Residents To Town: 'Save Mattituck Inlet' From Marina's Expansion

MATTITUCK, NY — A proposal for two new boat storage buildings in Mattituck has sparked a sea of opposition from residents who are concerned about the project's impact on the environment, as well as quality of life.

The plan for the Strong's Marine storage buildings, which would be sited at 3430 Mill Road in Mattituck, would include the construction of two boat storage facilities, one at 52,500 square feet and the other at 49,000 square feet, located on 32.6 acres in the Marine II, and R-80, or residential, zoning districts where there are currently 69,245 square feet feet of existing boatyard buildings.

Owner Jeff Strong has said in past months that the project will bring new jobs to the area; Strong could not immediately be reached for comment to respond to concerns put forth by the "Save the Mattituck Inlet" group.

Some residents feel the proposal would be detrimental to the environment, including Mattituck Inlet, and have created the group called "Save the Mattituck Inlet" to raise awareness about the project.

Anne Sherwood Pundyk, an artist and writer who moved her studio to Mattituck in 2014, lives and work on the North Fork year-round.

"I am, however, not a newcomer to the area. My grandparents, who themselves were the third generation to live in Orient, are buried at Orient Point," she said. "I have come with my family to the North Fork throughout my life. The light here is unique, created from a blend of direct sunlight and light reflected from the many bodies of water, including the Sound, the bay and the Mattituck Inlet. The North Fork also has woodlands, wetlands, shorelines and farmlands, which all contribute in their own way to a unique transcendent natural beauty."

She added that it was with a "mix of horror and personal disappointment" that she learned of the proposed project, which is about a quarter-mile from her home.

"Two 55-foot high, outsized yacht storage buildings, each the size of a football field, have been proposed to be built after excavating an entire wooded hillside on the Mattituck Inlet. The size of the project is completely out of character for the Mattituck Inlet," she said. "Nearly 500 trees will be destroyed along with their understory habitats for flora and fauna. The 134,000 cubic yards of sand excavated will not only destabilize the adjacent public open space woodland preserve, but promote erosion, affect runoff, and potentially impact groundwater and local well water."

A flyer put out by the group expresses concerns about the trucks they believe "will be going back and forth continuously" between the hours of 9 a.m. and 4 pm., six days a week, for months, "on narrow, local residential roads used by pedestrians, bicyclists and school buses."

Residents are also concerned about pollution to the waterway, "potential impacts of strip-mining the hillside and destroying the forest areas"; disruption of ground water wells, destruction of ecosystems and the impacts on property values, the flyer said.

The "Save the Mattituck Inlet" group have a Facebook group; they have has urged residents with concerns to provide written comments to the Southold Town planning board, to be included in the draft scope of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the project's application.

Those comments are due by Monday, Dec. 7, and should be sent to Brian A. Cumming at brian.cummings@town.southold.ny.us

"I encourage anyone concerned about this project to write an email with their objections," Sherwood Pundyk said. "We will be continuing our effort to raise awareness about the project in the coming months while the application is reviewed."