Houses Too Big for the Block

In the face of what seems to be increasingly outsized pressure, the East Hampton Town and Village Zoning Boards of Appeal seem to be getting tough. That’s a good thing. 

If there were a poster child for excess, a recently proposed more than 10,500-square-foot house off Huntting Lane in the village’s historic district would be it. Voting “no” on the project should be easy — it would exceed by about 25 percent limits on both floor area and how much of the lot would be covered. At a Jan. 8 hearing, board members were unimpressed when they learned the property owner, by his own count, had spent $600,000 preparing his application, and they denied his request at a subsequent meeting.

For its part, the town Z.B.A. has been asked for permission for a new, 4,400 square foot house and decks on a partially wetland site overlooking Accabonac Harbor. Board members and the town Planning Department appear set in their opposition. One neighbor said that, if built, the house would be Gerard Drive’s “first McMansion.” A “no” from that board may be ahead.

Whether or not one cares for McMansions, otherwise known as big houses on small lots, or worries about the character of Huntting Lane, one fact is inescapable: Pressure on the South Fork’s natural resources and existing infrastructure is immense. With most available land already subdivided, the zoning boards are the critical front line in the fight to preserve the area’s beloved sense of place. Thank goodness their members appear willing to get — and stay — strong.