Southampton Town Eyes Ban on New Docks in Peconic Bay

The Town of Southampton Board is considering a proposal to ban new private docks in Peconic Bay similar to a measure already in place in the Town of Southold.

Councilmembers appeared inclined to support the initiative to amend the town code, Chapter 111 Article VI, and end piecemeal decision-making on private dock permits, during a Jan. 27 public hearing that is followed by a written public comment period through the end of February.

“The bay beaches are only public up to the mean high-water mark. So that really makes them extremely vulnerable to any augmentation that alters the shoreline,” Peconic Baykeeper Executive Director Pete Topping said at the hearing. “It’s a community, so our bays and shorelines are not a real estate investment to be privatized for the benefit and the profit of the few. They’re a vital part of our community.” 

The proposal was originally brought to a Dec. 4 town board work session by Town Planning and Development Administrator Janice Scherer and Assistant Town Attorney Kelly Doyle. At the December meeting, Doyle described how changes in the natural environment, caused by climate change, combined with large residential homes increasingly replacing small seasonal cottages, could lead to what she described as a “proliferation of docks” and an impeded landscape as a result. 

Some residents had already expressed opposition to the proposed ban in writing, Councilmember Pell acknowledged. Emma Ungaro, Sag Harbor, joined their opposition and described how her home, once her grandmother’s, had lost beach access over her lifetime due to erosion. 

“I grew up being able to go down to the water and the beach. We had an incredible stretch, and all of my childhood memories are being able to go down there and swim and hunt for shells with my grandmother,” Ungaro said. “We were just hoping to be able to continue to enjoy the bay through a dock, and it would absolutely change our quality of life out there.” 

Suffolk County Legislator Ann Welker (D-Southampton) urged the board to move ahead with the private dock ban in order to “provide further protection for precious bay beaches.”