Here’s one for the history buffs! A quiet feud between the State of New York and the Town of Oyster Bay over the Town’s underwater boundary has been resolved (for now) in Murphy v. Town of Oyster Bay, — N.Y.S.3d —-, 2019 WL 1646259 (N.Y.A.D. 2 Dept.), 2019 N.Y. Slip Op. 02887.

On January 1, 2010, the Plaintiff, Brian

Continue Reading Andros Patent Studied in Dispute Over Oyster Bay Boundary: This Clam Is Your Clam, This Clam Is My Clam

A few days ago, the Town Supervisor of the Town of Southampton and the Town Trustee President sent a letter to the State Comptroller and State Park Commissioner requesting an opinion as to whether Town Trustee property, known as Hayground Cove or the Rose Hill Drive Boat Ramp, a small waterfront area with a boat launch, is parkland.  If so,
Continue Reading Southampton Trustees-Possible Thorny Parkland Alienation Issue On Rose Hill Drive

Now more than ever, climate resiliency along our coastlines is an important aspect of long range municipal planning.   Back in 1981, the New York State Legislature enacted the Waterfront Revitalization of Coastal Areas and Inland Waterways Act, N.Y. Exec. Law § 910. (the “NYS Coastal and Waterways Act”).

Coastal communities and communities on designated inland waterways are eligible to
Continue Reading New York’s Local Waterfront Revitalization Programs (“LWRPs”) And Climate Change

Kadir van Lohuizen / NOOR for New York Times Climate change / sea-level rise in Fiji The shoreline of Vunidoloa is heavily eroded due to the rising waters. Vunidoloa is situated on the Natewa Bay on Viti Levu, Fiji's main island. Vunidoloa has 140 inhabitants and frequently floods due to the rising waters. The situ ation became so precarious that the government decided to relocate the village. Unfortunately the site was poorly designed and is eroding before anyone moved there.

Asharoken, N.Y. January 10, 2017 — Swayed by public opinion, the Incorporated Village of Asharoken (“Asharoken”) opted out of a federal beach nourishment plan implemented by the Army Corp of Engineers (“ACOE”) in order to prevent the general public from accessing the Villages’ private beaches.

Asharoken is a narrow isthmus connecting the Village of Northport on the ‘mainland’ of Long

Continue Reading Village of Asharoken Opts Out of Federal Beach Project

aid157119-728px-Install-Posts-in-the-Water-for-a-Dock-or-Pier-Step-1  In New York, as a general rule, the touchstone of riparian rights has been the ownership of land touching a navigable waterway. See Bromberg v. Morton 64 AD2d 684 [2d Dept 1978].  As a result, unless expressly reserved by deed, if a waterfront lot is partitioned, any resulting lot that no longer physically touches the water  becomes non-waterfront property and 

Continue Reading Riparian Easements And Waterfront Lands

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Rising sea levels and erosion have caused severe damage to Asharoken Avenue, the only road into or out of the Village of Asharoken.  These conditions continue to endanger the lives and property of the people that live in Eatons Neck.  Yet, despite the potential benefits from a multi-million dollar federally funded project that will protect Asharoken Avenue, the Village remains

Continue Reading The Village of Asharoken Faces A Rising Tide

beach erosionThree distinct common law rules deal with the capricious nature of the shoreline.  These terms are referred to in the legal community as accretion, erosion and avulsion.

“Accretion” is the term which applies to the gradual increase or acquisition of land by the action of natural forces washing up sand, soil or silt from the water course or seashore.  The
Continue Reading Accretion, Erosion and Avulsion