Shelter Island Comprehensive Plan: Water is the prime concern as public weighs in at virtual discussion

Water, water, water. That was the single most important issue for most of those who took part in the Comprehensive Plan meeting on Aug. 24.

After town-hired consultants from BFJ Planning discussed in broad strokes the draft on which they have been working, the 90 or so participants went into six breakout sessions, each led by a member of the consulting team or residents who have been working to update a Comprehensive Plan from 1994.

A municipality’s Comprehensive Plan dictates policy on multiple fronts, including development, land use, the environment, transportation, housing and other aspects of community life. It’s not merely a statement of beliefs and a guide to successful planning, but shows a commitment to serious ideas to improve the municipality, which in turn is used to attract funding from the state, federal, county and other entities.

That water quality and quantity are the prime issues this year for a group led by BFJ Planning consultant Susan Favate wasn’t surprising, she said, summing up her group’s discussion. That includes attention to irrigation procedures, protection of wetlands, attention to docks and moorings and preservation of trees.

All require enforcement, and that’s the weak link, group members said. Although the Building Department has added staff to enhance its enforcement of Town Codes, it’s still overwhelmed, officials have said, processing applications and responding to complaints of possible violations.

Another concern among Ms. Favate’s group was the need for affordable housing.

A second breakout group led by Councilwoman Meg Larsen, who is a member of the Comp Plan Task Force, had concerns about salt and fresh water bodies and the need to address climate changes they believe are affecting the Island.

They also said that a professional town planner is a necessity, and they called for plugging loopholes in sections of the Town Code. The code isn’t as strong as it should be, Ms. Larsen reported on behalf of the members in her group. They called for the Town Board to have a tighter focus on issues, believing taking on so many concerns at once can’t be done with a scattered approach.

Participants asked for and were assured there would be more public meetings scheduled. The next major event is Saturday, Sept. 23 at the Community Center, when the public will be invited to learn more about the Comp Plan draft and to offer ideas.

After that, nothing is yet scheduled, but Ms. Larsen and Councilwoman BJ Ianfolla promised that, in addition to the regular Comp Plan meetings, as many other public sessions that are needed will be scheduled into 2024.

Task Force member Julia Weisenberg led a breakout group that focused on protecting natural resources. They called for definitions of terms, such as “upsizing” and “downsizing,” which have been used in talking about the Comp Plan. People don’t necessarily understand what that means, they said. They also spoke about trying to increase the population of students in the school, and ways to deal with increasingly long ferry lines.

Total transparency is critical, the group said, and “the character of the Island”must be maintained. There is a fear, the group concluded, that some people don’t think rules apply to them. Everyone needs to contribute their views and work together to draft a plan that can guide development of a plan meant to be a blueprint for the next decade and beyond.

BFJ Plannings’ Emily Junker said her group expressed concerns about what they called the “mansion-ization” of the Island. It’s an issue which the Town Board is addressing, imposing a moratorium on houses that exceed the 5,999 square feet of living space allowed by code.

They also spoke about food insecurity among some Island families and want to see efforts to deal generally with poverty issues. Affordable housing was a concern for members of this group, with the suggestion that new housing be built using the “community land trust” concept, which maintains affordability since those properties could change hands through the years. They want additional services on the Island with a reference to having only one supermarket and a single pharmacy on the Island. More Island businesses of various types would enable residents to make purchases without having to seek products on the North or South forks, members said. It would also create Island jobs.

Coco Lee Thuman, clerk of the Comprehensive Plan group, led a breakout session in which members expressed a need to slow development to get control of so many large houses being built. The way in which laws are written does not allow many projects to be denied, and there are inadequate environmental protections. Members called for zoning changes and improved staffing in the Building Department to handle the work load, and they want to see better enforcement of rules affecting short-term rentals.

They also recommended making more information available sooner in advance of public hearings for the opportunity to determine their views prior to public hearings. In some cases, materials pertinent to public hearings aren’t posted until a day before the hearings, they said.

Noah Levine, who heads the BFJ Planning core team, said his group expressed a need for affordable housing to ensure the Fire Department can continue to operate with volunteers. The current crew of firefighters have many older members who can no longer do some of the work they did in the past. Younger residents often work off-Island and aren’t available to volunteer, they said. Others can’t find housing on the Island at prices they can afford and there are real concerns about whether the town might have to resort to paid firefighters.

They added that there should be a more diverse range of housing to accommodate workers, and a housing plan that can provide space for year-round residents with less emphasis on short-term rentals or part-time residents.

A video presentation of the Aug. 24 session is posted to the Comp Plan page on the town website at shelterislandtown.us. In addition, those who led the breakout sessions are crafting more complete summaries of the suggestions made.