The team updating Shelter Island’s long-term vision land-use guidance has posted the Draft Comprehensive Plan on the Town website and outlined public review options.
[UPDATE: The Town released the 11th and final chapter of the draft plan on Tuesday, September 19]
The Comprehensive Plan Task Force will host a public review on Saturday, September 23, at the Shelter Island Community Center (1 Bateman Road, corner of School Street). There will be a presentation at 11 AM, then an open house, followed by a public hearing at 12:15 PM. After the public hearing, the open house will continue until 4 PM.
BFJ Planning, the firm hired to aid in finalizing the plan, will give the presentation. During the open house, the consultants and members of the task force and Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee will man stations for each chapter, answer participants’ questions, and accept feedback. The task force will run the public hearing, a formal requirement.
Other public review options
If you are unable to attend or prefer to submit comments in writing, you can do so on the Comprehensive Plan Update page of the Town website. The chapters are posted separately; at the end of each is a link to submit comments.
You can also read printed copies at Town Hall during regular business hours and send comments to the CPU clerk, Coco Lee Thuman, at cthuman@shelterislandtown.gov or CPU Clerk c/o Town of Shelter Island, PO Box 1549, Shelter Island, NY 11964.
Please note that regardless of format, all comments are subject to the Freedom of Information Law and may be posted on the Town website. To assist the CPU team in keeping track of comments, you must submit them by chapter.
Town Board and SEQR
The consultants expect to present a final draft to the Town Board sometime in October. The Town Board will schedule its Comprehensive Plan public hearing and engage in the required State Environmental Quality Review (SEQR).
Other entities may also choose to weigh in on the plan. For example, the Suffolk County Planning Commission reviews municipal comprehensive plans and updates to ensure they comply with regional goals.
The Town Planning Board, among other agencies, may also check the document and provide feedback. Absent significant challenges, the document will be poised for adoption by the Town Board.
Draft Comprehensive Plan and what’s to come
Councilwoman Meg Larsen — a CPU task force member — said the 10 chapters posted today represent work done since 2020 by Town elected officials, staff, volunteer board and committee members, and the 9-member volunteer Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee, along with extensive public input.
“The consultants provided expertise and helped to polish the drafts making some minor adjustments,” she said in a phone call.
The 10 chapters total about 175 pages, some with placeholders for images yet to be selected. If you think your original photos would fit well, you can submit them for consideration. Please email them to the CPU clerk at cthuman@shelterislandtown.gov.
The 11th and final chapter, posted on Tuesday, September 19th, is an implementation matrix that will serve as a “To-Do List” for future Town action on the plan’s recommendations, Larsen said.
It includes all action items within the plan along with a description, a notation of which Town departments and committees would be involved in addressing the item, and a rating of one to five for complexity and cost.
