Beach access in Sea Cliff requires squeezing through foliage

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It’s beach season, but for some Sea Cliff residents getting to the water may be challenging. Leyland cypress trees block one of the passages to the water – a 10-foot wide, right-of-way passage that runs along a Sea Isle property, which is located in Glen Cove, but borders Sea Cliff on The Boulevard.

In 2008, a public access easement agreement made between the village and Jefferey Forchelli, the property owner, gave beachgoers admittance to Sea Cliff’s waterfront during the daytime.

The problem, according to Village Administrator Bruce Kennedy, is that Arthur Barbuto, the neighbor of Forchelli, allegedly planted the trees in 2009. Jim Byrne, Glen Cove’s director of public works, however, disputes this, saying that the trees were there for nearly 20 years. Residents of Sea Cliff have voiced their concern about the trees at recent board meetings and want the City of Glen Cove to resolve the situation.

Kennedy said Forchelli applied for a permit to have the trees removed, but Mayor Reginald Spinello denied it in 2016. “Mayor Spinello thinks that the residents of Sea Cliff cannot benefit from this, which is why he didn’t grant the tree removal,” he said. “This has nothing to do with law, code or appropriateness.”

Kennedy, along with other Sea Cliff residents, explained that Spinello believes this issue is personal due to the village’s efforts to prevent the Garvies Point Waterfront Project.

Former Sea Cliff mayor Claudia Moyne expressed her concern about the issue to the village board during their public meeting on May 9. She agreed with Kennedy that the issue exists because of Spinello’s refusal to comply with the easement. She believes that Spinello denied the tree removal permit out of “petty revenge” and wants the village to address the problem. “I’d like for the board to be more creative and I’d to see the board enforce Sea Cliff’s rights,” she said.

Trustee Kevin McGilloway said the board agrees with most of Moyne’s concerns and that everyone is “irritated” with this issue.

Several attempts by the Herald Gazette to speak to Spinello were unsuccessful. But Glen Cove Public Relations Officer Lisa Travatello said by email that there’s no need for Spinello to comment: “As Mayor Spinello is not involved in this matter, any and all commentary about the mayor by neighboring residents is misguided and inaccurate.”

Another issue Kennedy brought up was that the tree removal permit was reviewed by the wrong city agency — the department of public works. A Glen Cove city code says that the building department along with the tree commission should review all such applications. Byrne said he was unaware of this. The city has always handled tree removal permits similarly, he explained, adding that its arborist does a thorough examination of each tree. “The city doesn’t just arbitrarily give permission to remove trees,” he said. “They have to be diseased or affecting the safety of the general public.”

Byrne also questioned the validity of the easement agreement. He believes that the city’s attorneys should have been involved in the process of creating it. “If Sea Cliff really wanted to resolve this, they would have been in touch with our attorneys,” he said. “I don’t think it’s right that they’re trying to put the blame back on Glen Cove because it’s really not our issue.”

Kennedy explained that residents still have the right to “traipse” through the property on Sea Isle. To get to the waterfront, beachgoers must squeeze through the trees through the backyard — which has a swimming pool.

Moyne asked if signs could be installed to inform residents about the right-of-way. Village attorney Brian Stolar explained that the easement agreement prohibits signs on the Sea Isle property.

Trustee Robin Maynard said that the Landmarks Committee is currently creating pedestrian maps showing village walkways and easement locations. “We believe that this could be a really useful tool for residents,” she said. “This could be one step towards further educating people to let them know that these easements exist.”