Gerard Drive, a mile-long peninsula that runs north to south on the east side of Springs, shielding Accabonac Harbor from Gardiner’s Bay, is one of the more environmentally sensitive areas in East Hampton Town. Along its entire length, only a single house has a swimming pool. At a public hearing before the East Hampton Town Zoning Board of Appeals on Oct. 22, an applicant argued that it was time for another.
In addition to the pool, 101 Gerard Drive L.L.C. is seeking to more than double the size of an existing house there, proposing 1,751 more square feet, a second story, 587 square feet of decking, and a 187-square-foot balcony. A natural resources special permit is needed as well, as the property contains tidal wetlands.
“The Clemson family bought the property a couple of years ago and after living in it rather happily for the last couple of seasons, realize they can use extra space to fit the family,” said Denise Schoen, their attorney. “The application has been designed to require no relief for dimensional requirements. It was designed to be conscientious and sensitive to the environment.”
The parcel, which is within the harbor protection overlay district, is overcleared by double what’s allowed. The applicants propose to add over 10,000 square feet of vegetation in mitigation, and a new I/A septic system.
Ms. Schoen argued that since the addition and pool would be over 100 feet from the wetlands, the chance of the bay being polluted or degraded “is slight if any.” She pointed out that the Planning Department has judged the parcel’s location as “the least environmentally sensitive area of the peninsula.”
“How do you respond to the complaint that you’re going to change the character of the neighborhood with a two-story structure with a pool?,” asked Ed Johann, a board member. “How does it relate to other houses in the area and Gerard Drive? That’s a sizable structure added to a very minor structure.”
“Our goal is to make it impossible to see that swimming pool,” said Ms. Schoen. “The addition fits perfectly into the neighborhood.”
Brian Frank, the Planning Department’s chief environmental analyst, commented on his own department’s memo. “It’s fair to say it’s one of the less flood-prone areas of the peninsula,” he said, “but it’s still pretty darn sensitive.”
“It’s in two different critical environmental areas — its own critical environmental area, part of Accabonac Harbor; and the Peconic Estuary critical environmental area, an important bird area as designated by the Nature Conservancy. And, it’s an area that has a lot of protected natural features up and down the peninsula,” he continued. “The application does represent a significant change to the property.”
Back in the day, he added, “the concept of a pool was preposterous” along the peninsula.
Nonetheless, Mr. Frank seemed to leave the door open for discussion. Because Gerard Drive “is going to be one of the more sensitive areas to sea level rise,” he suggested that his department pay extra attention to the elevation from groundwater, doubling it from one foot to two. He called the extensive revegetation plan “laudable,” but suggested it could be difficult to implement. “I’m not averse to seeing trees planted here,” he said, “but trees in high-exposure coastal areas are hit-and-miss.”
Diane Franey, a nearby neighbor who told the board she’s lived on Gerard Drive for over 60 years, seemed less convinced that the project might be a good one. “Personally,” she said, “I’ve seen in the last 20 years the property flood. Even in a nor’easter. It doesn’t have to be a hurricane.”
The parcel in question has 1,000 feet of bulkhead along the shoreline, which, Ms. Franey recalled, she watched being installed as a child. Gardiner’s Bay stacks up five feet against it in a storm, she told the board, and the sand at the foot gets scoured. The former owners, she said, would get a dump truck and refill it after storms. With a second-story addition, she wasn’t sure there would be room to make repairs.
Perhaps it was the second story that bothered Ms. Franey most. Recently, she said, three homes along the road have added second stories. “There were very few” before, and, she said, she was “shocked’ to see how large they looked.
“The character of the neighborhood is changing,” she said. “There’s no doubt about it. I know a lot of people were upset by that second story that just got completed.”
After Ms. Franey’s remarks, Ms. Schoen seemed happy to end the proceedings quickly, with minimal Planning Department criticisms. “As far as Brian’s comments, yes, yes, and yes, to everything he’s recommended,” she said.
