Southampton Town Seeks To Rein in Noyac Marina After Neighbors Rally in Opposition

Southampton Town has placed a stop-work order on Yacht Hampton, the former Hidden Cove Marina on Pine Neck Avenue in Noyac, citing the business for failure to obtain approvals for work that was done at the site throughout the summer.

The town took action on September 1 after a growing number of neighbors complained about the expansion of the business from a sleepy marina to one offering large charter rentals and salon-like services, including massages.

“He’s not been getting approvals for any of the stuff he’s been doing there,” said Southampton Town Public Safety and Emergency Management Administrator Ryan Murphy of owner Joe Ialacci, who paid $7.2 million for the property and took over in June.

“There are potential planning and zoning approvals needed,” Murphy continued. “A lot of it is change of use. Previously, it was just a marina. Maybe there was a bait shop where you could also pick up a bag of chips, but nothing significant.”

Reached on Tuesday, Ialacci said, it was his intention to bring the property into compliance. “I’ve hired a lawyer and professionals that will work with town agencies,” he said. “I want to work with the neighbors, not against them.”

But Southampton Town Councilman Tommy John Schiavoni said he wasn’t sure that Ialacci’s offer to cooperate with neighbors would be that well-received. “The community is organized, it has mobilized,” he said, referring to a well-attended meeting at Circle Beach on Labor Day weekend, a letter-writing campaign to The Sag Harbor Express, and repeated complaints made to the town.

“All together, about 30 to 40 households, about 60 people and growing, are trying to figure out where this thing is going,” said William Hale, who lives in the neighborhood. “Many of us are here year-round; we are going to keep a close eye on them between now and next summer.”

Hale added that Ialacci was trying to bring a hip vibe to a decidedly low-key part of the town. “This is about as far from the fabulous Hamptons as you can get,” he said of Pine Neck.

Schiavoni concurred. Yacht Hampton “is nestled into a tightly knit neighborhood,” he said. “It has existed since the 1920s and always has been a safe haven.”

Advertisements in The Brooklyn Eagle newspaper offered working-class families an opportunity to buy a 50-by-100-foot lot, where they could build a modest cottage and enjoy their summers, he said.

Of the marina itself, Schiavoni said, “They used to fix 35-horse Evinrude engines in that place.”

Yacht Hampton recently filed an application for a liquor license with the New York State Liquor Authority — and Schiavoni said the town had submitted a letter opposing that application.

He said the town would also continue to keep its eye on the operation to make sure more work is not done without permits.

For their part, neighbors say Ialacci had allowed his boats to tie up overnight at the town dock next to his property and improperly brought a fuel truck to that dock to fuel his boats. They also say the new, larger boats using the marina are too big for the narrow channel and churn up the bottom when they maneuver into their slips.

Yacht Hampton has erected a lounge area near the docks and used another building to offer massages and other spa services, neighbors say.

Neighbors fear Ialacci’s long-term plan is to create a nightclub or bar and restaurant at the site.

Earlier this month, Ialacci attended a meeting of the Noyac Civic Council to answer questions about his plans for the marina. Elena Loretto, the council’s longtime president, said this week that the organization was not going to take a position on the dispute between neighbors and the business now.

“We are interested in what happens in the community,” she said. “We are just waiting to see what happens. We do not try to negotiate between neighbors.”

He promised that things would be quiet, at least for the time being. “The season’s over,” he said. “It’s back to being a sleepy marina.”

Ialacci said he would be willing to meet with any neighbor who is concerned about his plans, saying he maintained “an open-door policy.”