Up From the Ashes
On Friday, about nine months after a fire destroyed the historic West End Road house owned by Peter Morton, the East Hampton Village Zoning Board of Appeals considered a plan to recreate it.
As closely as possible, Mr. Morton, a co-founder of the Hard Rock Cafe restaurant chain, plans to mimic the original structure, which was built in 1926 for Ellery S. James and designed by Roger Bullard, who also designed the 1922 Maidstone Club clubhouse. Including decking and patios, the 8,395-square-foot house would require variances pertaining to coastal erosion hazard areas and preservation of dunes, as well as zoning variances to allow it to fall within the required side-yard setback and to be 38.4 feet tall, 4.4 feet over code. Mr. Morton also proposes to replace a 20-by-40-foot swimming pool with one that is 20 by 60 feet.
Given Federal Emergency Management Agency regulations concerning flood zones, the house would not be able to have a full basement, said Jon Tarbet, an attorney representing the homeowner. It would have a crawl space instead, he said.
“It’s sort of unusual for this house to be south of the coastal erosion hazard line,” he told the board, given that the grade is 24 feet, well above both federal and state requirements. “It’s hard to say why the line is on the north side of our house,” he continued. “But if you look at aerial photographs, this property has actually accreted over the years.”
There would be no other changes to the 2.3-acre property, Mr. Tarbet said, pointing out that the proposed floor area and lot coverage would be well below the allowable limits.
Nonetheless, as with all applications concerning shorefront properties, the board focused on the construction procedures. “The concern is, although the house has been there for almost 100 years, you are digging into the dune,” said Frank Newbold, the board’s chairman. Even acknowledging the “extraordinary circumstances because the house burned down, tragically,” he said, “we would want to see a construction protocol to see no further damage to the dune.”
The swimming pool would grow from 937 to 1,324 square feet, Mr. Newbold noted, and the original pool is still there. “At some point, somebody will have to scoop that out, enlarge that, and go into areas of the dune that have never been excavated before.” The Village Building Department and Rob Herrmann, an environmental consultant, will have to review the plan, he said. The applicant will also have to provide details as to where project-limiting fencing will be erected and materials stockpiled and stored.
The hearing was left open and is to be revisited at the board’s Jan. 8 meeting.
The board also announced two determinations. While denying Morton Olshan’s application for variances to allow him to keep an eight-foot-high fence along the north, east, and west boundaries of 61 Further Lane, it granted limited relief to the fencing on the north and east sides, allowing it to remain in place provided that if more than a single length is replaced or relocated, new fencing must comply with code. Village code limits fences to six feet.
However, the fencing to the west, which borders the Maidstone Club golf course, must come down, the board ruled. It also turned down the Olshans’ request to keep backyard playground equipment where it has been, too close to the boundary line.
Gregory and Rosemary Brown of 61 Meadow Way were granted variances to allow the continued existence of a window well within the required side-yard setback.