Plan Revived for a House and Windmill

Anthony Ingrao, the principal of an architecture and design firm in New York City who with his partner, Randy Kemper, owns extraordinary properties in East Hampton Village and elsewhere, also owns a slightly over one-acre parcel along Old Montauk Highway in Montauk, east of Deep Hollow Ranch.

The East Hampton Town Zoning Board of Appeals held a hearing on Tuesday on a plan that goes back to 2005, which called for Mr. Ingrao to put up a house based on traditional East End windmills. Work had begun on a 1,640-square-foot house, with a foundation laid, before it was halted. Mr. Ingrao seeks to amend the original proposal.

The 2005 plan called for a large windmill at the center of the house, with two wings, like silos, flanking it. The new plan calls for a windmill off to one side, more like the windmill at Home, Sweet Home in East Hampton Village.

Brian Frank, chief environmentalist for the town’s Planning Department, prepared a memo for the board Tuesday, as he had in 2005. One big change, he said, is that the “bluff has continued to erode, and there is less wetland mitigation for the construction of the residence.”

Mr. Ingrao spoke to the board Tuesday, saying the new proposal was much more attractive, and his attorney, Carl Irace, said the new house had better design.”

How the old foundation will mesh with the new structure, and whether it is still safe, was of concern for board members, however.

Roy Dalene and Cate Rogers said it appeared that the foundation that was built did not match the original survey, and John Whelan, the chairman of the board, said, “What was constructed is not what was approved. It is bizarre.”

“It is very dangerous out there right now,” David Lys said. He had visited the property earlier Tuesday with a fellow board member, Theresa Berger.

The board, aware of the erosion of the environmentally fragile site, was concerned about whether construction might damage it. “Is there a way to mitigate damage?” Ms. Rogers asked.

The board agreed to keep the record open indefinitely, to allow Mr. Ingrao’s team to provide answers to their many questions.