Shelter Island Reporter

Matt Sherman (right) explains the dimensions of the proposed Zagoreos house to the ZBA. To rebuild the house, the only one on the causeway (left), an unprecedented permit is needed.

Island residents concerned about Alexander Zagoreos's plan to rebuild his fire-damaged house, the only one on the First Causeway, packed the board room at Town Hall on February 24 as the Zoning Board heard its first application for a special permit to build in the Undeveloped Coastal Barrier Zone.

Another project returned to the ZBA last week for a second go-around: Antoinette and Lawrence Landry's newest plan to build a three-car garage with living space at their house in the Heights.

Just how new structures would impact Island vistas was an issue at both hearings.

ZAGOREOS SPECIAL PERMIT

Mr. Zagoreos has requested a special permit under Section 133-11 of the zoning code to construct a replacement house in the Undeveloped Coastal Barrier Zone at 28 Ram Island Drive, which is also zoned AA/Near Shore Overlay.

"The most stark difference between the proposed house and the existing house, said Matt Sherman, representing the Zagoreoses, "is the bird's-eye-view footprint. The existing home has a building footprint of about 1,860 square feet, compared to the proposed 3,362 square feet (both figures include deck).

While the current split-level dwelling was subject to fewer restrictions when it was constructed, new FEMA flood plain regulations mandate that the proposed house be built on stilts to raise it off the ground, an average of four and a half feet.

In order to keep the square footage close to that of the original house, while not building any higher, "We squashed it and spread it out, explained Mr. Sherman. He told the board that the highest point of the proposed structure would be 26 feet above sea level, the same height as the existing house. Including deck, it would be 120 feet at its longest and 26 feet at its widest - the existing house is 44 feet at its longest and 39 feet at its widest.

The proposed house has an interior square footage of 2,230 square feet, less than the current 2,560 square feet, though the new structure would have slightly more decking.

"It's not an extravagant house, said board member Patricia Shillingburg.

Wetlands restrictions require the new structure to be located further from wetlands and closer to Ram Island Drive - 53 feet away, compared with the existing house, which is about 100 feet off the road. In order to accommodate a septic system, a small section of earth close to the road will be raised about 3 1/2 feet high. Mr. Sherman said this area could be well hidden by plantings.

A major concern for both the board and many audience members was the impact that the house would have on the surrounding environment.

Water was one such concern. Because of a lack of potable water on the site, Ms. Shillingburg noted, the previous owners brought water to the house in jugs. Mr. Sherman explained that a reverse-osmosis filtration system is proposed to treat salty groundwater on-site. The waste-water could be pumped into a recharge well or septic system, he said.

"Since we don't have a freshwater aquifer to contaminate, it doesn't really matter where we put it back in, said Mr. Sherman. "It's just going back into the ground.

Resident John Pagliaro said that Mr. Sherman's presentation "allayed a lot of my fears, but expressed his concern that the soda ash the applicants plan to add to their water might have a negative impact on Coecles Harbor.

Jeremy Samuelson of the Group for the East End suggested that if a new structure is built on the property, the board should consider imposing restrictions on landscaping, including what types of fertilizers could be used, as well as demanding the removal of bamboo and tree of life, two invasive species on the property.

"If you wanted to put that into a condition, absolutely, Mr. Sherman told the board.

Resident Kim Nolan asked the board whether or not allowing this construction would constitute a precedent for future construction along the causeway. Board attorney Laury Dowd responded that would be a question for the Town Board to decide, though she noted, "We have several board members here today, I'm sure they're listening to you; Peter Reich and ZBA liaison Chris Lewis were in attendance.

Ms. Dowd reminded the audience that a public hearing for a moratorium on causeway construction is scheduled for March 19. The moratorium would not affect the Zagoreos application.

The hearing was closed except for written correspondence.

LANDRY OPPOSITION SUBSIDES

Lawrence and Antoinette Landry are seeking a special permit to add a garage with second-floor living space to their nonconforming home. They also seek a variance for a 5-foot variance from the required 25-foot north sideyard setback. Their home at 10 Clinton Avenue is designated Zone AA reverting to A-Residential on the Shelter Island Zoning map.

This is the Landrys' second application for a three-car garage - their first was voted down by the board on December 9. The garage in this proposal has been downsized to 22 feet wide in the north-south direction, three feet shorter than the original proposal. It has also been moved 4 feet, 9 inches further away from the north side of the property. The proposed garage would be built parallel to the northern property line.

Mr. Landry explained that he had reached a compromise on the new application with David Diwik, the Landrys' neighbor to the north and the most vocal opponent of the first application. Mr. Diwik has withdrawn his opposition to the project as indicated in a joint letter from Mr. Diwik and Mr. Landry.

Ian MacDonald, the Landry's architect, outlined two alternatives that would not require a variance but explained why they were undesirable. The first, a detached garage about three feet to the west of the house, would provide less interior space because of the necessity for a stairwell.

The second is a garage parallel to Clinton Avenue. Though it would have more space than the proposed addition and water views, it would block the view of the water from Clinton Avenue and therefore, he said, have a negative impact on the neighborhood.

He commented that both alternatives would be a detriment to the property's "sense of place. He said that the proposal before the board "is smaller, lower and less obtrusive than the comparison structure parallel to Clinton Avenue.

The Heights Property Owners Association wrote a letter in support of the application, stating that its plan is preferable to the comparison structure.

"I need to know why there's an urgency for a three-car garage, said Board Chairwoman Joann Piccozzi.

Mr. Landry responded that he hopes to one day permanently move from his larger house in Connecticut to his Island home and will need more space, adding that already he lacks space in his current one-car garage.

"In many ways, the structure parallel to Clinton Avenue is the best one for us, he said. "But it isn't, we believe, the right thing for the Heights. For that reason, we're willing to compromise.

The hearing was closed except for written correspondence.