Shinnecock Shores: For Some, A Paradise All Year Long

Jutting out into Shinnecock Bay, Shinnecock Shores in East Quogue is among the largest private communities in the Town of Southampton.

There is only one way in by land, but there are dozens of access points for seafaring residents—nearly all of the 244 homes have a canal side as well as a street side, as the community has literally been carved out with canals along dead-end streets with names like Barracuda and Dolphin.

Shinnecock Shores has been popular with summer residents and weekenders for generations; of late it has been evolving, with some people living there all year-round and others driven away by rising waters that once rolled into sandy beaches but now crash against bulkheads.

Those who do stay remain passionate about their waterside enclave.

The neighborhood is a boater’s dream, a reality most evident during summer, when vessels of all sizes and styles occupy the canals. The homes range from small one-story cottages to more extravagant two-story ones, some with gazebos and hot tubs from which residents wave at neighbors floating by on their way to the bay.

“This is our paradise,” said Linda Amato of Whiting Lane. “You drive down the street, everybody waves to each other. It’s really a very tight-knit community. I love it here—love it, love it, love it.”

Now that Manhattanites have returned to the city and snowbirds to warmer parts, the neighborhood has quieted down. But as many as a quarter of the homes stay occupied year-round, a growing trend, said Robert Amato, who is Ms. Amato’s husband and president of the Shinnecock Shores Association. Many year-rounders are attracted to the scenic views and tranquility, as well as access to the East Quogue School District.

The neighborhood has been in a state of flux, with homes being built up, torn down or listed for sale following recent storms like Irene in 2011 and Sandy in 2012.

The latter damaged many residences, in some cases knocking out utilities for weeks and in others making homes unfit for occupancy.

Mr. Amato said three-quarters of the residences are in a flood zone, with the lowest-lying properties on Shinnecock Road, the easternmost street. The road resembled a “war zone” after Hurricane Sandy, he said.

“The houses that are on Shinnecock Road had waves literally breaking against the back of the house,” he said. “The whole back sides of some of these houses were blown out.”

Since then, a number of homes have been raised on pilings, while others were razed. Some residents decided it was time to cut their losses and get out.

Richard Andre was among those who opted to leave rather than stay on and renovate his house on Shinnecock Road. His parents had purchased the property in 1959, and he’d spent summers there since he was 11. He lived in the home year-round from 2001 to 2013. Now 66 and in North Carolina, he said he can recall a beach between 40 and 60 feet wide extending from his backyard. In recent years, however, with rising sea levels in the bay, high tide meant water would splash up against his backyard bulkhead.

“That trend is continuing, and people are finally starting to realize that, and they can’t continue with business as usual as you did 30, 40 years ago, because it’s just too costly,” he said.

The oldest homes are now more than 60 years old, worn by decades of harsh winter winds blowing off the bay. Flood insurance rates are also rising for homes that remain at ground level, Mr. Andre said.

He said these new challenges spell the beginning of a new era, one that will be ushered in by new residents willing to make the necessary changes. The person he sold his house to was already in the process of raising it 14 feet above ground and fortifying it.

“It’s now a very different community from what it was in its infancy, and it’s changed probably more in the last 20 years than the previous 30 because of the construction and the type of people coming into the community,” Mr. Andre said. “It’s a younger demographic taking over properties that were once owned by their parents and grandparents.”

Mr. Amato said he hopes to rekindle some time-honored traditions, including an annual picnic at the “Waterworks,” a piece of community-owned land that once housed the development’s water supply—now long publicly sourced—and today is home to a playground and open space. The association also is looking into building a community center on the Waterworks property to host events and provide a shelter on the highest ground in the community in case of flooding.

And this past summer, Ms. Amato formed a community group called the Angels of Shinnecock Shores, 18 women tasked with taking care of sick and elderly residents.

Georgianne Nardi, one of the angels and a year-round resident, said the community feels tight-knit, with year-rounders often acting as watchdogs in winter.

Although many things have changed since Ms. Nardi began summering in Shinnecock Shores in the 1960s, when her husband Joseph’s family purchased a home there, she said the maritime culture is still very much a part of the neighborhood.

She credits summers spent on the water with keeping her three children out of trouble. Her son John Nardi, now the president of the New York Shipping Association, found not only a summer job guiding charter fishing trips, but ultimately a career connected to the water.

“It’s a good place for children to grow up and for adults to meet each other,” Ms. Nardi said of the development.