If the South Fork of Long Island could have a unifying motto, it might be bigger is better. A lot of it has to do with money, but not all. And this is not just about houses.
Two nonresidential projects come to mind: a rebuild of the Devon Yacht Club that could increase its lot coverage by nearly half, and the 22,000-square-foot senior citizens center that the town is getting ready to build in Amagansett. The scale of these projects is not because Americans might be larger these days (they are), but in my opinion that our sense of scale has changed. One might think of useless cathedral ceilings favored in 1980s home design, for example.
Devon’s concept is bouncing around among the town’s various land-use boards. One recent sticking point was whether the number of tennis courts could be reduced, but it will in all likelihood be approved close to the way it is proposed. The plan seems benign enough and there are no neighbors per se that would be affected, and it will eventually pass muster with the boards.
And, despite substantive concerns from some residents about the senior citizens center, it too appears to be going ahead. Watch, though, for it to become a political issue later this year, with its chief proponent, Supervisor Kathee Burke-Gonzalez, seeking re-election.
The town is going in two directions at once, however. Last year, the board formalized a reduction in maximum house size to 10,000 square feet, half of what had been allowed in the zoning code. Going further, the board is now considering a separate formula that ties house size to the size of the land on which it would be situated. That formula came as a compromise between the town and the local building industry, which had wanted less-drastic limits. Still, the proposed math would be cutting future houses by almost a third. This is aboveground; basements will not be included. Cue the mole people.