Tell the ZBA not to allow anymore rocks to be dumped on our beaches!!!
The East Hampton Zoning Board of Appeals will be holding a public hearing for a variance application from the Town's coastal legislation to allow a large stone revetment along the ocean beach in Montauk. The Coastal Erosion Overlay District strictly prohibits these type of structures along the Atlantic Ocean, and our chapter needs your help to convince the ZBA to uphold its own law. The public doesn't need anymore stones interfering with our beaches or exacerbating erosion problems along our shores. The hearing will be held in the EH Town Hall at 8:30, Tuesday August 16th. Yes, this is tomorrow! Please come and support your beaches.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that the Zoning Board of Appeals of the Town of East Hampton, NY,
will hold public hearings at the Town Hall, 159 Pantigo Road, East Hampton, N.Y., on
Tuesday, August 16, 2011 on the following applications at the times indicated:
TIME: 8:30:00 PM APPLICANT: John Ryan
SIZE/LOCATION: 28,020 sq. ft. (approx.), Surfside Avenue & contiguous to the Atlantic Ocean,
Montauk (300-051-04-19)
DESCRIPTION: To construct an approximately 100 liner ft. long by 10 ft. wide stone armor revetment
with cedar terracing and re-grading along the west side of an eroding stream channel
on a parcel of land containing freshwater wetlands, coastal bluffs, beaches and tidal
wetlands.
RELIEF SOUGHT: A Natural Resources Special Permit (NRSP) pursuant to § 255-4-20 and a variance from
§ 255-3-85 (Coastal Erosion Overlay District regulations) of the Town Code is required
to construct a rock revetment where the installation of new coastal erosion control
structures is prohibited.
ZONING DISTRICT: B Residence VE velocity & X flood zones
SEQRA CLASS: Unlisted
Said Board of Appeals will at said time and place hear all persons who wish to be heard in connection with
these applications. Interested parties may appear in person or by agent or by attorney.
By Order of the Zoning Board of Appeals
Town of East Hampton, NY
Philip Gamble, Chairman
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TALKING POINTS, Care of Tom Muse:
1. This is an illegal action in East Hampton Town. The Town’s own law through the Coastal Erosion Overlay District expressly prohibits such structures and recognizes that “groins, bulkheads and other hard structures have had detrimental effects on adjoining beaches or neighboring property and have often aggravated the erosion problems they were designed to prevent. Their legacy is a disappearance of sandy beaches in many locations, a significant loss for a Town whose way of life and resort economy depend on public access to unspoiled beaches.”
2. Project is designed to fail. As the stream erodes naturally, deepening the existing ravine the side slopes slump in to fill the stream channel. The proposed revetment will not stop this process and in fact may accelerate erosion by narrowing the ravine on the west side and increasing the streams competence (ability to move larger size material) and capacity (ability to move amounts of material).
3. Will wetlands will be destroyed? The property wetland flagging is over 8 years old. The wetland boundary should be updated prior to consideration of this application.
4. NY State Parks has not had time to review this action. NY State parks, Shadmoor State Park has had less then a week to review this detail of this proposal. Shadmoor is the neighbor to the east and should be given time to review, and comment on a project that, if built, is very likely change historic erosion patterns on their western boundary.
5. East Hampton Town’s increased exposure to legal liability. As evident with the consideration of the law suit by several Culloden homeowners naming East Hampton Town as party to damages from the extension of Montauk harbor jetties, East Hampton Town exposes itself to future liability from this potentially hazardous action. Installing huge boulders on a muddy
slope 15’ above a well attended bathing beach could be considered by some a bad idea.
6. How will the town deny copy cat applications? Approval of this application with it’s questionable design merits, increase exposure for Town liability, potential danger to beach goers and state park users, and little long term benefit to applicant will handicap the town in their future consideration of similar applications.
7. Application gives no consideration to wave action. The revetment is proposed partially seaward of the NY State “Coastal Erosion Hazard Area”. It is likely to affected by wave action, whether directly or indirectly via bluff erosion/collapse.
As seen with other long term DEC permitted action (this one expires late April 2016) , modifications masked as maintenance often cause ‘mission creep”. Refer to Trailer Park, affectionately known as Montauk Shores Condominium.
8. Call for Public Hearing. Impact to East Hampton Town’s coastal policy is too great not to have a public hearing on this
application.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Please see these planning documents:
http://www.surfriderli.org/wp-content/pdf/jryanrevetmentdocs.pdf
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For more information and ways you can help get the word out, please contact Tom Muse museman@hamptons.com
Tom and others will be planning on attending this meeting at East Hampton Town Hall at 8pm on Tuesday August 16 to give a voice to Surfrider's concerns on this issue and how it will impact the environment and surrounding area.