From the Daily News:A wall separates them: Battle for a Bronx beach
By Dorian Block, DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
The weather is cooling down, but the battle over a Bronx beach is heating up.
A group of families who have been visiting a stretch of shorefront for decades is suing a couple who blocked their easy access by building luxury homes.
"We want our beach back," said Edel Morrissey, 50, whose three children grew up kayaking and skim-boarding in the water.
"I don't think they expected we would fight."
She and six other families are suing Thomas and Susan Acquafredda, who are constructing three two-family home rentals on the site. They also built a locked fence and a sea wall at the end of the public street, where the neighbors used to enter the beach.
Now the longtime residents must walk several blocks for access and fret that the value of their homes is being damaged.
Simon Rothkrug, lawyer for the Acquafreddas, called the beach "private" and pointed to a $20-a-month lease from the city in June for the small parcel that the neighbors used to walk on.
Eric Baum, lawyer for the residents, says an easement granted in 1928 proves the neighbors have rights to the beach.
In Bronx Supreme Court on Friday, Rothkrug agreed his clients will not work on the sea wall or rent or sell the units until a judge can consider the case on Nov. 16.
6 comments:
Manhattan residents get a ring of parks to circumnavigate their borough's shores.
But here in the outer boroughs, developers are given the preference.
According to the City's Comprehensive Water Plan (CWP) there has to be view corridors aka they can't build a wall blocking the view to the beach at the end of the street. But hey what do I know... Im just an Urban Planning student..
Bloomtard is a son of a beach!
In addition, Federal law protects people's right to walk the portion of the beach that is underwater at the high tide mark.
Neither the city nor the state own this land which is part of the continental shelf of the United States and therefore not under local control.
This is one reason why owning beachfront property is a bad idea. Confuse what you actually own with what you think you own and you can be in altercations with other people quickly.
Get too aggressive about the "trespassers" and you can quickly find your house vandalized or be personally attacked.
the residents should be able to reclaim their access to the public beach
Join the fight to protect rights
of citizens who live near the beach
endless droves of developers
shun us with their projects
how can we expect a fair existance?
over the years its been allowed,
underhanded tactics
land owners shouldn't be duped!
demand your rights!
bloomberg doesn't care either!
everyone in that community has to
alienate these builders!
they'll learn only if the residents
totally unite!
how can they enjoy their homes?
everyone has the responsibility to
make a difference in this matter.
developers won't dare try this
over there if the people
work together to stop this mess
now!
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