2 Photos
A Montauk resident’s home is in danger of falling off an ocean cliff, and to prevent that very costly and damaging possibility, he wants to add to a rock revetment to slow further erosion.
At an East Hampton Town Zoning Board of Appeals meeting on Tuesday, July 15, property owner John Ryan, represented by engineer Drew Bennett and attorney Anthony Pasca, explained the need for such a structure, despite opposition from the town’s Planning Department and some citizen groups.
Adding to the revetment is said to be Mr. Ryan’s last resort after he moved his home back from the bluff in 2007 and later added a stone revetment with town permission in 2011. After Superstorm Sandy and subsequent nor’easters hit, the bluff lost approximately 30 feet, leaving only 40 feet between the bluff and his home, according to Mr. Bennett. On Surfside Avenue, Mr. Ryan’s property sits adjacent to Shadmoor State Park.
To add insult to injury, the bluff has also been eaten away by groundwater runoff and a stream of water that runs through a gully just east of Mr. Ryan’s property.
To guard against the bluff crumbling further from the constant rush of water, the new construction would add 185 feet of linear stone armor, 15 feet tall, against the bluff. It would taper down to 6 feet toward the western property line to reduce an expected 50 feet of scouring along the beach west of the revetment.
The Town Planning Department in its environmental assessment said adding to the revetment has a high potential to significantly change the existing coastal dynamics seaward of and adjacent to the structure by accelerating erosion and scouring the beach. The department is recommending that the ZBA deny the application or do further environmental review.
Attorney Carl Irace, representing the Concerned Citizens of Montauk, said, “This is a story about impacts.” Mr. Irace said the revetment could harm the environment and create a domino effect causing neighbors to the west to build their own revetments. The cumulative effect would be the loss of beach and beach access, he maintained.
Tom Muse, a Montauk resident who frequents the beach, said he’s concerned that there is no room to put the revetment and that there is no guarantee it would be installed correctly.
Mr. Irace and others asked the ZBA to consider requiring a draft environmental impact study before making a decision.
On Monday, Mr. Irace said it’s too big of a deal not to.
“This is an application that has serious adverse environmental consequences, and those consequences also affect the economy of our town,” he said. “I urge the board to seek the scientific data that they need to fully evaluate those consequences.”
But Mr. Bennett on Thursday said time is wasting and that the revetment has been designed to decrease the possibility of scouring. It would only take effect on Mr. Ryan’s property and some feet to the west, Mr. Bennett said. He said the structure would last about 30 years and would protect primarily against storm events like Hurricane Irene and nor’easter storms.
Mr. Pasca said this is about addressing an extreme problem and that the ZBA would not set a precedent by granting a variance for the structure.
“I know revetments are unpopular and the last resort and people want to talk about it like it’s a bad thing, but the code does allow for structures under extreme circumstances,” Mr. Pasca said. “If this isn’t the project that fits that extreme circumstance, then nothing is.
“Nothing in this town will ever satisfy that criteria and you might as well erase the code ... but that’s not your job, it’s the Town Board’s job to decide whether to do away with it 100 percent and just condemn all the properties and let them die a slow death as the bluff recedes and houses fall into the ocean.”
ZBA Chairman John Whelan said the public record will remain open until August 5, and on August 12 speakers who presented on Tuesday night will again be able to comment on any of the new documents submitted to the board.
Shaye Weaver on Jul 21, 2014