Shelter Island — A resort community?

How big is too big for development on a residential property? Should the Planning Board’s role be expanded?

Those were issues the Town Board faced at Tuesday’s work session. The discussion also turned to questioning if Shelter Island is a resort community.

Councilman Peter Reich came armed with figures. There are 2,382 residential lots on the Island, with 589 waterfront properties. When you subtract properties in Dering Harbor and the Heights, the number drops to 2,210, with 205 of those with more than 10 percent lot coverage.

Planning Board member Emory Breiner wanted to know what problem the board was trying to solve.

“There’s no pressing problem,” Councilman Paul Shepherd responded.

But Ken Pysher, who serves on the Water Advisory Committee, expressed concerns about large houses affecting placement of wells and septic systems that lead to overloading water resources and potential chlorination of well water.

“I don’t think it’s a hardship to ask people to live in a smaller house,” Councilwoman Chris Lewis said.

Mr. Pysher agreed, noting that it’s up to the Town Board to set a course for the future to protect water.

But Mr. Breiner noted that a big house could be more environmentally sound than a smaller one. He pointed to the recent approval of a spacious house on Charlie’s Lane that recently won approval because of a number of mitigating factors designed to protect water resources.

The bulk of the problem resides in sensitive areas such as “the Near Shore,” Councilman Ed Brown said.

There are likely to be more visitors who take more and longer showers and demonstrate no concern for water resources in larger houses, he said.

That raised the issue of the nature of the Island.

“You’re a resort community,” Mr. Breiner said. “Sometimes I don’t think you realize what the Island is.”

“Do we want to turn it into a resort?” Mr. Pysher countered, arguing it’s not like the Jersey Shore. “This is an urban semi-retirement community.”

Councilman Reich suggested one way of controlling inappropriate development might be to follow the lead of other communities where Planning Boards function to review site plans. On Shelter Island, the Planning Board deals with subdivisions and lot line changes, but usually doesn’t get involved in individual site plan approvals.

The Board was in general agreement to talk with both the Zoning Board of Appeals and Planning Board members to get input. But Mr. Dougherty cautioned that the issues should be addressed by the Town Board.

“We have an obligation to get out in front of this” and not pass the buck to the other boards, Mr. Dougherty said.