The Town of Southampton, NY requires an in-depth pre-application process for subdivision approval for developers. The zoning code involves detailed steps that requires a lot of information from the developer upfront. The developer is required to set up a fee schedule with the town and may have to pay the town an upfront cost to be held in escrow for any additional clerical or consulting costs incurred during the application process. The subdivision developer must also provide an alternative cluster plan to their development. The planning board is then provided with a sketch map and details about the developer’s proposed plans including where the land is located, natural features of the land, existing land restrictions, who owns the land, and other required information. While the process is cumbersome, Southampton is a great example of the authority municipalities have over land use and the extent they can make developers comply with.