Shelter Island board closes contested Charlie’s Lane dock hearing, declines to remand to advisory committee

The Town Board closed the reopened public hearing for a dock application at 2 Charlie’s Lane and voted against returning the matter to the Waterfront Marine Advisory Committee (WMAC) for further review. The application, by X V Property LLC (Carol Perry and Kathy Datona), proposes removal of certain piles, a seasonal floating platform and a ramp; earlier approvals and DEC permits were cited in the record.

Applicants and supporters argued the proposal reduces piling and improves safety; residents and others pressed technical concerns about low-water depths and whether a 42-foot boat would still be usable if the town shortened the original dock. Resident Harry Tuttons said measurements show “less than a foot” of water at low tide in the area and warned that moving the float 7 feet could render the dock unusable for his 42-foot boat. Board members debated whether the WMAC had fully understood the application at its prior meeting and whether the issue was a code-interpretation question for staff and the town attorney or an advisory-board matter. The board ultimately voted to close the hearing without sending it back to WMAC (Chair, Elizabeth and Benjamin voted to close; Albert opposed).