Asharoken offers new plan for public access to private beaches

The Village of Asharoken has offered up five access points where the public could enter the community's private beach -- two more than in its last plan, which the Army Corps of Engineers deemed "unacceptable."

The village would be trading its private beaches for millions in federal dollars to restore dunes damaged in superstorm Sandy. Many residents have resisted this idea, arguing their land will lose its value if their beachfront property is open to the public.

Federal law requires that anywhere the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers does work or improvements must become public land because of the use of taxpayer dollars.

Mayor Gregory Letica didn't return calls and emails seeking comment on the plan, which is dated Nov. 18. In addition, officials with the Army Corps of Engineers said the appropriate expert wasn't available to comment Monday on the project.

While the village's latest draft submission to the Corps concedes that there would be five access points, it doesn't specify where the village would like the two spots that would be in addition to the three offered up in their first proposal.

Instead, it says that the two additional access points would be somewhere between the homes at 174 Asharoken Ave. and 242 Asharoken Ave., and between homes at 266 Asharoken Ave. and 341 Asharoken Ave.

For each of those access points, the village would purchase two 6-foot-wide parcels of land that would have enough space for one car to drop off beach visitors, but no place for parking.

The village has proposed parking at two points -- three spots at the northwestern end of the Isthmus, and about 20 spots near the Soundview Boat Ramp at the southeastern stretch of Asharoken.

The five access points would be spread roughly a half mile apart.