Club Withdraws Bridge Plan

The Maidstone Club has withdrawn an application to the East Hampton Village Zoning Board of Appeals for permits and variances to construct a 352-foot-long concrete bridge spanning a small section of Hook Pond north of Dunemere Lane.

A hearing on the application began in October, with representatives of the private club arguing that the shared use by motorists, bicyclists, pedestrians, golfers, and caddies of the section of Dunemere Lane that is a bridge over the pond, was dangerous, particularly during the summer. The new bridge was to be parallel to the existing one and approximately 140 feet north of it. The bridge would have connected the club’s second tee to its fairway across the pond, and be restricted to use by club members. Construction would have required 42 wood pilings driven a minimum of 11 feet below the pond’s surface. The project also would have required design review board approval.

The application galvanized members of the Ladies Village Improvement Society and other residents, many of whom wrote to the board opposing it, citing preservation of the view and potential harm to the pond’s water quality and wildlife habitat. Several Z.B.A. members had been skeptical of the need for a second bridge, and asked that the feasibility of widening the Dunemere Lane bridge be explored. Club officials called that unrealistic.

In a Jan. 18 letter to Pam Bennett, the village’s deputy clerk, David Dubin, an attorney representing the club, asked that the application be withdrawn “in order to fully address certain concerns.” The club “remains resolute in its efforts to address the significant safety issues existing at Dunemere bridge,” he wrote, “and is committed to working with the village in this regard.”

The hearing on the application took place at two October meetings. Scheduled to be continued on Dec. 9, the hearing was postponed at the club’s request but was to resume at tomorrow’s meeting.