Letters

Environmentally minded Southampton residents should be concerned that “Madison Ave. Capital Partners” is asking the Southampton Village Zoning Board of Appeals for permission to build a long, elevated catwalk or dock across tidal wetlands at 1323 Meadow Lane — presented at the ZBA’s December 4 meeting. The ZBA appears poised to rubber-stamp it on January 15.

The location could not be more sensitive. The area between the home and Shinnecock Bay is not simply a “wetland” — it is a tidal wetland system, one of the healthiest and cleanest in the bay. These wetlands flood and drain with the tide, supporting fish, birds, shellfish, migratory species and the overall water quality of the bay. They provide storm protection and natural filtration, and they are part of publicly regulated ecological land — not an extension of anyone’s $15 million home (according to Zillow).

Yet, Madison Ave. Capital Partners wants a 146-foot elevated catwalk, plus an access ramp, and even an aluminum stairway installed directly in the tidal wetlands. Even the village’s own consultant described it as a “very long dock” and acknowledged that only a tiny sliver of dry land exists to anchor it.

Allowing a private structure to stretch across it would, in effect, turn public ecological land into a privatized amenity for a single property owner.

It is unclear how state and federal permits were quietly issued for this project. Approvals were reportedly granted by the State Department of Environmental Conservation, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Southampton Town Trustees, yet it’s possible that these agencies weren’t aware that the perimeter between the home and the bay had been cleared years earlier.

Another major oversight is that the tidal wetlands sit directly across from the Shinnecock Nation — but the village never recognized the nation as an “interested party,” and no one from the nation appears to have been notified or given legal standing. For a community with ancestral ties to these waters, this project is more than an eyesore — it affects an ecosystem that is part of their history, culture and identity.

A project like this does not just impact wetlands; it also creates an unfair financial advantage. A privatized walkway stretching across public tidal wetlands unquestionably increases the property’s market value. Yet, because of how Southampton calculates assessments, that increase will not meaningfully raise the property’s taxable assessed value. In effect, the homeowner receives a private benefit on public land, and a disproportionate break on property taxes — leaving everyone else to subsidize it. Talk about “insult to injury.”

Before the village sets precedent by allowing private docks across public tidal wetlands, the community deserves a clear explanation from Mayor Bill Manger why this project should move forward at all.

Jessica McNerney

Southampton Village