Village Z.B.A. Reduces Its Schedule

Because of what the East Hampton Village Zoning Board of Appeals and the village board consider the growing complexity of applications that require lengthy review by multiple officials and departments, a decision has been made for it to meet once a month instead of twice. The reduced schedule was announced at the board’s meeting on Friday. 

The zoning board met on the second and fourth Friday of every month; it will now meet only on the second Friday. The village board, Frank Newbold, the zoning board’s chairman, said, made the change. Although board members apparently are satisfied with it, an attorney who appears before the board frequently argued against it.

Leonard Ackerman, who represents Ronald Perelman, criticized the move. “Whether or not application materials are ‘lengthy’ or ‘complex,’ ” he wrote in an email on Monday, “residents deserve to have their applications heard in a timely manner. This step will double the time it takes to get an application on the calendar and lead to logjams as applications compete for space on the calendar, which will lead to even more delays before an application is decided.” 

However, Pam Bennett, the village deputy clerk, explained the need for the change by comparing the workloads of the zoning boards of the village and East Hampton Town. From January through August 2017, she said, the zoning board of the town, which had a population of  21,247 according to the 2010 census, received 68 applications. The village, with a population of 1,083, received 57. The village’s zoning board, she said, “needs more time to review the applications that they receive. There’s a lot.”

Proving the workload on Friday, four new applications were discussed along with continued hearings on three others, the latter including Mr. Perelman’s application to legalize multiple structures on his 58-acre property, the Creeks, which is reported separately. Also reported separately are six determinations.

Applications “often require lengthy review by the village planner, the Building Department,” and board members, Mr. Newbold said in an email on Sunday. Mr. Perelman’s is a good example, he said. “So far, it has generated a two-foot-high stack of legal submissions. By changing to a monthly schedule, it gives everyone involved more time to carefully evaluate the issues.” Mr. Newbold also said application forms have been revised and updated, an effort intended to streamline the process.