Shelter Island thwarts wealthy with ‘mega’ mansion ban

Shelter Island is thwarting millionaire wannabe residents hoping to build “mega’’ mansions on the chic Long Island isle by at least temporarily banning the construction of huge homes.

Town officials in mid-May unanimously approved a halt to issuing the special permits needed to build single-family houses of more than 5,999 square feet, Newsday reported.

Officials in the popular summer town said the at least six-month break will give them time to reevaluate the town’s zoning regulations and how such “mega” mansions impact the year-round community of 3,200, which increases to about 10,000 during the summertime.

The effort will include determining how adding more gargantuan homes to the tiny town’s already growing stock would affect the local environment, such as water quality, officials said.

“There have been large homes along the waterfront, but now they’re creeping everywhere,” Town Attorney Stephen Kiely told Newsday. “A lot of money is being dumped out here.”

Sprawling ocean-front homes typically seen in areas such the trendy Hamptons began popping up on Shelter Island in recent years, and several more massive structures are currently in the planning process — with more waiting in the wings.

Kiely said that between 2018 and 2021, there were four applications for special permits to build homes of 6,000 square feet or more, but in 2022 alone, the number jumped up to five applications.

“In larger towns, that doesn’t seem like much, but in this town it is,” he said.

Kiely proposed the moratorium in March, as the board continued to work to update the town’s comprehensive zoning plan. The moratorium was previously proposed as a year-long pause but then shortened to six months.

The pause has been welcomed by many locals, according to Councilman James Colligan.

“What took you so long?” he said some residents told him of the moratorium.

But some wealthy sea lovers looking to build a manse with a spectacular ocean-front view on the island have taken issue with the moratorium.

Southhampton lawyer John Bennett said the pause unfairly targets a client’s pending application to build a 12,000-square-foot home overlooking the bay near Crescent Beach.

“I understand when sometimes, within reason, there’s a need for a moratorium, but this is clearly not one of them,” he told Newsday.

“Where’s the emergency? Where’s the overwhelming number of applications?” he added.

Kiely said the moratorium was not in response to that specific application but because officials were concerned over the increase in applications.

The Suffolk County Planning Commission recommended approving the moratorium during a May 3 meeting, noting it was specific enough to “not restrict all development on any or all parcels within the town.”

After six months the town board can consider extending the moratorium.