pursuant to this chapter although the designation process has not been completed.

The Town Board shall render a determination within 45 days of the close of the public hearing and written record on the proposed designation.

Properties which contribute to the character of the historic district shall be retained, with their historic features altered as little as possible.

Any alteration of existing property shall be compatible with its historic character, as well as with the surrounding district.

New construction shall be compatible with the district in which it is located.

The general design, character and appropriateness to the property of the proposed alteration or new construction.

The scale of proposed alteration or new construction in relation to the property itself, surrounding properties and the neighborhood.

Texture, materials and color and their relation to similar features of other properties in the neighborhood.

Visual compatibility with surrounding properties, including proportion of the property's front facade, proportion and arrangement of windows and other openings within the facade, roof shape and the rhythm of spacing of properties on streets, including setbacks.

The importance of historic, architectural or other features to the significance of the property.

In an application for demolition, the documentation of the building and site by photographs, drawings or other appropriate means.

Prior to new construction, where warranted, the investigation for cultural remains on site. Access to any resulting information may be limited to protect archaeological sites.

Name, address and telephone number of applicant.

Authorization for owner's agent or representative.

Location, Tax Map designation and photographs of the property clearly indicating all public views.

Elevation drawings showing existing conditions and proposed changes, if warranted.

Perspective drawings, including relationship to adjacent properties, if warranted.

Sample of color or materials to be used, if warranted.

Where the proposal includes signs or lettering, a scale drawing showing the type of lettering to be used, all dimensions and colors, a description of materials to be used, method of illumination and a plan showing the sign's location on the property.

Any other information which the Board may deem necessary in order to visualize the proposed work.

The application shall specify which provisions of § 330-326 are the basis of a claim of hardship and the relief sought.

The application for hardship relief shall be supported by competent financial evidence.

The Landmarks and Historic Districts Board shall begin a review of an application within 30 days of filing and complete a review within 60 days unless extended by mutual consent of the Board and the applicant.

A public hearing on an application for hardship relief may be held at the discretion of the Landmarks and Historic Districts Board upon at least 10 days' notice in the official Town newspaper.

All decisions on applications for hardship relief shall be in writing and state the reasons for granting or denying the application and shall be filed in the office of the Town Clerk and provided to the applicant.

A decision by the Landmarks and Historic Districts Board finding hardship in accordance with the provisions of § 330-326 shall grant appropriate relief.

Review by the Zoning Board of Appeals shall be based on the same record that was before the Landmarks and Historic Districts Board and using the same criteria in this chapter.

The Zoning Board of Appeals shall hold a public hearing on the hardship application upon at least 10 days' notice in the official Town newspaper.

The applicant shall consult in good faith with the Landmarks and Historic Districts Board, local preservation groups and interested parties in a diligent effort to seek an alternative that will result in preservation of the property.

All decisions of the Zoning Board of Appeals shall be in writing and filed in the office of the Town Clerk.

The applicant cannot realize a reasonable return, regardless of whether that return represents the most profitable return possible, and provided that lack of return is substantial as demonstrated by competent financial evidence; and

The property cannot be adapted for any other use, whether by the current owner or by a prospective purchaser, which would result in a reasonable return; and

Efforts to find a purchaser interested in acquiring the property and preserving it have failed; and

There is an absence of responsibility on behalf of the applicant for any neglect of maintenance that may have contributed to the hardship; and

Any difficulty asserted by the applicant is in no manner self-created.

Date of the heritage resource.

The building style of the structure.

Compatibility of additions and alterations to the original structure.

Association of the heritage resource with a significant architect or builder.

Association of the heritage resource with a prominent person.

Immediately cease all construction activities and secure the site from any further disturbance;

Immediately notify the Southampton Town Police Department;

After the Southampton Town Police Department has investigated the site, with the assistance of any local, state or federal agencies necessary, construction activities may resume only if the Southampton Town Police Department determines that the remains are not human. In the event the remains are found to be human, Suffolk County Medical Examiner will be notified. Upon notification, the Town of Southampton Supervisor or his/her designee will notify the Town Archeologist;

The Town Archeologist will have the following responsibilities:

Within 36 hours of notification the Committees, a representative from each of the Committees will contact the landowner. Jointly the committees shall obtain the information from the archeologist as to the lineal decedents and/or cultural affiliation of the remains. In the event the remains are not of Native American decent, the Southampton Historic Burying Ground Committee will be charged with stewardship of the remains and notification of the lineal decedents and/or cultural affiliated group for purposes of disposition. In the event the Archeologist is not able to determine the lineal decedents and or culturally affiliated group, the remains will be in the control and stewardship of the committee to develop a disposition plan. In the event said human remains are of Native American Ancestry, within 36 hours of such notification, the Joint Committee will:

Where any disposition of remains necessitates an additional review and or approval by the Town of Southampton, such review and approval will be placed on expedited track and it will be given an administrative review where not inconsistent with other laws and, upon request, fees in connection therewith will be considered for waiver by resolution of the Town Board.

At any time during this process, upon request of the landowner, The Town will make a referral to the Town’s Community Preservation Fund for eligibility determination for preservation.

Any person found guilty of failing to report the discovery of an unmarked grave with human remains to the Southampton Police Department in violation of § 330-333 of this chapter shall be guilty of an unclassified misdemeanor which shall be punishable by a fine of not less than $10,000 or by imprisonment for a period fixed by the Court but not to exceed 15 days or both.

Any person, other than those designated herein as allowed, found guilty of removing human remains or associated funerary objects from the burial site shall be guilty of an unclassified misdemeanor which shall be punishable by a fine of not less than $10,000 or by imprisonment for a period fixed by the Court but not to exceed 15 days or both.

Any person found guilty of defacing or destroying a burial site, human remains and associated funerary objects with intent to sell such remains or artifacts, or who sells or attempts to sell human remains or funerary objects, shall be guilty of an unclassified misdemeanor which shall be punishable by a fine of not less than $50,000 or imprisonment for a period fixed by the Court but not to exceed 30 days or both.

All in addition to any other crimes, offenses, misdemeanors or felonies which may properly be brought pursuant to the laws of and by the State of New York under separate jurisdiction.

This section shall apply to the Bridgehampton Bull's Head - Main Street Historic Overlay District, which shall encompass the group of properties shown on the Zoning Map of the Town of Southampton.

When the regulations and permitted uses of a zoning district conflict with those of the Bridgehampton Bulls Head - Main Street Historic Overlay District, the more restrictive standards shall apply.

A certificate of appropriateness from the Landmarks and Historic Districts Board shall be required in accordance with the provisions of § 330-322 through § 330-326 of this chapter prior to any work affecting the exterior of any property or structure upon a property within the Bridgehampton Bulls Head - Main Street Historic Overlay District, including but not limited to exterior alteration, restoration, reconstruction, demolition, new construction, moving existing structures, and material changes in the exterior appearance of the property or structure that are visible from a public street or alley such as light fixtures, signs, sidewalks, fences, steps, paving.

A certificate of appropriateness shall not be required for ordinary maintenance and repair of any exterior architectural feature of a property or structure within the Bridgehampton Bulls Head - Main Street Historic Overlay District, so long as such maintenance and repair does not involve a change in design, material, color or outward appearance.

In addition to the criteria for approval of a certificate of appropriateness in § 330-323, the Landmarks and Historic Districts Board shall be guided by the design guidelines established by the Landmarks and Historic Districts Board in the publication prepared by the Town Historian, titled "Bridgehampton's Historic Hamlet Review and Design Guidelines," and the Secretary of Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation and the Guidelines for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings (most recent editions).