16 atlantic walk
HIGH DENSITY HOUSING APPLICATION
UPDATE
Fire Island Pines Operations LLC, the owner of 16 Atlantic Walk and most of the commercial district in Fire Island Pines, has filed an unprecedented and potentially precedent-setting petition to the Brookhaven Zoning Board requesting exceptional approval to build a high-density non-conforming hotel-like commercial structure in a single-family zoned part of the island, initially intended to house staff. The building would consist of 24-bedrooms and 22-bathrooms feeding 14 sewage leaching fields. The 244 feet of sewage leaching fields are less than 5 feet from single-family home neighboring properties and less than 25 feet from adjacent sensitive wetlands.
The Friends of Fire Island Pines opposes this project on environmental concerns that include septic contamination, contamination of groundwater, and related threats to the fragile island infrastructure and its ecology.
We thank the 57+ homeowners whose letters of opposition were entered into the record at the Town of Brookhaven’s Zoning Appeals (BZA) meeting. Subsequent to the meeting, an additional 100+ signatures were obtained but may not have been allowed into the record for timing and procedural reasons. A representative from the Fire Island National Seashore was at every meeting to voice their strong opposition and threat of condemnation should the structure be built. On September 4, 2025, the application was closed by the BZA, and they will issue a decision within 62 days. We are closely monitoring this decision and will act accordingly and keep the community informed.
Please read on for a detailed rationale for our objection published on September 19, 2025.
Opposition to Zoning Applications for Unpermitted High Density Commercial Buildings in Residential Areas of Fire Island Pines
Fire Island Pines is an international treasure for the LGBTQ+ community. We need to protect it for generations to come. Our community is very unique in that it operates within the protected Fire Island National Seashore.
Fire Island Pines Operations LLC (the “Applicant”), under the leadership of and funded by the hotel and resort developer Tristan Schukraft, has applied to the Township of Brookhaven for a variance to use two single-family-zoned plots of land in the Pines for high-density commercial-residential use. The plans would demolish existing structures and rebuild high-density staff housing in their place.
Any redevelopment needs to be environmentally sound, to be supportable by our fragile infrastructure and ecosystem, to sustain the character of the Pines, and to comply with federal regulations designed to protect the island. The proposed buildings, while perhaps well-intentioned, do not meet these criteria. The proposed demolition and rebuilding of 16 Atlantic Walk, one of the two properties, does not meet these critical criteria. A similar proposal for the demolition and rebuilding of 28 Fire Island Boulevard is of great concern and is being evaluated by Friends of Fire Island Pines. The Fire Island National Seashore has threatened to condemn both structures if built as proposed.
We regret that both the Applicant and the FIPPOA Board have to date rebuffed overtures for non-adversarial dialogue and declined to consider genuine options that would be sustainable and appropriate for the fragile seashore environment and the legal-regulatory framework. The Applicant, while a welcomed newcomer to the Pines, has never lived here, has spent limited time here, and has interests that are largely commercial.
The Applicant has leveraged their considerable PR capabilities and financial resources to misrepresent the objections of the community, including the United States National Park Service’s Fire Island National Seashore, Fire Island Pines homeowners, long-term residents, and the Friends of Fire Island Pines. Furthermore, the Applicant has published a misleading letter designed to distract the community and to further the Applicant’s business goals. We seek to correct the record.
1. The Structure is NOT Compliant with the Building Code
a. This is not a house, it’s a commercial building, and it is not within code. It is a serious breach of the Department of the Interior’s specific regulations protecting Fire Island(C.F.R. Part 28) that defines residential and commercial zones. The Fire Island National Seashore (FINS) is the ultimate regulatory body of the land on which we reside. FINS has been a great friend to the Pines, allowing permits for the Pines Party and helping enable beach restoration. However, in an unprecedented fashion, the Fire Island National Seashore has formally opposed the proposed structures, both in writing and through in-person testimony, and indicated that if built, the properties would be subject to condemnation. FINS correctly identifies strained infrastructure, ecosystems, and the troubling precedent created by these structures. We support FINS’ position.
b. We object to the density and number of individuals housed for commercial purposes in a residential district. The Pines’ waste and water systems cannot accommodate the density requested on single-family plots of land. In the case of 16 Atlantic Walk as an example, 24 bedrooms and 22 associated bathrooms with a proposed and untested septic system of 14 septic fields surrounding the property, within a residential district on a single-family lot, are ludicrous. Imagine this structure next door to your house. The site on Atlantic Walk is already inundated with water during high tides and minimal rain, and the entire property is within a FEMA flood zone.
c. We remind the Applicant that current regulations may require that buildings adhere to the current “allowable use doctrine.” Based upon existing regulations and legal precedent, the Applicant could lose the grandfathered exception to use these properties for staff housing if the matter is escalated. No one wants to lose existing staff housing. We support it within the realm of appropriate standards and regulations.
2. The Building CAN Be Converted to a Hotel in the Future
The design and its considerable expense allow for the structure to be converted into a hotel in the future. Once it is built, the owner may petition for what’s termed an “alternative use” status under the claim that its use as commercial staff housing is no longer sustainable (such as for reasons of high the cost of staff housing within our small community). Any business leader might wish to reconsider the cost of housing staff in a 24-bedroom luxury building vs. the revenue that could be generated as a hotel if this structure were built.
3. There ARE Alternatives
It is absurd to claim there are no alternatives for staffing needs. The size of our commercial district has not substantively changed, and staff housing has been managed for decades. Multiple options exist for expansion, including but not limited to late-night and early morning boat transportation, appropriately upgraded existing structures, and properties that are more appropriately situated. A failure to consider these options raises the question that the Applicant has only begun their aggressive over-development of the island, which cannot be supported by our infrastructure and ecosystem.
4. This Is a Coalition of Homeowners, Long-Term Residents, and the Fire Island National Seashore
Objections to issuing an exceptional variance to zoning for these structures emanate from FINS, and a broad set of homeowners and long-term residents, not from any single individual or “competitor.” Fifty-seven individual letters of objection, mostly from homeowners, were filed with the Brookhaven Zoning Board, and more than 100 additional individual petitions were obtained objecting to offering an exception to zoning regulations for the proposed structure at 16 Atlantic Walk. These letters explicitly support better staff housing that is sustainable, environmentally appropriate, and consistent with the character of the island and compliant with federal regulations meant to protect Fire Island.
We cherish and respect staff who make Fire Island Pines the wonderful place it is to visit and to live, and we support appropriate plans for improved staff housing. We do not oppose commercial endeavors that follow the criteria for sustainability. We strongly support the need to sustain and enhance the enormous personal investment that homeowners have in their properties by ensuring that the ecosystem, infrastructure, and character of the Pines are maintained and improved. Failure to do so threatens our environment and our investments. We invite you to visit our website and contact us for additional information and to join our email list.
Respectfully Yours,
— Friends of Fire Island Pines