There is a sense that a new initiative to reset the scale of building in East Hampton Town is on the right track. In a preliminary public presentation last week, members of a group of citizens and town officials spoke about the problem — development beyond the point that local infrastructure and the environment can support — and a path to a solution.
Tension has already begun between those in the business of profiting from large-scale residential and commercial real estate on the one hand, and those who yearn for a simpler, less crowded, more peaceful town on the other. Battle lines will become more sharply defined as the process proceeds, but already there are voices urging the town to move slowly. But it would be difficult to imagine a slower approach to rewriting key building regulations than that which the town has been following since its key vision statement was last updated — in 2005.
Revisions to the zoning code, which are the town’s rules that are supposed to dictate everything that has to do with land and buildings, are expected, but first the group had to set goals. Where the 2005 plan had been vague, calling for “orderly growth,” for example, the new guidance document could include a call to reduce buildout, while at the same time keeping taxes low by eliminating public infrastructure costs. Protecting natural systems and cultural features would also be added to the zoning preamble, as would making residents’ needs a priority. This would be in contrast to town regulations that allow for massive, costly, speculative buildings. Investors are now flipping houses in the tens of millions of dollars, in contrast to 2005, when the average home price was a fraction of that.
Important as well would be limits on commercial redevelopment. We have seen time and again how savvy lawyers can get the town to stand helplessly by as a modestly sized motel or restaurant grows into something with far greater impact on its neighbors — and the entire community. Montauk in particular, has been under siege, but it could happen anywhere. At the other end of town, a multi-unit commercial subdivision in the Georgica Pond watershed threatens to industrialize our western gateway. And on street after street, ordinary size houses are torn down to make room for hulking new construction that pushes right up to and sometimes beyond, the limits under present law.
A case in point is a controversial plan to combine properties at Sammis Beach, remove the cottages that have been on them for years, and erect a single, giant glass box in its place. A similar idea has been proposed for a section of Gardiner’s Bayfront, joining two substandard lots only a few feet above the tides already. Think, too of the Amagansett lanes, where new houses loom over those of the neighbors, pushing awkward rooflines right up to the maximum allowed.
Also overlooked back in 2005 was the issue of climate change and how it could affect East Hampton — specifically from sea level rise. This should figure heavily in upcoming discussions of town zoning. It would make sense to disincentivize excessively large structures on waterfront and other affected land. At present, upland rules apply in places where a more limited set of rules is needed. One other nice note from the group revisiting the code is promotion of safe bicycle and pedestrian ways to get around; these were included as vague aspirations in earlier planning documents.
Saving our sense of place in this beautiful town is the goal. Current laws have not been up to the task. Taking an unflinching look at the future would restore faith in government as protecting the wishes of the people, rather than the desires of industry. As this process unfolds, it will be interesting to see the various players sort themselves onto one side or the other.