Preservationists fight Peter Kalikow’s Montauk dock extension


Peter Kalikow and his Montauk dock

Preservation organization the Concerned Citizens of Montauk has filed suit against the town of East Hampton, following a decision June 28 by the town’s Zoning Board of Appeals to allow an expansion of Montauk’s largest dock by New York real estate honcho and former Metropolitan Transportation Authority Chairman Peter Kalikow.

The zoning board, CCOM said in a statement, failed to comply with a state environmental impact statement before approving the application from Kalikow, who wished to build a 15-foot dock extension, relocate existing pilings and legalize a boat lift at the site. It also allegedly ignored its previous ruling stating that no further extensions to the dock would be allowed.

The dock currently occupies 1,600 square feet. East Hampton has limited residential docks to 400 square feet since 1992.

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“The most vexing part of all this, aside from the devastating impacts to the critical natural resources, is that the town did not have the courage to stand by its prior determination in telling Mr. Kalikow that ‘no more’ means no more,” sad Robert Stern, president of CCOM.

Before the zoning board, Kalikow’s attorney admitted that the existing dock meant the loss of an acre of eelgrass, but said the extension would ultimately be for the greater good of the area.

The lawsuit, the second filed by CCOM concerning the dock, seeks to have Kalikow conduct a detailed environmental assessment of the plan.

Kalikow was not immediately available for comment. — Katherine Clarke