The problem: too big houses on too small lots. The solution: a reduction of how much floor area is allowed. This is the approach to overbuilding that the East Hampton Town Board is bringing to the public tonight in a hearing at Town Hall. After months of study, a town committee worked out a new formula for maximum floor area, a key determinant in how large houses appear, and the town board has debated it and arrived at a proposal we believe is a reasonable response to the “monster” houses that are an increasing blight on community character, a problem outlined in the town’s 2005 comprehensive plan.
The proposal would cap gross floor area at 7 percent of the size of a parcel plus 1,500 square feet. Under current law, the maximum is 10 percent of the lot area plus 1,600 square feet. On a half-acre lot that could yield a 3,778-square-foot house. The new proposal would cap that at 2,200 square feet. But there are loopholes, including not counting finished basements or attached garages.
Excluding basements was a mistake; those finished to a living standard, as opposed to just for utilities and storing things, increase consumption of resources, such as electricity, while allowing houses to be far larger, for all practical purposes, than the law intended. It is hoped that this is something that can be dealt with in another round of zoning changes.
Investors and industry are focused on getting the most out of redeveloping small lots. While they might get a hefty return on investment resale and the short-term rental market, often-unwelcome neighborhood changes result. This includes our critically important sense of place — the reason so many people love living or visiting here. Our uniqueness is a big part of the charm. Unchecked, East Hampton becomes just another resort town like those that dot the coast in other places. The floor-area calculation must be seen as a first step among many. What works in the woods might be overlarge for, say, the Amagansett lanes. Further changes, such as increasing setbacks from property lines, will need to be put in place to tackle that problem.