After sand dredged from the harbor at Lake Montauk last fall and winter was deposited on the beach west of the western jetty, that beach is larger than it has been in generations, and for that reason members of the Montauk Citizens Advisory Committee predict that it will attract more beachgoers this summer.
That was one reason a regulation at the small parking lot between the beach and Gosman's Restaurant was largely panned by the committee when it met on Tuesday. One day earlier, a new sign was erected at the entrance to the lot restricting parking there to one hour between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. An East Hampton Town beach parking permit is not required to park there.
Councilman David Lys, the committee's liaison to the town board, said the one-hour limit in the small parking lot by the beach has been in the town code for 20 years, though signs denoting that restriction had not been posted there until this week.
At the same time, it was said at the meeting that those parking in the large parking lot at Gosman's Dock, which has been under new ownership since the fall of 2024, will have to pay for that privilege unless they produce a receipt of purchase from one of the restaurants or shops in the Gosman's complex.
Brendan Vilar, a grandson of the late Emmett Gosman, said a relative who works at Gosman's Dock confirmed that a paid parking scheme will be implemented at the large lot, which historically was freely used by patrons not just of Gosman's but of other restaurants and businesses in the dock area, as well as beachgoers.
Mr. Vilar suggested that the committee ask Mr. Lys to take to the board a recommendation that the one-hour limit be scrapped in favor of regulations in place at other beaches in the town: a 15-minute limit, open to all motorists, for a row of parking spaces closest to the beach, with the remainder by town beach parking permit only. Beach parking permits are free to residents, with a finite number available for purchase by nonresidents.
The committee voted, and when the votes were counted, 15 were in favor of Mr. Vilar's suggestion, five were opposed, and two abstained.
Mr. Lys cautioned the committee members, however, that the one-hour limit with parking open to all will remain in place at least into August, given the lengthy process of enacting code amendments. This, he said, "is why I keep saying I like to be busier here in November through February, for situations like this. I'd rather put my toes in the sand in July and August. . . . We'll see what the board says now."
Also at the meeting, traffic in the hamlet's downtown was a continuing concern having to do with the Este Restaurant under construction at 666 Montauk Highway, which The Star reported last month may be a far more active operation than that approved by the planning board. A purported investment packet obtained by The Star describes a combined capacity of 455 people on the ground floor, second floor, and roof deck. The document also describes a "large D.J. venue," "similar to Surf Lodge," operating at night and with room for 250 people.
The committee examined four potential modifications to traffic flow on the adjacent South Emery Street and nearby South Elmwood Avenue, which with Main Street create an awkward three-way intersection with poor sightlines. None were received enthusiastically, but with uncertainty as to how popular the new nightspot will prove to be, or if it will even be open this summer, the discussion ended without a consensus on what changes, if any, should be implemented.
