AT&T Before the Z.B.A.

An attorney who made several visits to the East Hampton Village Zoning Board of Appeals last year on behalf of the installation of 12 AT&T antennas at the P.C. Schenck and Sons facility off Newtown Lane, was back before the board on Friday.

Once again, John Huber of Nielson, Huber & Coughlin was seeking a permit to install equipment for AT&T’s wireless service. This time, the equipment is an air-conditioning unit along the rear wall of the East Hampton Presbyterian Church, where antennas and ground-based equipment of multiple cellphone providers have been situated since 2004.

Unlike the prior application, which  concerned neighbors because antennas were to be welded to Schenck’s 180,000-gallon oil tank and where noise would be generated, this  application provoked little discussion, though one nearby property owner addressed the board before the hearing was closed.

The unit, Mr. Huber said, would be installed on a vacant patch of grass and be “visually consistent if not identical in size to other units” on the property.

“It’s getting very equipment-oriented back there,” said Lys Marigold, the board’s vice chairwoman, presiding in the absence of Frank Newbold, the chairman. “I understand,” Mr. Huber said, noting that the village’s design review board would render a final decision after the zoning board’s determination.

 Mr. Huber also said “intensive review” had  found no potential noise disturbance to neighbors. A level of 78 to 82 decibels would be audible at the unit, he said, but that would drop to 45 decibels, consistent with ambient sound, at 78 feet. At the nearest house, 159 feet from the proposed unit, Mr. Huber estimated a 30-decibel level, which he likened to “a quiet rural area, the environment you’d like to maintain.” Further, he said, the church’s Session House would act as a buffer.

Fred Kneip of 126 Main Street did not object to the proposal, but urged the board to  give special attention to the “sound issue,” particularly at night. “Whatever can be done to mitigate any external noise would be greatly appreciated,” he said.

A determination is expected at the board’s next meeting, on Friday, June 26.

The board also announced three decisions. David Zaslav, president of Discovery Communications, and his wife, Pam, were granted coastal erosion hazard area and dune setback variances to allow renovations and additions to the existing residence at 26 Drew Lane, along with demolition of an existing pool house, construction of a new garage-storage-pool house, installation of a new septic system and an expanded driveway, drainage structures, stairways, and landscaping. The hearing had stretched across several of the board’s meetings and drawn scrutiny from a consultant to the village. Jerry Della Femina was the former owner of the property.

The board attached conditions to the permits, which basically require  the applicant to show that the work is in keeping with the decision as it proceeds.

David Topper and Margaret Segal of 6 LaForest Lane, on Georgica Pond, were granted a freshwater wetlands permit to allow the removal of phragmites and other invasive plants from wetlands and their replacement with native vegetation.

Jenny Ljungberg was granted variances to allow the construction of a full basement beneath an existing two-car garage at 211 Main Street. The pre-existing garage is within required side and rear-yard setbacks.