Planners Review the Manor
The expansion of the restaurant at the Montauk Manor, La Fine, was opposed by some of the condominium’s residents during an East Hampton Planning Board hearing on May 17. The application was revisited June 7 and was expected to be acted upon by the board at its meeting last night.
La Fine, an Italian restaurant, seeks approval to increase the number of seats from 35 to 83, and to allow them in the Manor’s lobby and on a patio that overlooks Fort Pond Bay.
A brochure in the Planning Department file reads: “La Fine wants to recreate Carl Fisher’s vision from the 1920s. His grand centerpiece will once again become a reality as the Manor’s new event space will be the buzz of the East End once again.” It goes on to say, “Our most popular option is erecting a tent on the Montauk Manor’s great lawn overlooking Gardiner’s Bay with a breathtaking background for your special celebration.” The tent, according to the brochure, “can hold up to 400 guests for sit-down dinner and up to 600 guests for receptions.” The planning board does not consider tents when it considers site plan approval because they are considered impermanent.
In any event, the use of the lawn for what the town code calls mass gatherings would be a matter for the town board, John Jilnicki, the planning board’s attorney, said. Nevertheless, Ian Calder Piedmonte said it was important to define where food and beverages could be consumed, especially outdoors, and where they would be restricted.
Edna Steck, a longtime Montauker who lives at the Manor, said on May 17 that the expansion “needs to be revised and scaled down.” Another resident, Robert Gunyan, said the sewage treatment plan was “fragile.” Sewage treatment also was a major concern of Laura Tooman, the head of Concerned Citizens of Montauk, in a letter to the board. “The applicant should produce evidence that the current system is functioning properly,” she wrote, to handle the anticipated increase in flow.
Sewage treatment was clearly a planning board concern, although septic systems are overseen by the Suffolk County Health Department. Randy Parsons, a planning board member, said, “I would like to open the lid on the sewage treatment problem.”
While the imagery may not have been agreeable, the thought behind it was. Job Potter, the chairman, said he would like to see the Planning Department review the system, and the board agreed that the applicant should obtain calculations from a certified engineer showing that the Manor’s sewage treatment plant could handle the potential increase in flow.
The residents who spoke also said public notice of the hearing had been inadequate. Mr. Jilnicki said the Manor had properly met state law requiring public notice and that any question of inadequacy was between the condominium board and the residents.
Marc H. Schneider of Schneider Buchel, representing the Manor, said the residents who spoke against the proposal at the public hearing were “disgruntled,” and echoed that on June 7. He also said none of those who opposed the expansion would be directly affected by it, that none lived adjacent to the proposed restaurant areas. He also said the Manor needed “a functional, viable restaurant.”