Sylvester Manor Site Plan Hearing Set, Residents to Weigh In March 16

After more than two years of meetings with the Shelter Island Town Board, the Zoning Board of Appeals and the Planning Board, residents got their say March 16 on the site plan for Sylvester Manor Educational Farm, where a $13 million renovation project hangs in the balance.

The application, filed by Sylvester Manor Educational Farm, Inc. at 80 North Ferry Road, covers interior and exterior renovations to the 1737 Manor House, removal of a 1960 cabana addition at the north elevation, upgrades to mechanical, electrical, plumbing and fire detection and suppression systems, new sanitary infrastructure, ADA access points, walkways and landscaping. The applicant also proposed relocating a generator, diesel fuel tank, heat pump condenser unit and transformer on the property. Grants already received must be put to work on the project, and permits remain pending from the Suffolk County Department of Health Services and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.

The Planning Board sent a pointed memorandum to the Town Board on March 13, three days after meeting with Executive Director Stephen Searl. Chairwoman Julia Weisenberg and member Sean Davy signaled they were not opposed to the project outright, but Davy described information provided on the mapping of sites as "garbage." The memo, addressed to the Town Board and referencing the property's SCTM number 0700-08-01-5.10 in Zones AA and B, flagged inadequate detail on how Sylvester Manor's 236 acres would actually be used. "The submissions provided made it very difficult to envision how the property would be used," the Board wrote, calling on the applicant to document how each area of the property has been used over the last 10 years and how it intends to use each area going forward. The Board also flagged concerns about traffic access, off-street and handicap parking, and the extent of disturbance to the parcel, citing Town Code sections 109-3(A)(1), 109-3(A)(2) and 109-3(A)(14).

Noise from concerts emerged as a flashpoint. The memo's inclusion of noise mitigation language came after local critic Mike Gaynor raised the issue directly with Manor officials, who indicated the memo would address the need to mitigate noise during concerts alongside other concerns Gaynor had voiced.

Gaynor also pushed for a pair of recusals before any vote could take place. He challenged Councilwoman Liz Hanley to step aside, arguing that she and her husband, Planning Board member David Austin, had spoken in favor of the site plan before assuming their current positions. Hanley confirmed both she and Austin would recuse themselves. Councilman Benjamin Dyett, a former president and board member of Sylvester Manor, was also considered likely to recuse. With those three sidelined, approval of the site plan would require the votes of Supervisor Amber Brach-Williams, Deputy Supervisor Meg Larsen and Councilman Albert Dickson.

Sylvester Manor began developing rehabilitation plans for the 1737 Manor House in 2020 and submitted its formal application to the Town in early 2024. The ZBA held a public hearing on the application at Shelter Island Town Hall on June 25, 2025, and subsequently enabled the property's transition from residential to educational and nonprofit use. Funding sources include a $1.8 million grant from the New York State Council on the Arts. The property spans 236 acres and has operated as a working farm on more than 60 of those acres since 2008.