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Residents and association split over proposed Oak Island community dock at Town of Babylon hearing
Summary
At a March 11 Town of Babylon board meeting, opponents warned a proposed Oak Island Beach Association community dock would harm the environment and burden many homeowners, while proponents said the association approved the plan and state and federal agencies reviewed the site. The board continued the public hearing and reserved decision.
The Town of Babylon Board continued a public hearing March 11 on a variance sought by the Oak Island Beach Association to install a six‑slip community dock, hearing extended arguments both for and against the proposal.
Opponent Dorne Morrison told the board the association already has about 22 private docks and, she said, an estimated 38 open boat slips in midsummer 2025, asserting “there is unequivocally no need for an additional mooring facility at Oak Beach.” Morrison raised environmental concerns, saying the proposed structure could disturb marine habitat and worsen navigation as a sandbar expands toward the shore. She also warned of increased boat and vehicle traffic, noise and parking pressure and argued the dock’s costs would fall on all homeowners while directly benefitting only a few.
Board member testimony and submissions entered into the record show community division over the plan. Proponent John Longo, identified as an Oak Island Beach Association board member, said the association voted to approve the dock, reporting a 34–28 vote in favor at an earlier meeting and citing a later survey he described as 46 in favor, seven opposed and five abstaining. Longo said the association consulted with the Babylon Fire Department about roadway access, and he told the board the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation had reviewed the proposed location. He said the project would be funded by a bond repaid by dock fees and that there would be no onsite parking.
Resident Sal Javasi, who said he is building a private dock, pressed the board for procurement and cost details. Javasi said his own 110‑foot dock quote was about $120,000 and asked why, he said, only one bid for the community dock appears on the record and who is posting the bond. He asked whether any board member had a financial stake that could create a conflict, a concern he said left some neighbors feeling excluded from decisionmaking.
Councilman Gregory presided over the hearing after Supervisor Schaer recused himself for a conflict related to past representation. The board accepted multiple written submissions into the record and allowed new speakers; at the end of the public comment the board moved to close and reserve the hearing. The transcript records the motion and second but does not record a roll‑call tally or a final vote on the resolution within the recorded segments.
The hearing remains open for the board’s further consideration; no final decision on the variance was recorded in the provided transcript.
