COURTESY PHOTO |Part of a formal garden that has received a conservation easement on Ward’s Point.

Richard Hogan and Carron Sherry have contributed a conservation easement on property at Ward’s Point that covers a formal Italian garden and a 100-foot buffer area along the property’s shoreline bluff on Shelter Island Sound. The easement covers approximately 4.8 acres of the property.It can provide the couple with a charitable income tax deduction, a reduction of their property taxes on the protected property and a special property tax credit, according to John Halsey, president of the Peconic Land Trust.

Mr. Hogan and Ms. Sherry continue to own the property, less its development rights, but they retain the right to sell the restricted land or pass it on to heirs. Mr. Halsey said.

Mr. Hogan has been a member of the Peconic Land Trust’s Board of Directors since 2011 and he and Ms. Sherry have been long-time supporters of conservation work with the Agricultural Stewardship Association in Washington and Rensselaer Counties in upstate New York where they have donated conservation easements on productive farmland.

The two philanthropists operate the Richard Hogan and Carron Sherry Foundation in New York City that provides grants to encourage volunteerism.

The easement includes a management plan prepared by Peconic Land Trust in consultation with Mr. Hogan, Ms. Sherry and sustainable landscape consultants. It requires natural landscaping and best management practices that can serve as a model for other landowners, according to Mr. Halsey.

Most of the property subject to the easement, originally part of a 200-acre estate on Shelter Island owned by advertising pioneer Artemas Ward, was acquired by Mr. Hogan and Ms. Sherry between 2008 and 2014. The property was previously owned by former New York Governor Hugh Carey.

“Rich and Carron have been tremendous supporters of conservation, both here on Long Island and in upstate New York.” Mr. Halsey said. Their stewardship of this property, and their commitment to both conservation and ecologically sound management practices is a model for private landowners,” Mr. Halsey said.

“We thank Rich and Carron for their generous commitment to conservation and look forward to working with them in the future.”

The Italianate garden was installed by Mr. Ward around 1910 and is approximately one acre with three terraces, bordered by an ornamental concrete wall with blind arcades and balustrades. The gardens contain pools and marble benches, ornamental trees, shrubs and flowers including lavender and boxwoods. The area of the easement extends beyond the walled gardens, covering approximately 2.6 acres.

The 100-foot shoreline buffer that begins at the property’s high water line is approximately 2.2 acres. The bluff is a historically significant Shelter Island natural area and is viewable by boaters along Shelter Island Sound and travelers on the Shelter Island South Ferry.  The prohibition of development along the bluff and the sustainable management of this area will help protect and maintain Shelter Island Sound, Mr. Halsey said.

Besides protecting the property’s aesthetic, natural, cultural and scenic values, the easement provides for further protection of Shelter Island’s groundwater, creeks, ponds and bays, he said. The easement prohibits the use of toxic, non-organic pesticides, herbicides, rodenticides, fertilizers and similar products.

The conservation easement protects the land from development in perpetuity.

j.lane@sireporter.com

JULIE LANE PHOTO
Richard Hogan outlined his preliminary plans to the Planning Board July 14 for development of St. Gabriel’s property he purchased in April from the Passionist Fathers.

After three months of silence following an announcement that a limited liability company called PandionAcquisitions had purchased close to 25 acres of the St. Gabriel’s property, it’s been confirmed that Richard Hogan of Shelter Island and New York City is the man behind the deal.

Mr. Hogan paid over $15.1 million to the owners, a Catholic religious order known as the Passionists Fathers, who had held the mainly undeveloped property, which fronts on Coelcles Harbor, for more than a century. The order had the property on the market since 2009 until the deal closed in mid-April.

Plans are under way to create a private residential community with five lots and two homeowners’ association parcels.

“St. Gabe’s is one of the great jewels of Shelter Island,” Mr. Hogan said. “I hope that in the fullness of time, people look back and say we treated it responsibly.”

Mr. Hogan tried to conceal his identity until plans for the site were more fully developed, but a spring application for a mooring in Coecles Harbor filed with the Waterways Management Advisory Council by Pandion Acquisitions had Mr. Hogan’s name attached.

He is founder and managing partner of Mont Blanc Holdings LLC in New York City, where he manages his own financial portfolio. He is also founder and managing partner of Yorkville ETF Advisors, involved in stock exchange financial trading.

Mr. Hogan and his representatives — East Hampton attorney William Fleming and Richard Warren of Inter-Science Research Associates in Southampton, a firm specializing in environmental land use planning — had an informal meeting with the Shelter Island Planning Board July 14.

What they sought and received was a sense that Planning Board members were in favor of their plans for the St. Gabriel’s site and would be helpful in guiding them through the thicket of approvals needed before construction could begin.

“I hope you like the basic plan,” Mr. Hogan said, eliciting encouragement from the planners after he and Mr. Warren outlined their thinking about the development.

While the town code would have allowed for a 21-lot subdivision, Mr. Hogan’s plans call for:
• Two residential waterfront lots, one on 3.48 acres of land and the second on 3.46 acres. The area would be cleared of all existing structures.
• A single lot of 7 acres, again to be cleared of existing structures with a proposal that calls for construction of a main house and deeded rights to build a guest house on the site. Mr. Hogan is willing to stipulate that the large lot could never be further subdivided with pieces sold separately.
• Two water-view lots of 3.36 acres and 3.31 acres. The farmhouse that currently houses the caretaker of the grounds and his family would remain in place on the fifth lot until it’s sold and both the fourth and fifth residential lots would have the option of placing moorings in the area of a single dock that would be meant to serve residents of all five lots. But plans wouldn’t preclude owners of lots one and three from applying for separate docks.

Mr. Hogan also speculated that all five lot buyers might want their own swimming pools.

As for the two homeowners’ association areas, one would include the single dock and a boathouse, not to exceed 1,000 square feet of interior space. The other, to be located in the southwest corner of the property would accommodate St. Gabriel’s chapel — a building Mr. Hogan said he could never destroy. “Nobody in my family would be comfortable knocking down a church,” he said.

The chapel would be used as a multi-purpose building with two tennis courts, a garden with a shaded walkway and a parking lot.

While residential lots three of the five lots have small wetland setbacks, Mr. Hogan said he didn’t expect buildings would encroach on the wetlands.

His firm is contemplating incorporating restrictions that would bear on:
• Architectural limitations and sizes of buildings in relation to their lot sizes
• Summer construction limits
• Installation of modern septic systems
• Limits to fencing that could be erected

Also under consideration are efforts to protect site lines and visibility, and the prohibition of chemicals and nitrogen on lawns that could be damaging to well water and Coecles Harbor.

Planning Board members let Mr. Hogan know that some of his plans would need variances or special permits from the Zoning Board of Appeals. That would be particularly applicable to the lot for the proposed main house and a guest house. Current zoning doesn’t allow two structures with kitchen and bathroom facilities in both without an exception to the rules.

The request for a dock and moorings would have to go to the Waterways Management Advisory Council that would then make its recommendations to the Town Board for a decision.

Formal plans are expected to be submitted to the Planning Board quickly, Mr. Hogan said. Once the planners have the application in hand, Planning Board Attorney Anthony Pasca said, they can assist in creating a “road map” for the owner on how to proceed with other boards,

If the permitting process goes smoothly, Mr. Hogan would like to begin demolition of existing buildings — all but the chapel — this autumn. While buildings would have to go, he plans to retain most trees he described as “pretty mature.”

Mr. Hogan said he plans to bring a grinder on site to deal with demolition debris instead of carting them off Island in large pieces.

Planners are scheduled to meet next on August 11 when they presumably will have a formal application in hand.

JULIE LANE PHOTO | Attorney William Fleming told the Planning Board on October 13 that his client, Richard Hogan, who purchased of about 25 acres of the former St. Gabriel’s property, wants to find ways to adjust his development plans to meet concerns.

Richard Hogan wants to be a good neighbor, his attorney says.

Accordingly, the man who now owns close to 25 acres of the former St. Gabriel’s property, responded to a neighbor who was troubled by development plans for the site.

Neighbor David Kriegel wrote a letter outlining his concerns to the Planning Board that was discussed by Mr. Hogan’s attorney, William Fleming, at an October 13 meeting.

“I’m happy to see Mr. Hogan has made some peace with his neighbor,” Planning Board Chairman Paul Mobius said.

“I think we did find some common ground,” Mr. Fleming responded.

Mr. Kriegel had sent a copy of the letter to the Reporter, and then decided he didn’t want it printed because he felt it might upset some agreements he had made with Mr. Hogan.

At the same time, he said that while he has seen some revisions Mr. Hogan has made in response to his concerns, they are still talking and he hopes there will be other changes.

Among the issues Mr. Kriegel raised were:
• The width of a proposed access road and right of way to the property and an outlet onto Burns Road was “just beyond the apex of a curve and on the steepest part of the hill.”
• Location of planned community tennis courts that could result in disturbances to neighbors and the amount of parking near the courts.
• The “alarming pace” at which tree cutting was occurring at the site.
• Concerns about septic systems for the new development could result in leaching into Coecles Harbor and the need to carefully study the effects this could have.
• Questions about whether the new community might be gated, “something totally out of place on Shelter Island,”

No gates are shown, but Mr. Kriegel wanted information on how the community might control access.

Within an hour of sending his letter to the town planners, Mr. Kriegel received a call from Mr. Hogan to discuss the concerns.
The Planning Board reminded Mr. Fleming that no living trees were to be taken down without a town permit and the lawyer said only downed trees were being removed.

While there were not a lot of specifics of agreements between Mr. Hogan and Mr. Kriegel, Mr. Fleming said there would be vegetation between the tennis courts and private houses and doubted much parking would be needed since tennis players could be expected to want the exercise of walking from their houses to the courts.

Planner John Kerr said he thought a large oak tree that wasn’t debris had been cut and Mr. Fleming said he would look into that matter.

Mr. Kerr also raised issues about wetlands. He noted that as a long-time neighbor of the property, he thinks parts of several lots might not be buildable because of the wetlands.

Back in the 1940s, much of the site was created by dumping old cars and trucks there, Mr. Kerr said.

Planning Board Engineer Joe Lombard is to review the plans and within a month or two, the board should be ready to act on providing sketch approval for the development.

Then Mr. Hogan will have to move forward with variances needed from the Zoning Board of Appeals.

JO ANN KIRKLAND PHOTO | Receiver of taxes Annemarie Seddio mailed out tax notices December 8.

It’s the season of giving and receiving.

Just ask Annmarie Seddio, Shelter Island’s receiver of taxes, who mailed out notices December 8 to the 3,274 owners of taxable property on Shelter Island asking — O.K. requiring — that they give.

The tax warrant this year, or debt owed by local taxpayers, is $19,411,815. Which leads us to note again at the close of 2015, that Ben Franklin’s two unavoidable occurrences in life should be partnered with another truth, that taxes will go up. That inevitability holds true, with the tax bill increasing, overall, more than $465,918 from 2014’s bill, according to Ms. Seddio.

Rates are up almost across the board, with the tax levy for the “highway part” of the town bill jumping 13 percent over last year and the “general townwide” part rising slightly over 3 percent. School taxes increased by about 2 percent, while the Fire Department’s rise was less than one percent.

According to Ms. Seddio, the biggest rate drop was for the county general fund, which was down 7 percent over 2014.

According to the tax receiver’s records, the highest Shelter Island tax bill — $148,877 — has been sent to Pandion Acquisitions, a limited liability company registered at 353 Central Park West in New York City.

Pandion Acquisitions, controlled by Richard Hogan of Shelter Island and New York, purchased close to 25 acres of the St. Gabriel’s property in mid-April. The company paid about $15.1 million to the Passionists Fathers, a Catholic religious order, which had owned the mainly undeveloped propertythat has fronted on Coecles Harbor for more than a century.

The second-highest tax bill went out to Keyspan, which is charged $119,507, followed by William M. Birch, who will owe $68,621.

Sixty-one properties are billed at $50 or less. Some of these properties are underwater lots or small, private roads or rights-of-way.

Top Shelter Island Tax payers.

COURTESY RECEIVER OF TAXES

JIM COLLIGAN PHOTO | St. Gabriel’s Chapel. Owner Richard Hogan plans to have it demolished.

“You’re under an erroneous idea that there’s something you can do about it.”

The speaker was Planning Board member Emory Breiner at Tuesday’s Town Board work session, challenging the board on any effort to stop the demolition of St. Gabriel’s Chapel.

“In some eyes, it’s just a building,” Councilman Jim Colligan responded. “In my eyes it’s not just a building,”

Richard Hogan, the owner of the 25-acre St. Gabriel’s property, where the chapel — built in 1938 — stands, may have underestimated how people feel about seeing the chapel demolished, Mr. Colligan said. Many constituents have told him they’re upset at the proposed destruction.

Supervisor Jim Dougherty, while agreeing with Mr. Breiner that the town had no legal right to stop the planned demolition, said he thought it was worth a conversation with Mr. Hogan to let him know what the chapel means to many Islanders.

Mr. Hogan’s Pandion Acquisitions bought the mostly undeveloped land on Coecles Harbor last April from the Passionists, a Catholic Religious order, for $15.1 million. He plans to subdivide and develop the property. Last summer he said the now de-consecrated chapel would be saved.

Meeting with the Planning Board in July, Mr. Hogan said: “Nobody in my family would be comfortable knocking down a church.”

The plan then was to move it to another location on the property.

But when movers arrived prepared for the job, they determined the building was too flimsy and wouldn’t survive the move, Mr. Breiner said.

“It would be cheaper to just build a new one,” he added.

It was the same message Mr. Hogan’s attorney, William Fleming, had brought to the Planning Board last week.

JULIE LANE PHOTO | Planning Board member Emory Breiner at Tuesday’s Town Board work session.

The 78-year-old chapel isn’t on state or federal registers of historic places, but its place in the Shelter Island community is etched in the lives and memories of many — by Catholics who may have attended retreats, youth center activities and services there, and non-Catholics who embraced it for its beauty.

Mr. Hogan has said that if left standing, the chapel would simply deteriorate and become an eyesore on the property. “When we studied the project more closely, we determined that the cost of [moving it] would be significantly greater than rebuilding the structure,” Mr. Hogan wrote in an email to Mr. Colligan last week.

An attempt to move the existing chapel would cause “quite a bit of disruption as we’d need to form an earthen ramp for the structure to move along,” he wrote.

“I want a second opinion,” said resident John Kerr, who has questioned other aspects of the project from its first introduction last summer.

According to Mr. Colligan, he’s not alone.

JIM COLLIGAN PHOTO | St. Gabriel’s Chapel. Owner Richard Hogan plans to have it demolished.

There’s a chance the chapel can be saved.

After it was revealed that Richard Hogan, the owner of the 25-acre St. Gabriel’s property where the chapel stands, plans to demolish it, Supervisor Jim Dougherty said Monday the town would seek grants to save the 78-year old structure.

The idea is to secure funds with some town participation to save the chapel and keep it on the property, or, Mr. Dougherty said, “move it to another property.”

Mr. Hogan, who in an appearance before the Planning Board in July 2015, said, “Nobody in my family would be comfortable knocking down a church,” changed course recently.

He has said that if left standing, the chapel would deteriorate and become an eyesore on the property. Restoring it, he’s indicated, would be cost prohibitive. The only solution is to destroy the structure.

A real estate professional — requesting anonymity — who at one point represented the Passionists when the property was for sale, said Monday the cost of restoring or moving the chapel isn’t the issue.

“It comes down to whether or not [Mr. Hogan} wants to keep it,” the real estate professional said.

Councilman Jim Colligan said he’s been hearing from constituents asking if anything can be done to save the chapel. A story in the Reporter and posted on its website sparked responses from many readers expressing outrage or sorrow or both at the chapel being razed.

Mr. Dougherty said at last week’s Town Board work session that he would speak with Mr. Hogan. The conversation is on hold, however, since Mr. Hogan is in Europe, the supervisor said. He said he would meet with the developer sometime next month.

Mr. Hogan’s Pandion Acquisitions bought the mostly undeveloped 25-acre property on Coecles Harbor in April 2015 from the Passionists, a Catholic religious order, for $15.1 million. Mr. Hogan plans to subdivide and develop the property.

The property had been for sale for years. Mr. Dougherty had advocated using Community Preservation Fund money — a tax collected on real estate sales that goes to purchase open space — to buy St. Gabriel’s and preserve it.

But the town’s Community Preservation Fund Advisory Board, the group tasked with targeting and vetting open space purchases, said the fund didn’t have the money, plus St. Gabriel’s is a developed property and can’t be classified as open space.

JIM COLLIGAN PHOTO |
St. Gabriel’s Chapel.

There’s a good chance the chapel can be saved.

After it was revealed that Richard Hogan, the owner of the 25-acre St. Gabriel’s property where the 78-year old chapel stands, had plans to demolish it and just keep parts of it, including the stained glass windows, Supervisor Jim Dougherty said Monday that the town would seek grants to preserve it.

On Tuesday, at the Town Board work session, Kathryn O’Hagan-Klenawicus said her family would provide space for the chapel on family property.

After the meeting, Ms. O’Hagan-Klenawicus said a tentative site could be on the Klenawicus Airfield close to Marc Road.

“This is very preliminary and we don’t want to commit to anything until we can make sure the structure can be moved,” Ms. O’Hagan-Klenawicus told the Reporter.

At Tuesday’s meeting, Supervisor Jim Dougherty said he had spoken with Mr. Hogan, calling him a “very good neighbor” and “an environmentalist” and was in favor of saving the chapel.

The town will seek a matching grant, which Mr. Dougherty said would be a “very modest amount of money.”

Ms. O’Hagan-Klenawicus said that the de-consecrated chapel could be used as an art gallery or a community center.

The question now is if the chapel is sturdy enough to be moved.

Mr. Hogan, who in an appearance before the Planning Board in July 2015, said, “Nobody in my family would be comfortable knocking down a church,” changed course recently.

He and his attorney have said that if left standing the chapel would deteriorate and become an eyesore on the property.

Councilman Jim Colligan said he’d been hearing from his constituents asking if anything can be done to save the chapel. A story in the Reporter (“St. Gabriel’s is living on a prayer,” March 17) and posted on its website, sparked responses from many readers expressing outrage or sorrow or both.

Mr. Hogan’s Pandion Acquisitions bought the mostly undeveloped 25-acre property on Coecles Harbor in April 2015 from the Passionists, a Catholic religious order, for $15.1 million. Mr. Hogan plans to subdivide and develop the property.

The property had been up sale for years. Mr. Dougherty had advocated using Community Preservation Fund money — a tax collected on real estate sales that goes to purchase open space — to buy St. Gabriel’s and preserve it.

But the town’s Community Preservation Fund Advisory Board, the group tasked with targeting and vetting open space purchases, said the fund didn’t have the money, plus St. Gabriel’s is a developed property and can’t be classified as open space.

JULIE LANE PHOTO School District Business Manager Tim Laube.

Cut administration costs
To the Editor:
I am a parent with two children at the Shelter Island School, and a big believer in public education. I am also a homeowner who pays property tax. As both a parent and a taxpayer, I want to see the best possible education provided to community children at the lowest possible price. With this in mind, I have some concerns with the proposed school budget that I would like to bring to the attention of your readers.

According to the proposed 2016-17 budget (approved by the Board of Education on April 20 and available for download from the school’s website), the total proposed budget for administrative spending is $191,734, an increase of 12.5 percent. The total administrative spending represents 15.8 percent of the entire budget, and a per pupil administrative cost of $891.79 (assuming a pupil population of 215).

At the same time that spending on administration is increasing, the total program spending (the money that goes into academic and extra-curricular programs for the children) is decreasing by 5.5 percent. Total program costs are shown as 70.7 percent of the total budget.

By comparison, the Greenport School District spends just 10.2 percent of its budget on administration, and 78.7 percent on program costs, according to information posted on the school’s website.

Greenport, like many other local school districts, has cut administrative costs by sharing its superintendent with the Southold School District. Oysterponds has a part-time principal, and a part-time superintendent to keep taxpayer costs low. The Block Island School (in Rhode Island, but similar to Shelter Island) also has a part-time principal.

The contingency budget the board has put in place in case the first iteration of the budget fails to pass, makes further cuts to program expenditures to lower costs, while preserving administrative spending.

My question is, why can’t we cut administrative costs at our school, as so many other schools have done successfully, and keep our educational program intact?
KYLE KAREN
Shelter Island

St. Gabe’s chapel
To the Editor:
To add to the story in the May 5 Reporter (“St. Gabe’s owner sets timetable for chapel’s fate”), Richard Hogan informed me at the Waterways Management Advisory Council meeting on May 2 that he has been in touch with Kathryn O’Hagan on a fairly regular basis. The donations pledged thus far are approximately $37,000 and counting.

Mr. Hogan also stated that he would be willing to be more patient concerning the future demolition of the chapel if the fundraising efforts approached $100,000 by mid-June. The town is encouraging the fundraising group to gather bids from moving companies that perform these kinds of tasks.

Mr. Hogan is trying to be cooperative but does acknowledge that there must be some type of timetable to relocate the chapel.

The Town of Shelter Island will not be utilizing any funds to accomplish this task. The town’s Grants Committee explored applying for a grant to help in this endeavor, but this is not likely to happen. Federal and/or state historic sites are eligible for grants, but the chapel never received this type of designation.
JIM COLLIGAN
Councilman, Town of Shelter Island

Setting it straight
To the Editor:
I recently discovered that at least six sources, on which I relied for my Reporter article about W.C. Brigham’s pulp magazine and comic book art (“Rediscovering and remembering a multi-talented Island artist,” July 16, 2015), attributed the art to the wrong W. C. Brigham. I apologize for unknowingly passing along incorrect information and wish to set the record straight.

The mistake made by the sources was understandable because Walter Cole Brigham was a well-known artist with many online references; the other W. C. Brigham was somewhat obscure with few online references. It took some effort to find the two pieces of evidence that eventually aroused my suspicions. One was a letter to the editor of the New York Times from “W.C. Brigham, Jr.,” in which the writer referred to himself as an artist.

The other evidence comprised images of registration cards I obtained from the Art Students League of New York from 1894-98 and 1915-18. The former were clearly for Walter Cole Brigham of Shelter Island and the latter were for “W.C. Brigham, Jr.” of Trenton, New Jersey who took illustration classes.

One of my sources, PulpArtists.com’s biographical webpage for Walter Cole Brigham, included a 1924 ad for Brigham’s commercial art studio at 286 Fifth Avenue. The ad featured the unmistakable signature Brigham used in the pulps and comics.

I looked for Brigham in the 1920s editions of “Phillip’s Business Directory of New York” on heritagequestonline.com and found listings under Art for “Wm. C. Brigham, Jr.” at 286 Fifth Avenue. There was no listing for Walter Cole Brigham. So William C. Brigham, Jr. was doubtlessly the illustrator of the pulps, comics and commercial art.

I also found a booklet of historic sites in Kearney, New Jersey illustrated by Wm. C. Brigham, Jr. and a calling card with his photograph. I presented my findings to the author of PulpArtists.com, who apologized for the error.  He has now corrected his website and I am in the process of notifying other sources.

Walter Cole Brigham did illustrate one magazine cover that I’ve found so far, “Outing Magazine,” June 1899. The fact that he did not do the pulp and comic art certainly does not dim the luster of his reputation, which is deservedly celebrated for his fine art paintings and marine mosaics.

In connection with my research, I would appreciate hearing from anyone with memories, memorabilia, letters or art relating to Walter Cole Brigham. Please write to me at beth.auman@icloud.com.
BETH AUMAN
Boca Raton, Florida

JIM COLLIGAN PHOTO St. Gabriel’s Chapel.

The discussion about trying to save St. Gabriel’s Chapel from the wrecking ball may have started at Town Board meetings. But the effort is emphatically not town-sponsored. Nor does the board have any plans to use the building if it’s preserved and moved.

That’s the message board members emphasized at Tuesday’s work session after Kathryn O’Hagan-Klenawicus and David Klenawicus began fund-raising efforts asking that checks be made out to “the Town of Shelter Island” to cover the cost of moving the chapel to land Mr. Klenawicus owns on Ginny Drive.

The couple had suggested that if the building could be saved, it could be leased to the town for $1 and provide space for community activities.

Board members agreed they don’t oppose moving the building, but don’t endorse any plan that would require it to fund activities there.

At issue is the 78-year old chapel that Richard Hogan, who bought the 25-acre St. Gabriel’s property from the Passionists religious order for $15 million last year, has said he will demolish if it’s not moved. Mr. Hogan is developing a luxury community on the site.

Costs to move the chapel are anticipated at about $65,000, plus another $20,000 to build a foundation, and about $10,000 more for miscellaneous expenses, Supervisor Jim Dougherty said at Tuesday’s meeting.

Board members said they’ve been hounded by those in opposition to moving the chapel to Ginny Drive and by others who question the use of public money now or in the future. Ginny Drive residents were present at the meeting and emphasized their strong opposition.

Ms. O’Hagan had suggested she might want to seek town money to help pay for liability insurance or other costs.

Now, instead of donors sending checks to the town, Ms. O’Hagan is trying to form a nonprofit organization that could take contributions and provide tax deductions to donors.

This past week, an item in the Our Lady of the Isle Church’s bulletin encouraged people to contribute money and listed possible uses for the building. Mr. Dougherty suggested that Father Peter DeSanctis, pastor of Our Lady of the Isle, might consider offering space at the church cemetery for the building, rather than putting it on private property on a residential street.

Father DeSanctis told the Reporter Tuesday that the parish can use its tax exempt status only for parish endeavors. He also noted that undeveloped land at the cemetery is reserved for grave sites. He doubted the Diocese of Rockville Centre would approve moving the chapel there.

“The cemetery is a place for prayer, reflection and silence,” he said.

Councilman Jim Colligan acknowledged getting the ball rolling when he initially heard the chapel might be demolished. While he has not had “a change of heart” about trying to save the structure, he said, hearing from those who objected to earlier suggestions prompted him to rethink his original ideas.

JULIE LANE PHOTO  Richard Hogan at an earlier Planning Board presentation of his plans for development of the former St. Gabriel’s site on the banks of Coecles Harbor.

The Planning Board on June 14 set a public hearing on the Richard Hogan’s proposal for development of the former St. Gabriel’s property.With the proposal also pending before the Zoning Board of Appeals for a special permit needed for two planned buildings — a boathouse that would be constructed near a planned community dock and building that could be used both for storage and a clubhouse — it’s doubtful the public hearing would be concluded in a single session.

But even if the ZBA turned down the special permits, the Planning Board decided Tuesday night that the rest of the development wouldn’t change markedly enough to further delay opening a public hearing.

Because of the timing of ZBA and Planning Board meetings, it’s expected that the public hearing that begins in July will be kept open, at least for another month and maybe two.

Planning Board Engineer Joe Lombardi reviewed preliminary plans for members, pointing out aspects where final plans would have to be definitive. Those generally applied to some lot line adjustments and drainage requirements.

While the original plans didn’t include any installation of water for either the boathouse or storage/clubhouse, more recent changes indicate there would be running water in those buildings and that would require Suffolk County Department of Health Services approval.

The Health Department has already said there are no problems with any prior pollutants on the overall site.

Plans during both the demolition and subdivision build out phases of the project are to be done in phases so that the entire site of almost 25 acres isn’t disturbed at once, Mr. Lombardi said. Less than half the acreage will ever be involved in either the demolition or rebuilding effort, the engineer noted. He estimated that only about five acres would be disturbed and then restored at any one time.

Mr. Lombardi advised Mr. Hogan that he doesn’t have to direct his crews to fence the entire lot, but simply provide fencing for disturbed areas until each is restored.

One area of the site has poor drainage because of clay bogs that will have to be excavated, Mr. Lombardi said.

All old septic tanks and oil tanks have already been removed from the site, Mr. Hogan’s representatives said.

There will have to be covenants written into a final approval that provide for maintenance of some retention areas by the homeowners association to assure drains aren’t clogged and are working properly.

Easements for emergency equipment will have to be formally adopted as will easements between future lot buyers for use of some access roads to their driveways.

The final application to the Planning Board is due on July 12, the same date the public hearing is scheduled.

j.lane@sireporter.com

JULIE LANE PHOTO
Attorney Albert D’Agostino, representing neighbors objecting to a proposed community housing structure, was cut short Tuesday night by Planning Board member John D’Amato.

An attorney representing residents who object to a proposed community housing application faced hostility from one member of the Planning Board Tuesday night.

The Town Board had asked planners for an opinion on an application submitted by Janalyn Travis-Messer to construct a house on Route 114 at Hedges Road that would have two units — a main unit with three bedrooms and an attached unit with a single bedroom.

Attorney Albert D’Agostino of Valley Stream, representing area residents Andrew McFarland and Seth Madore, challenged the project, the makeup of the town’s Community Housing Board and the legitimacy of the Community Housing Floating Zone, where workforce housing can be constructed..

The Community Housing Board is supposed to have five members, none of whom can be paid town officials, Mr. D’Agostino said. But he maintained that two members are paid officials — a sitting Town Court justice and a Town Board member.

Committee co-chair Mary-Faith Westervelt is a sitting justice paid for her service, but Councilwoman Chris Lewis is a liaison to the Community Housing Board, not a voting member.

He further said there are conflicts in the language creating the floating zone district.

As he touched on parts of the town code, Planning Board member John D’Amato interrupted, saying that the attorney was going on too long.

To that, Mr. D’Agostino replied he had an obligation to represent his clients. He noted that 35 neighbors from 33 households in the area had signed a petition objecting to the proposed house.

“Do you understand you’re having a negative impact on what you’re trying to accomplish?” Mr. D’Amato shot back. “Has that come to your brain yet?”

With that, Mr. Mobius encouraged the attorney to wind up his remarks, saying the Planning Board had his input since it had been submitted via letter.

Mr. D’Agostino quickly wound up his remarks and got agreement for the board to hear briefly from a real estate appraiser.
Robert Marks of Robert Marks Inc. told the planners he had 55 years experience and that allowing this residence in the area would lower property values of nearby houses and have a negative impact on area traffic.

Mr. Mobius said the Planning Board would render its advisory opinion to the Town Board as soon as possible.

St. Gabe’s

In a brief discussion with Richard Hogan, who is seeking to develop the 24-acre St. Gabriel’s property, Mr. Mobius said he thought the Zoning Board of Review and Waterways Management Advisory Board could go ahead and render their opinions on parts of the development. It would then be up to planners to ensure there aren’t conflicts between any codicils those boards might add to approvals and the overall action the Planning Board takes.

Planning Board engineering consultant Joe Lombardi said Mr. Hogan must submit a map specifically showing how demolition and rebuilding is to be staged, given the property owner’s statement that only five acres of property would be disturbed at any one time.

JULIE LANE PHOTO
Pandion owner Richard Hogan shows one of the early versions of his plans for the development on the former St. Gabriel’s site.

The Town Board moved the St. Gabriel’s development application another step forward Tuesday, briefly going from a work session into an official meeting, to vote to unanimously approve a wetlands permit for the project.
The permit will allow Richard Hogan, who purchased the land on which St. Gabriel’s Retreat once sat, to demolish four buildings, a swimming pool and other accessory structures on the site, provided that mitigating steps are taken.

Among them are requirements for the work to be done as outlined in a plan submitted by the applicant. Large machinery used in the demolition is to be kept away from the bulkhead along Coecles Harbor and construction debris while on site must be covered to ensure it doesn’t land in the water.

The area is to be re-vegetated after demolition with irrigation allowed during the process. As little soil as possible is to be disturbed on the site during the demolition and reconstruction.

Mr. Hogan must provide a certificate of insurance and the wetlands permit has a two-year lifespan from the date of its passage.

The Zoning Board of Appeals has approved construction of two community buildings — a boathouse and a clubhouse on the site. The Waterways Management Advisory Committee could act as soon as Monday night on the application to build a community dock and, perhaps one to two other docks at the site.

That would send the project back to the Planning Board to work out lot lines and roadways within the new residential community.

There was general agreement among members of the  boards that they were in favor of  the project and had positive feelings about Mr. Hogan and his team to carry it out responsibly.

But without established lot lines and roads, each had difficulty making decisions dependent on actions of the others.

The ZBA became the first to break the logjam in August.

j.lane@sireporter.com

JO ANN KIRKLAND PHOTO | Receiver of Taxes Annemarie Seddio.

Carols, colored lights, frantic shopping, family visits, holiday cheer and — oh, right, one more certainty associated with the season: a notice to pony up and pay your taxes.

According to Receiver of Taxes Annmarie Seddio, Shelter Island’s tax warrant for 2016-17, or debt owed by taxpayers, is $20,546,758 as opposed to last year’s warrant of $19,411,815. The number of taxable properties was 3,375, making the average Shelter Island tax bill $6,088, or $527 more than 2015’s bill.

According to the tax receiver’s records, the highest bill for a private person or company  — $118,998 — has been sent to Pandion Acquisitions, a limited liability company registered on Central Park West in New York City.

Pandion, controlled by Richard Hogan, purchased close to 25 acres of the St. Gabriel’s property in April 2015. The company paid $15.1 million to the Passionists Fathers, a Catholic religious order, which had owned the mainly undeveloped property that fronts on Coecles Harbor for more than a century, and paid no taxes.

Ms. Seddio reported that 61 parcels have been billed at $50 or less. Some of these properties are underwater lots or small, private roads or rights-of-way.

The first half of the tax bill is due January 10 and the second half must be paid by May 31.

The post ’Tis the season for … taxes appeared first on Shelter Island Reporter.

REPORTER FILE PHOTO Short-term rentals, many of them booked through online services, consumed much of the Town Board’s time in 2016

The Town Board meets almost every Tuesday of the year in work sessions and presides over regular meetings about twice a month, taking on issues for discussion and drafting and voting on new legislation.

In 2016, the board aired concerns on, among other topics, preservation of the Island’s heritage and site plan review for new commercial ventures; crafted a budget for 2017; looked into the need — or not — of allocating extra funds for road paving; and discussed the short-term rental situation that consumed the board’s time and energy from early June and is still unresolved.

Chapel demolished
Efforts to save an iconic Island structure from the bulldozer went nowhere, even though it was a discussion the board entertained at length.

The former St. Gabriel’s property, a 25-acre, mostly undeveloped site fronting on Coecles Harbor, was sold by the Passionists, a Catholic religious order for $15.1 million in April 2015 to Richard Hogan for a luxury development. Initial plans were to retain a deconsecrated chapel and move it to another part of the property.

Mr. Hogan then had the building inspected by an engineering firm that, he said, determined it was too aged and rotted for the move. His attorney, William Fleming, told the Planning Board in March that it would have to be demolished.

But an inspection soon after by Town Engineer John Cronin Jr. a month later pronounced the building in good enough shape to be moved. But efforts to move it ran into two roadblocks.

The first was raising enough money by residents— Mr. Hogan and the town were not involved — estimated to be about $100,000, to move the structure. The second was complaints from Ginny Drive residents —targeted as a relocation site — who feared increased traffic if the building was relocated near the street where many young children play.

In October, the structure was demolished after the removal of stained glass windows, many of which are to be incorporated into a new clubhouse to be built on the site of the development. The rest are to be offered to the Shelter Island Historical Society for its collection.

On another issue of preservation, an 18th century house was razed, quite legally, and there was no action by the board to prevent another situation if other old structures are in jeopardy.

It came to light in March that the home of Thomas Dering (1720-1785) had been demolished. Mr. Dering was a delegate to the Third Provisional Congress in New York and a former supervisor of Shelter Island.

Constructed around 1700 and known as “Dering Farm” at 55 Cobbetts Lane, the house was demolished after David and Brenda Harms obtained a permit from the town Building Department. Aside from a demolition permit, there was no need for Planning Board or Zoning Board of Appeals actions that would have brought it to public attention and to the attention of the Town Board. All that was required was the demolition permit from the Building Department.

Knowledge of the demolition came to John Colby Jr., a Village of Dering Harbor trustee, as he was researching the history of Gardiner’s Bay Country Club. The Thomas Dering House once was the club’s original clubhouse, named “Manhanset House.”

Mr. Colby announced the demolition of one of the oldest houses on the Island at a meeting of the village’s Architectural Review Board (ARB) in March. “I’m just shocked that it happened,” he said.

Although the village has an ARB, the town of Shelter Island does not.

Site plan review?
The Town Board made a move in May toward holding a public hearing on legislation requiring all commercial property owners to formally submit plans for development — a process called site plan review. Shelter Island is the only town on the East End lacking one

But so far no action has been taken.

Site plan review, if approved, would include requirements by owners to outline the uses of a property and detailed descriptions of parking, trash, signage and more.

The purpose of the site plan review legislation, stated in a draft of legislation prepared by Town Attorney Laury Dowd, is to “mitigate the environmental impacts of new development on the land, and water resources” and “prevent overcrowding of land or buildings.”

The issue came to a head when Supervisor Jim Dougherty said at a work session in the spring that “Route 114, north and south of the Center, is becoming an eyesore and maybe we have to be a little more careful in our review of proposed projects. We want to be respectful of people, but we want to meet our responsibilities.”

Two properties in particular caught the board’s attention. One is a storage facility at 18 North Ferry Road owned by John Sieni. The town issued a building permit in February and work began, but then a stop work order was issued, because, according to the Building Department, the original permit “was issued in error” since the development “constitutes expansion of a pre-existing, non-conforming use.”

The other property in question is just down the street, 13 North Ferry Road, owned by Dan Calabro and leased to Marcello Masonry. The board discussed this site several times over the last several months because of its unsightly appearance and noise. Earlier in they year the board heard complaints about the operation of a concrete grinding machine on the premises.

Money, money, money
Hearings on financing 2017 were relatively smooth, with the board coming up with a $10.77 million budget and a raise of 5.7 percent of the tax levy.

But things became heated late last month over money matters when Supervisor Jim Dougherty broke with his colleagues as well as the superintendent of highways and the town engineer on moving money for road repaving.

On a resolution to move funds from one account to another for the work, Mr. Dougherty was outvoted 4-1 by his colleagues and after the vote angrily warned that the board was playing fast and loose with the tax payers’ money.

Mr. Dougherty reiterated opinions he had aired previously, that moving $100,000 from the town’s “A Class account,” which is normally not used for operational purposes, to the Highway Roads Improvement account, is irresponsible. He noted that roads listed by Superintendent of Highways JayCard Jr. do not need repaving and that there is no guarantee grant money promised by the state, which would be used to reimburse the town account, will ever be deposited.

“Since I’ve been in office I’ve told my colleagues that I see the priorities as ticks, taxes and the aquifer,” Mr. Dougherty said. “My colleagues seem to be reversing that to roads, ticks and the aquifer. And as for taxes — watch out.”

He noted that $130,000 in the current budget is enough for road maintenance.

His colleagues roundly rejected the supervisor’s claims and the money was transferred.

Long term on short-term rentals
A late January date has been set for a public hearing to discuss a draft of new regulations for homeowners who rent rooms or their entire houses on a short-term basis when they are not on the premises.

The board has been engaged with the issue since the spring. Several meetings have been packed with residents demanding strict regulations on length of stay and the number of times a homeowner can rent their premises on a short term basis, and residents who want minimum restrictions.

The issue arose when residents of Sylvan Road packed Town Hall at an early June meeting with complaints about renters on their street partying until late at night with loud music and publicly displaying drunken behavior at all hours. The renters were staying in non-owner occupied houses and most had booked their weekend stays online.

But then, the board heard from numerous residents who were just as vocal, arguing that they rented to families and polite couples and needed to rent their houses to supplement their income and make mortgage payments. It was also mentioned that short-term rentals bring tourist dollars to the Island, helping local merchants and those employed in the hospitality business.

The debate dragged on throughout the summer into the fall, with the subject on the board’s agenda nearly every week.

In July, draft legislation was in the works, but then scrapped, and Councilman Jim Colligan was tasked to come up with a formula for numbers of times a house not occupied by the owner can be rented and limiting the length of stays. This too, was scrapped, and now a draft of legislation to be heard at a January 27 public hearing has no restrictions on length of stays or how many times a residence can be rented with no homeowner on site.

The board has heard from residents that a meeting at the end of January for such an important issue is unfair since the Island’s population is at its lowest during the depth of winter.

“I don’t know if there’s a right answer to this, “ Councilman Paul Shepherd said earlier this month. But he speculated that the hearing might be kept open after the January meeting.

The board’s work on short-term rentals continues to be a long-term proposition.

The post Year in Review: Town Board hears it from all sides in 2016 appeared first on Shelter Island Reporter.

BRIAN HAKLISCH PHOTO
Aerial photo of the former St. Gabriel’s property soon to be an upscale housing development on the shores of Coecles Harbor.

By a vote of 4-0 with one member absent, the Planning Board approved the final subdivision of “Pandion Landing,” the luxury residential development slated to rise on the shores of Coecles Harbor where St. Gabriel’s Retreat Center once stood.

Property owner Richard Hogan purchased the 25-acre site from the Passionist Fathers in April 2015 for $15.1 million, The basic plan first proposed in July 2015 remains intact, Mr. Hogan said. “The number of home sites has been reduced to preserve the environmental and visual integrity of the land and the seascape,” he said.

The Planning Board approved an eight-lot subdivision that includes five house lots with one having a legal right to add a guesthouse and two homeowner association parcels — a boathouse near a community dock and a tennis facility and storage barn.

Of the five house lots, one is being retained for a family member, one for a friend and a third is in contract. Two remaining waterfront lots are available, Mr. Hogan said. One lot is for a main house with an adjacent lot in which the owner of the main house could build a guest house. There is a limit for house sizes to 3,000 square feet of livable space per acre of land, Mr. Hogan said.

It’s taken more than two years to gain approval from the Planning Board, the Zoning Board of Appeals and the Waterways Management Advisory Council, with adjustments made to meet requirements from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, the Suffolk County Department of Health Services and the Shelter Island Fire District.

There are a number of conditions set down by Planning Board, such as compliance with drainage and septic requirements and maintenance of road access for emergency vehicle access.

The county health department required an upgrade to the existing septic system and installation of a new well. In line with the county’s instructions, each structure will have its own septic system.

“The technology is rapidly evolving so I expect to see some positive changes,” Mr. Hogan said about the systems to be installed on the properties.

The county has encouraged those with cesspools or aged septic systems to upgrade, but has not placed any requirements for property owners to use the latest technology.

Buyers are free to design and build their own homes, but plans must conform to design guidelines implemented under the provisions of the homeowners association, Mr. Hogan said. That will, he added, ensure “harmony of architectural style, proportion and landscaping that preserves the rural character and panoramic water views.”

Among the codicils attached to the Planning Board approval are:
•    There is to be no further subdivision of the site
•    No pool can be built on either of the homeowners association lots
•    Aside from the tennis courts on a homeowners association lot, no other courts are allowed except on land serving house lots four and five
•    Tennis courts are not to be lighted at night and both clubhouses are to be “Dark Sky” compliant
•    Use of homeowners association buildings is to be restricted to homeowners and their guests and not public use except for an occasional charitable fundraiser
•    A shared dock is provided near the boathouse, but only two other docks could be built.

“We plan to build one single association dock with a slip for each owner,” Mr. Hogan said. “While we have retained the right for the two wing waterfront parcels to build a 100-foot dock, I hope these are never built.”

During the demolition process on the St. Gabriel’s property to make way for the development, a controversy arose when Mr. Hogan’s attorney, William Fleming, announced the chapel on the grounds that originally was to be moved to another area, was too frail to be moved and would have to be demolished.

Some of its stained glass windows, however, would be used somewhere in the development, and other windows would go to the Shelter Island Historical Society, the attorney said.

Town Engineer John Cronin inspected the chapel and said the assessment was wrong, determining that it could be moved with little or no damage. A group of residents then raised money and tried to have the chapel moved to a private lot.

When the proposed move failed to meet the builder’s timetable, the chapel was razed.

All 32 windows were catalogued and saved, Mr. Hogan said. A number of them are being restored, he told the Reporter, and he’ll have more to say at a later date about their fate.

Some of the windows have been given to the Shelter Island Historical Society, Our Lady of the Isle Church, the Passionist Fathers, who had owned St. Gabriel’s Youth Retreat, and still others were given to some of those involved in trying to move the chapel to an alternate site.

Kathryn O’Hagan and David Klenawicus, who had spearheaded the effort to save the chapel, were given two of the stained glass windows.

“Ultimately, we plan to restore them,” Ms. O’Hagan said. The couple would like to find a place on the Island to have them installed where everyone can appreciate them, she said.

Many Islanders, on learning about the purchase of the St. Gabriel’s property, hoped it would be preserved.

“This project was beyond the means of the Community Preservation Fund and most private donors,” Mr. Hogan said. “Given that the property was previously developed presented other hurdles as well.”

In the process of clearing the land, contractors have removed eight non-conforming structures and 30 septic tanks that were located within the 100-foot setback of the development. All roads, concrete block structures and foundations were crushed on site and are being recycled into new roads for the planned community, Mr. Hogan said.

“As was highlighted in our environmental assessment review, this project actually has a positive environmental impact,” he said.

Construction on the two homeowners association buildings is to start once the final lot has been sold, Mr. Hogan said. Exact timing on construction of houses will be up to individual buyers.

The post St. Gabriel’s buyer gains approval to build luxury development appeared first on Shelter Island Reporter.

AMBROSE CLANCY PHOTO John Cronin,

Shelter Island is the poorer with the resignation of John Cronin as town engineer.

He took his responsibilities seriously, worked hard and honored a personal commitment to keep the public and the elected officials who appointed him aware of existing problems, and perhaps, most importantly, the serious issues that loom ahead.

He was a passionate advocate of working on infrastructure now, and not waiting until it has deteriorated to the point it will be exponentially more expensive to save.

Two years ago, Mr. Cronin, a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, wrote to the Reporter, noting that “whether talking about roads and other town assets … almost all of these situations impact care of infrastructure. We are fast approaching a crisis.”

He never took things for granted, or accepted conventional wisdom, especially when the source of that “wisdom” had to be considered. Take for example the issue of St. Gabriel’s Chapel. Richard Hogan, the developer of the luxury community slated for the property where the chapel stood, originally said it would be moved and preserved.

But then he changed course and, through his attorney, said the building had been inspected and it was determined it was too aged and infirm to move.

There was no solution except demolition.

An inspection by Mr. Cronin proved this was wrong; the building was in good enough shape to be moved. But efforts to move it ran into roadblocks —none to do with its sturdiness — and the developer had the chapel razed.

On a clean water crisis facing the Island and the region, Mr. Cronin has not been one to bemoan our fate, but has been proactive on many fronts, from spearheading an effort to map the septic systems on the Island, to working with the Town Board to install state-of-the-art systems at the American Legion and Sylvester Manor.

Recently, when four test wells in the Center were found to have dangerously high nitrate levels, Mr. Cronin went to the town, and after receiving little interest, contacted the Reporter about the issue.

Town government woke up, issuing a statement that said, in part, “Residents in the Center may want to consider having their own wells tested for water quality as high nitrate levels affect the quality of drinking water.”

Mr. Cronin led a small chorus of public officials who sounded the alarm on the condition of Reel Point, the slim sliver of land that protects Coecles Harbor and the many businesses and residences that line its shores.

The private engineering report that was produced should be a wake up call to the town to shore up Reel Point before it’s lost.

Mr. Cronin told the Reporter this week that one problem with solving serious problems of water quality and basic infrastructure is “a leadership vacuum” in town government.

These are carefully chosen words from Mr. Cronin, who always weighed his public remarks for the truth and maximum impact.

He should be listened to, even as he goes out the door, leaving behind an exemplary record of accomplishment and a map of how to maneuver on the rocky road ahead.

The post Shelter Island Reporter Editorial: Filling a vacuum appeared first on Shelter Island Reporter.

JULIE LANE PHOTO
Attorney Albert D’Agostino, representing neighbors objecting to a proposed community housing structure, was cut short Tuesday night by Planning Board member John D’Amato.

An attorney representing residents who object to a proposed community housing application faced hostility from one member of the Planning Board Tuesday night.

The Town Board had asked planners for an opinion on an application submitted by Janalyn Travis-Messer to construct a house on Route 114 at Hedges Road that would have two units — a main unit with three bedrooms and an attached unit with a single bedroom.

Attorney Albert D’Agostino of Valley Stream, representing area residents Andrew McFarland and Seth Madore, challenged the project, the makeup of the town’s Community Housing Board and the legitimacy of the Community Housing Floating Zone, where workforce housing can be constructed..

The Community Housing Board is supposed to have five members, none of whom can be paid town officials, Mr. D’Agostino said. But he maintained that two members are paid officials — a sitting Town Court justice and a Town Board member.

Committee co-chair Mary-Faith Westervelt is a sitting justice paid for her service, but Councilwoman Chris Lewis is a liaison to the Community Housing Board, not a voting member.

He further said there are conflicts in the language creating the floating zone district.

As he touched on parts of the town code, Planning Board member John D’Amato interrupted, saying that the attorney was going on too long.

To that, Mr. D’Agostino replied he had an obligation to represent his clients. He noted that 35 neighbors from 33 households in the area had signed a petition objecting to the proposed house.

“Do you understand you’re having a negative impact on what you’re trying to accomplish?” Mr. D’Amato shot back. “Has that come to your brain yet?”

With that, Mr. Mobius encouraged the attorney to wind up his remarks, saying the Planning Board had his input since it had been submitted via letter.

Mr. D’Agostino quickly wound up his remarks and got agreement for the board to hear briefly from a real estate appraiser.
Robert Marks of Robert Marks Inc. told the planners he had 55 years experience and that allowing this residence in the area would lower property values of nearby houses and have a negative impact on area traffic.

Mr. Mobius said the Planning Board would render its advisory opinion to the Town Board as soon as possible.

St. Gabe’s

In a brief discussion with Richard Hogan, who is seeking to develop the 24-acre St. Gabriel’s property, Mr. Mobius said he thought the Zoning Board of Review and Waterways Management Advisory Board could go ahead and render their opinions on parts of the development. It would then be up to planners to ensure there aren’t conflicts between any codicils those boards might add to approvals and the overall action the Planning Board takes.

Planning Board engineering consultant Joe Lombardi said Mr. Hogan must submit a map specifically showing how demolition and rebuilding is to be staged, given the property owner’s statement that only five acres of property would be disturbed at any one time.

The post Strong words at Planning Board meeting appeared first on Shelter Island Reporter.

JULIE LANE PHOTO
Pandion owner Richard Hogan shows one of the early versions of his plans for the development on the former St. Gabriel’s site.

The Town Board moved the St. Gabriel’s development application another step forward Tuesday, briefly going from a work session into an official meeting, to vote to unanimously approve a wetlands permit for the project.
The permit will allow Richard Hogan, who purchased the land on which St. Gabriel’s Retreat once sat, to demolish four buildings, a swimming pool and other accessory structures on the site, provided that mitigating steps are taken.

Among them are requirements for the work to be done as outlined in a plan submitted by the applicant. Large machinery used in the demolition is to be kept away from the bulkhead along Coecles Harbor and construction debris while on site must be covered to ensure it doesn’t land in the water.

The area is to be re-vegetated after demolition with irrigation allowed during the process. As little soil as possible is to be disturbed on the site during the demolition and reconstruction.

Mr. Hogan must provide a certificate of insurance and the wetlands permit has a two-year lifespan from the date of its passage.

The Zoning Board of Appeals has approved construction of two community buildings — a boathouse and a clubhouse on the site. The Waterways Management Advisory Committee could act as soon as Monday night on the application to build a community dock and, perhaps one to two other docks at the site.

That would send the project back to the Planning Board to work out lot lines and roadways within the new residential community.

There was general agreement among members of the  boards that they were in favor of  the project and had positive feelings about Mr. Hogan and his team to carry it out responsibly.

But without established lot lines and roads, each had difficulty making decisions dependent on actions of the others.

The ZBA became the first to break the logjam in August.

j.lane@sireporter.com

The post Town Board okays St. Gabe’s project wetlands permit appeared first on Shelter Island Reporter.

JO ANN KIRKLAND PHOTO | Receiver of Taxes Annemarie Seddio.

Carols, colored lights, frantic shopping, family visits, holiday cheer and — oh, right, one more certainty associated with the season: a notice to pony up and pay your taxes.

According to Receiver of Taxes Annmarie Seddio, Shelter Island’s tax warrant for 2016-17, or debt owed by taxpayers, is $20,546,758 as opposed to last year’s warrant of $19,411,815. The number of taxable properties was 3,375, making the average Shelter Island tax bill $6,088, or $527 more than 2015’s bill.

According to the tax receiver’s records, the highest bill for a private person or company  — $118,998 — has been sent to Pandion Acquisitions, a limited liability company registered on Central Park West in New York City.

Pandion, controlled by Richard Hogan, purchased close to 25 acres of the St. Gabriel’s property in April 2015. The company paid $15.1 million to the Passionists Fathers, a Catholic religious order, which had owned the mainly undeveloped property that fronts on Coecles Harbor for more than a century, and paid no taxes.

Ms. Seddio reported that 61 parcels have been billed at $50 or less. Some of these properties are underwater lots or small, private roads or rights-of-way.

The first half of the tax bill is due January 10 and the second half must be paid by May 31.

The post ’Tis the season for … taxes appeared first on Shelter Island Reporter.

REPORTER FILE PHOTO Short-term rentals, many of them booked through online services, consumed much of the Town Board’s time in 2016

The Town Board meets almost every Tuesday of the year in work sessions and presides over regular meetings about twice a month, taking on issues for discussion and drafting and voting on new legislation.

In 2016, the board aired concerns on, among other topics, preservation of the Island’s heritage and site plan review for new commercial ventures; crafted a budget for 2017; looked into the need — or not — of allocating extra funds for road paving; and discussed the short-term rental situation that consumed the board’s time and energy from early June and is still unresolved.

Chapel demolished
Efforts to save an iconic Island structure from the bulldozer went nowhere, even though it was a discussion the board entertained at length.

The former St. Gabriel’s property, a 25-acre, mostly undeveloped site fronting on Coecles Harbor, was sold by the Passionists, a Catholic religious order for $15.1 million in April 2015 to Richard Hogan for a luxury development. Initial plans were to retain a deconsecrated chapel and move it to another part of the property.

Mr. Hogan then had the building inspected by an engineering firm that, he said, determined it was too aged and rotted for the move. His attorney, William Fleming, told the Planning Board in March that it would have to be demolished.

But an inspection soon after by Town Engineer John Cronin Jr. a month later pronounced the building in good enough shape to be moved. But efforts to move it ran into two roadblocks.

The first was raising enough money by residents— Mr. Hogan and the town were not involved — estimated to be about $100,000, to move the structure. The second was complaints from Ginny Drive residents —targeted as a relocation site — who feared increased traffic if the building was relocated near the street where many young children play.

In October, the structure was demolished after the removal of stained glass windows, many of which are to be incorporated into a new clubhouse to be built on the site of the development. The rest are to be offered to the Shelter Island Historical Society for its collection.

On another issue of preservation, an 18th century house was razed, quite legally, and there was no action by the board to prevent another situation if other old structures are in jeopardy.

It came to light in March that the home of Thomas Dering (1720-1785) had been demolished. Mr. Dering was a delegate to the Third Provisional Congress in New York and a former supervisor of Shelter Island.

Constructed around 1700 and known as “Dering Farm” at 55 Cobbetts Lane, the house was demolished after David and Brenda Harms obtained a permit from the town Building Department. Aside from a demolition permit, there was no need for Planning Board or Zoning Board of Appeals actions that would have brought it to public attention and to the attention of the Town Board. All that was required was the demolition permit from the Building Department.

Knowledge of the demolition came to John Colby Jr., a Village of Dering Harbor trustee, as he was researching the history of Gardiner’s Bay Country Club. The Thomas Dering House once was the club’s original clubhouse, named “Manhanset House.”

Mr. Colby announced the demolition of one of the oldest houses on the Island at a meeting of the village’s Architectural Review Board (ARB) in March. “I’m just shocked that it happened,” he said.

Although the village has an ARB, the town of Shelter Island does not.

Site plan review?
The Town Board made a move in May toward holding a public hearing on legislation requiring all commercial property owners to formally submit plans for development — a process called site plan review. Shelter Island is the only town on the East End lacking one

But so far no action has been taken.

Site plan review, if approved, would include requirements by owners to outline the uses of a property and detailed descriptions of parking, trash, signage and more.

The purpose of the site plan review legislation, stated in a draft of legislation prepared by Town Attorney Laury Dowd, is to “mitigate the environmental impacts of new development on the land, and water resources” and “prevent overcrowding of land or buildings.”

The issue came to a head when Supervisor Jim Dougherty said at a work session in the spring that “Route 114, north and south of the Center, is becoming an eyesore and maybe we have to be a little more careful in our review of proposed projects. We want to be respectful of people, but we want to meet our responsibilities.”

Two properties in particular caught the board’s attention. One is a storage facility at 18 North Ferry Road owned by John Sieni. The town issued a building permit in February and work began, but then a stop work order was issued, because, according to the Building Department, the original permit “was issued in error” since the development “constitutes expansion of a pre-existing, non-conforming use.”

The other property in question is just down the street, 13 North Ferry Road, owned by Dan Calabro and leased to Marcello Masonry. The board discussed this site several times over the last several months because of its unsightly appearance and noise. Earlier in they year the board heard complaints about the operation of a concrete grinding machine on the premises.

Money, money, money
Hearings on financing 2017 were relatively smooth, with the board coming up with a $10.77 million budget and a raise of 5.7 percent of the tax levy.

But things became heated late last month over money matters when Supervisor Jim Dougherty broke with his colleagues as well as the superintendent of highways and the town engineer on moving money for road repaving.

On a resolution to move funds from one account to another for the work, Mr. Dougherty was outvoted 4-1 by his colleagues and after the vote angrily warned that the board was playing fast and loose with the tax payers’ money.

Mr. Dougherty reiterated opinions he had aired previously, that moving $100,000 from the town’s “A Class account,” which is normally not used for operational purposes, to the Highway Roads Improvement account, is irresponsible. He noted that roads listed by Superintendent of Highways JayCard Jr. do not need repaving and that there is no guarantee grant money promised by the state, which would be used to reimburse the town account, will ever be deposited.

“Since I’ve been in office I’ve told my colleagues that I see the priorities as ticks, taxes and the aquifer,” Mr. Dougherty said. “My colleagues seem to be reversing that to roads, ticks and the aquifer. And as for taxes — watch out.”

He noted that $130,000 in the current budget is enough for road maintenance.

His colleagues roundly rejected the supervisor’s claims and the money was transferred.

Long term on short-term rentals
A late January date has been set for a public hearing to discuss a draft of new regulations for homeowners who rent rooms or their entire houses on a short-term basis when they are not on the premises.

The board has been engaged with the issue since the spring. Several meetings have been packed with residents demanding strict regulations on length of stay and the number of times a homeowner can rent their premises on a short term basis, and residents who want minimum restrictions.

The issue arose when residents of Sylvan Road packed Town Hall at an early June meeting with complaints about renters on their street partying until late at night with loud music and publicly displaying drunken behavior at all hours. The renters were staying in non-owner occupied houses and most had booked their weekend stays online.

But then, the board heard from numerous residents who were just as vocal, arguing that they rented to families and polite couples and needed to rent their houses to supplement their income and make mortgage payments. It was also mentioned that short-term rentals bring tourist dollars to the Island, helping local merchants and those employed in the hospitality business.

The debate dragged on throughout the summer into the fall, with the subject on the board’s agenda nearly every week.

In July, draft legislation was in the works, but then scrapped, and Councilman Jim Colligan was tasked to come up with a formula for numbers of times a house not occupied by the owner can be rented and limiting the length of stays. This too, was scrapped, and now a draft of legislation to be heard at a January 27 public hearing has no restrictions on length of stays or how many times a residence can be rented with no homeowner on site.

The board has heard from residents that a meeting at the end of January for such an important issue is unfair since the Island’s population is at its lowest during the depth of winter.

“I don’t know if there’s a right answer to this, “ Councilman Paul Shepherd said earlier this month. But he speculated that the hearing might be kept open after the January meeting.

The board’s work on short-term rentals continues to be a long-term proposition.

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