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🐝 Towing, Tomatoes, & Town Politics

🐝 Towing, Tomatoes, & Town Politics

Douglass Marine, Friday Farmer’s Market, Southold Town Board Happenings

Thomas Loncar
May 16, 2025

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Good Morning, North Fork! We put the “fun” in "functionally avoiding tasks."

In today’s North Fork Buzz:

Douglass Marine
Friday Farmer’s Market
Southold Town Board Happenings

Ready, Set, Go!

The Lowdown

Douglass Marine Expands 🚤

Douglass Marine just leveled up. The longtime North Fork family biz, founded 50+ years ago by Capt. Robert Douglass and his late wife Patricia, is now officially part of the TowBoatUS network. Think AAA, but for boats.

Run by sons Capts. Adam and Peter Douglass, the company just launched TowBoatUS Orient, offering 24/7 on-water help like towing, battery jumps, soft ungroundings, and fuel drop-offs. So if you’re stuck off Orient Point with a dead engine, you know who to call.

With three bright red response boats stationed at Duryea’s Orient Point and Safe Harbor Greenport, they’re ready for action, whether you're a local boater or just cruising through on a summer adventure.

For $175 a year, you can get a BoatUS Unlimited Towing Membership—which includes towing services and some sweet perks like discounts at marinas, a subscription to BoatUS Magazine, and free VHF radio registration.

Oh, and if your boat needs salvaging? They do that too. Because when the Douglass family says “we’ve got you,” they mean it—land or sea.

Farm Fresh Fridays Are Back in Greenport 🥬

Greenport’s Friday Farmers Market is back, and this year, it’s bigger, earlier, and full of sourdough.

Kicking off in Mitchell Park on Friday, May 23 from 2-5:30 PM and every Friday through mid-October. Why Fridays? Market Manager Paul Livesey says it’s what the people (and the vendors) want. Fewer weekend crowds = happier shoppers and better-staffed booths.

What’s new this year?

20 vendors on opening day
1610 Sourdough is back—and there every week
New faces like Deep Dive Farm, Disset Gourmet, Fields of Dough, and Eggcellent Quiche
Rotating wineries (Anthony Nappa, Saltbird, Suhru & Lieb) and Matchbook Distillery
Returning faves like Treiber Farms, Mattituck Mushrooms, and Horman’s Pickles

And it's not just about the food, expect live music from Roth and Fuhr Men, kids’ fun with Floyd Memorial Library, and hands-on art from Veme Studios. It’s all made possible with help from the Friends of Mitchell Park.

The vibe? Less grab-and-go, more stay-and-chat. Follow the good stuff @greenportfarmers.

Big Hotel Plans in Mattituck? 🏨

Mark your calendars for May 28 at 4:30 PM, because things are heating up in Mattituck. The Southold Town Board is holding a public hearing on a proposal to build an 81-room hotel at the old North Fork Bank headquarters—and the developers are hoping to skip the current hotel moratorium that’s expected to be extended for another year.

Here’s the backstory: This project originally dropped jaws in 2022 when it was pitched as a 121-room resort with a water park. That version sank fast. Now, it’s been scaled back to fit within the existing 77,000 sq. ft. building, which used to be a Capital One call center. Developers say it’s too big to lease as office space, and they want to repurpose it as a hotel.

But many locals aren’t buying it. Residents—and groups like the Mattituck-Laurel Civic Association and Group for the East End, say the town should wait until new, stricter zoning codes are finalized (likely by early 2026). They’re concerned about traffic, community character, and a repeat of large-scale development they say doesn’t fit Mattituck.

And just to spice things up, Councilman Greg Doroski wants to know if the developers will seek tax breaks, a hot-button issue after another hotel project in Southold (The Enclaves) got IDA perks despite public pushback.

If you’ve got thoughts, the town wants to hear them. May 28, 4:30 PM Be there or be stuck with whatever goes up on Main Road.

Southold’s ADU Update 🏠

Big win for affordable housing fans: On May 13, the Southold Town Board unanimously gave the green light to some major updates to its accessory dwelling unit (ADU) rules. Translation: It’s about to get easier (and quicker) to build that backyard cottage or in-law suite.

Here’s what’s changing:

Longer leases, fewer headaches: Minimum lease terms are jumping from 1 year to 2. That means less paperwork for homeowners and more stability for tenants.
No more 3-year wait: Previously, an ADU couldn’t be built unless the structure had a certificate of occupancy for 3+ years. That rule? Gone.
Can’t transfer the permit: If you sell your house with an ADU, the new owner will need to reapply for the rental permit. Keeps things up to date.

A few things aren’t changing: The property owner (or a family member) still has to live on-site. And ADUs can still be rented to folks on the town’s Affordable Housing Registry or family members.

What the neighbors said
About 20 residents showed up to share thoughts, mostly supportive, but with some ideas:

Let second-home owners build ADUs too
Cap rents to keep units affordable
Offer tax breaks for homeowners building ADUs
Expand eligibility to include seniors and Southold workers
Loosen design rules
($)

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Local Business

The Outpost by Touch Goods

Touch Goods is expanding its magic to Jamesport this weekend with the soft opening of The Outpost, a sunny, scaled-down version of their Southold space.

This new shop brings the vibes: gifts for kiddos and babies, beach-day essentials, grab-and-go pantry staples, and host-worthy treasures. Basically, everything you didn’t know you needed but absolutely do.

While Southold stays the go-to for furniture and lighting, The Outpost is all about quick gifts, fun finds, and everyday delights, with a lighter, more playful twist.

Follow and get all the details @outpost.jamesport

Nothing in this section is sponsored. They’re just fun things you need to know. I’ll always let you know when something is sponsored

Foodie Friday 🍽

Looking for your next favorite bite on the North Fork? We love shining a light on the local spots you might not know, but definitely should. This week, we’re digging into one of the North Fork’s tastiest hidden gems and one of our go-to take out spots.

Pupusas, Plantains & Pure Joy 🫓

If your taste buds haven’t danced to the tune of a perfectly griddled pupusa, you clearly haven’t found your way to Lucia on Mattituck’s Main Road.

Since 2017, this cheerful Salvadoran kitchen, run by mother-son duo Estela Palacios and Melvin Recinos, has been quietly blowing minds (and filling bellies) with bold, authentic flavor. What started as a passion project has blossomed into what we think is one of the North Fork’s best hidden gems, a true favorite of ours flying just under the radar.

The Vibe:
Walking into Lucia is like stepping into the happiest kitchen you’ve ever seen. Think sunny yellow walls, colorful folk art, ceramic pigs, roosters, and just enough charm to make you forget you're technically in a takeout joint. There are a few rainbow-hued tables if you want to dine in—and trust us, you’ll want to linger.

The Food:
The pupusas are the main attraction, thick, handmade masa pockets stuffed with goodies like cheese, pork, beans, or loroco (a Salvadoran flower with a cult following).

Our MVPs on the menu:

Ribeye Steak with Onions & Shrimp – Ribeye & Shrimp, rice, beans, green salad and tortillas. It’s a full-throttle surf-and-turf fiesta.
Farmers Plate – steak, Salvadorian chorizo, fried plantains, rice & beans, avocado, queso fresco, and tortillas. It’s the ultimate comfort combo.

Order the pupusas. Thank us later.

Nothing in this section is sponsored. They’re just fun things you need to know. I’ll always let you know when something is sponsored

Live Music Breakdown

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

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THANKS!

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Tom Loncar- Publisher