Green Light Ninevah House

The Sag Harbor Village Board will allow two houses larger than 4,000 square feet to move forward in the planning process, members decided on Tuesday night.

Last month, the board said it would green-light the application for a house with a gross floor area of 5,263 square feet house at 48 Lincoln Street in Ninevah Beach, making it the first special-permit request the board had granted since it adopted new gross floor area limits in March. Any proposals over 4,000 square feet require an exemption from the board to be reviewed.

With a determination in writing from its attorney, the board officially approved the special permit for Bruce Bronster’s proposed house on Lincoln Street in a 4-1 vote, with James Larocca dissenting. Mayor Sandra Schroeder said that the only reason she was voting in favor was because there would be one septic system instead of two. The house is being built on two merged lots that total 44,751 square feet, where two houses could have been built. It now requires a certificate of appropriateness from the board of historic preservation and architectural review.

The board also approved a permit for a house with a gross floor area of 6,500 square feet at 10 Cove Road in Redwood, on a 1.78-acre lot, by a 3-1-1 vote. Mayor Schroeder voted against the project, and Mr. Larocca recused himself. 

A hearing was held in July, and a decision was expected last month, but Christy Ferer’s attorney asked that it be tabled because the full board was not present. Ms. Ferer had originally proposed a 7,000-square-foot house, but the building inspector, Tom Preiato, calculated the maximum legal floor area for a lot of her size at 6,776 square feet. The proposal will now be reviewed by the harbor committee, and a wetlands permit will be required.

In both determinations, the board said it found the sites to be “particularly suitable for the location of such use in the Village and the proposed use will in fact be compatible with its surroundings, with the character of the neighborhood, and of the community in general, particularly with regard to visibility, scale, and overall appearance.”

In other news, the board received an update from Mr. Preiato about the dilapidated house at 6 Union Street, which officials have considered tearing down, calling it a health and safety hazard. It was sold at auction in June, but the new owners were unable to close within the month because a woman filed court documents claiming ownership of the property.

Mr. Preiato told the board he had heard from Mitch Winston of Amagansett, who bid $1.325 million to purchase the former Morpurgo house and has promised to restore it, and was told that the new closing date is Oct. 5.

The court issued summary judgment on behalf of Mr. Winston and his partners. The woman who claimed ownership has until this week to file an appeal, said Ed Deyermond, a village board member who said he had also spoken to people involved in the deal. “No one thinks that’s going to happen, but who knows?” he said.

Mr. Deyermond told the board he had no problems with waiting until Oct. 5 to see if the high bidder can take ownership and then secure the property. However, the next village board meeting is the week after, on Oct. 11. “On the 11th? All bets are off,” he said.

Also on Tuesday night, the village board approved the resignation of Joseph Tremblay, a member of the harbor committee who stepped down as of Aug. 9. John Parker, an alternate member, will replace him. Mr. Parker’s term will expire in July 2019. Herbert Sambol was appointed as the new alternate.