Shelter Island Reporter Letters to the Editor: July 17, 2026
PARADISE LOST
To the Editor:
On Monday July 20 the Town Board will reconvene the public hearing on a request from one property owner for a zoning change to remove their parcel from the Near Shore Peninsular and Overlay District (NSPOD). The NSPOD is a special zoning overlay on our shoreline that protects our aquifer, bays and waterways.
The applicant claims that the boundaries of the NSPOD are arbitrary, arguing that the parcel does not meet the NSPOD criteria described in the Town Code, which relate to the depth and quality of the aquifer, which in this area is shallow and vulnerable. If the Town Board grants this request, it dismantles zoning and environmental protections critical to the collective health and well-being of our citizenry.
Most Islanders will agree that our main concerns are the quality of our drinking water and the health of our surface waters. These natural resources directly affect our quality of life.
We depend on the resiliency and sustainability of our sole source aquifer. We need to manage development that has a significant environmental impact on potable water resources and creates septic pollution that degrades the health of our harbors and surrounding surface waters.
Letting individuals secede from zoning is unprecedented and a violation of every established zoning principle. This specific request, if granted, will be the beginning of the end of the NSPOD, and open the door to forever changes. A business in the AA Residential zone could be re-zoned Commercial to clear a nearby vacant parcel for a parking lot.
A business in the B Zone could be re-zoned Industrial to be exempt from the Noise Ordinance. The NSPOD protects our shared resources so no individual can consume what belongs to us all. Please attend this public hearing in person or on Zoom. Let your voices be heard.
PAM DEMAREST, Shelter Island
AN ALTERNATIVE
To the Editor:
The letter in the Reporter last week by Jan Sudol regarding the Colligan exemption request was one of the best regarding ADUs on the NSPOD. His suggestion of having a comprehensive study of the impact is a good one. It could be incorporated into a larger environmental study of the impact of ADUs and super large houses in the NSPODS in general.
Ms. Colligan, who serves on the Zoning Board and is well liked and respected in the community, could lead a task force to implement such a study. I encourage her to withdraw her application and be the leader in reviewing the complicated NSPOD boundaries and issues in the Comprehensive Plan.
Shelter Islanders have worked on this plan for three decades. It doesn’t include spot zoning. Amend the plan if necessary. Make it better. But demonstrate that our laws, codes and Comp Plan are meant to be respected and followed. That’s good governance and leadership.
Karen Kiaer, Shelter Island
GRATITUDE FOR THE FINEST CARE
To the Editor:
I would like the people of Shelter Island to know how fortunate we are to live in a community where we have the best ambulance service when we need medical attention.
My husband had to go twice in recent weeks to the hospital in the ambulance. The crew were at our home in minutes. I want to thank the paramedics from Stony Brook Hospital along with police officers Anthony Rando, Jalill Carter, and Andrew Graffagnino, Chief Mark Kanarvogel, and Rachel Medina who offered care and guidance to my husband and to me while my husband was being taken to the hospital.
As everyone knows, it can be a time to panic when there is uncertainty about what is happening during a medical issue. These wonderful people are simply the finest people to be dealing with families during their time of need. My family is grateful to those who answered the call for assistance.
Thank you.
Robert and Theresa Andrew, Shelter Island
