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HomeMy WebLinkAboutZBA-08/26/2010 Hearing 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 TOWN OF SOUTHOLD ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS COUNTY OF SUFFOLK: STATE OF NEW YORK TOWN OF SOUTHOLD ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS Southold Town Hall Southold, New York August 26, 2010 9:42 a.m. Board Members Present: LESLIE KANES WEISMAN - Chairperson GERARD P. GOEHRINGER - Member JAMES DINIZIO, JR. - Member GEORGE HORNING - Member - start to 3:17 p.m. KENNETH SCHNEIDER - Member JENNIFER 2kNDALORO - Assistant Town Attorney VICKI TOTH - Secretary Pugliese Court Reporting and Transcription Service (631) 878-8355 RECE'[VED BOARD OF APPEALS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 INDEX OF HEARINGS Hearing: Page: Steve and Olga Tenedios #6407 3-41 Judith B Ullman and Judith A. Moch #6403 42-54 William A. Penney III (Tidy Car)#6319,6336 55-75 Thomas M. and Maureen F. Dowling #6412 76-87 Michael and Renee Bellero #6414 88-105 Bonnie M. Quinn #6408 106-112 Andrew W. and Dana Queen #6401 113-121 william Gorman, Christi Watts-Gorman #6405 122-146 Eileen F. Debaney #6406 147-167 John and Daniella Venetis #6396 168-202 Orient Fire District (T-Mobile Northeast, LLC) #6379 Sim Moy #6383 John E. and Sharon I. Wren #6389 Alexander L. and Tracy M. Sutton #6385 203-204 205-265 266-283 284-325 Pugliese Court Reporting and Transcription Service (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: order. Motion? BOARD MEMBER: So moved. BOARD MEMBER: Second. Call meeting to HEARING #6407 - Steve and Olga Tenedios MEMBER HORNING: ~'Request for Variance from Code Section 280-15(F), based on an application for building permit and the Building Inspector's June 11, 2010 Notice of Disapproval, concerning proposed two story two car accessory garage, 1) location in a side yard when a front yard or rear yard location is code-required on a waterfront parcel, at: 17327 Main Rd., East Marion. SCTM~1000-23-1- 14.10." CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Okay, thank you, George. Pat would you mind? MRS. MOORE: Yes, good morning. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: State your name for the record, please. MRS. MOORE: Yes, Patricia Moore on behalf of Mr. Tenedios. I have Mr. Tenedios here today and I also have Mark Schwartz the PuglieseCourtReporting and Transcription Service (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 4 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 architect, design professional. We have an application before this board for what would be considered a technical variance, it's placement of a conforming, both in size, square footage and side yard, rear yard, all setbacks or required setbacks. The variance is for placement of the structure in what is technically considered a side yard. The reason is we have had prior applications and the Board has encouraged the applicant to downsize, which this application reflects. As I said, a conforming structure with respect to dimensional requirements and there is no other feasible location for a garage other than what would be technically a side yard without violating a front yard setback. On prior applications we had requested to move closer to the right of way. It's a 25- foot right of way which is a dead end right of way giving access to at most three parcels, this being the seaward parcel and the setback required from a right of way on this property requires 55 feet. So when the garage is proposed anywhere else, it would require non- compliance with the front yard setback. Pugliese Cou~ RepoSing and Transcription Service (63])878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 5 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 So the application really does speak for itself. As I said, it's a technical variance because on a waterfront parcel you're permitted to put a garage in a front yard provided the garage is in a conforming front yard setback. That would not be possible here without requesting a variance. We obviously do not want to put a garage or any additional structures or any structures closer to the Coastal Erosion Line, which is the seaward side of this property, for multiple reasons, in particular environmental reasons. So we're here to answer whatever questions you might have and we hope you will certainly entertain this application and grant the application as applied. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Okay, thank you. George, did you want to start with questions or shall I or what? MEMBER HORNING: I'll hold off a minute. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Okay. Let me ask some questions then and then we'll go from board member to board member. Mark may be the one who needs to answer this, Pat, I'm not sure. PuglieseCourtReportingandTranscriptionService (63~)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 6 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 MRS. MOORE: That's fine. Yeah, sure, that's why I have him here. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Okay, why don't you come to the podium, Mark? State your name for the record. MR. SCHWARTZ: Mark Schwartz, architect for the project. C~AIRPERSON WEISMAN: Okay. Mark, how high is the cupola and why is it necessary? MR. SCHWARTZ: It appears to be 22 feet to the ridge of the building. It looks to be about an additional 8 feet added just to -- we have the pool house also has this type of a cupola so we just kind of went with the other accessory building. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: that that was the case. Well, I assumed I noticed it's on the pool house; however, I'm asking it because it certainly does increase the bulk -- visual bulk and height of two-car garage? MR. SCHWARTZ: the building. This is a Yes. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Okay and with a utility sink, there is no toilet being proposed? Pugliese Court Reporting and Transcription Service (631) 878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 7 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 MR. SCHWARTZ: No toilet. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: There is a gas fire heat machine listed on the plan. Can you tell us a bit about that? MR. SCHWARTZ: I think he just wanted to put some of his valuable cars in here. He just wants to -- MRS. MOORE: Why don't you come up and just explain that? MR. TENEDIOS: Steve Tenedios, homeowner. It's a Modine type of a heater hung from the ceiling just to warm the space. I'll be storing antique vehicles in there and (inaudible). CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Okay, there is no central heat or air conditioning proposed. Okay. That's it for the moment from me. MEMBER DINIZIO: No. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: I think you answered most of mine. The building, however, is insulated and is sheet rocked? MR. TENEDIOS: Yes, it is. MEMBER HORNING: No questions. MEMBER SCHNEIDER: No questions. CHAIRPERSON WEISMA/q: Okay. Any other PuglieseCourtReportingandTranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 8 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 comments you would like to make or I'll ask others? MRS. respond. MOORE: No, just an opportunity to Thank you. C}{AIRPERSON WEISMAN: Of course, sure. Is there anyone in the audience who would like to speak to this application? MR. STANKOVICH: Good morning. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Good morning. MR. STANKOVICH: My name is George Stankovich. I'm an owner and attorney representing the owners of the adjoining lots, 4 and 5 at Brionn Gloid by the Sea. As Yogi Bera said, ~This is d~j~ vu again." We've been here before. There has been a previous set of hearings and decision on this matter. We have the same applicant, Steven and Olga Tenedios, the same owners of lot 6 in Brionn Gloid by the Sea. We have the same objecting neighbors, George and Margaret Stankovich, owners of lots 4 and 5 Brionn Gloid by the Sea. We have the same house as in the previous decision, the same pool and we have again the same issue of an oversize garage in a side yard. All of this has been PuglieseCou~ Repo~ingandTranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 9 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 previously determined and apparently to be ignored today at the request of the applicant. They want to ignore the common law pertaining to administrative law and the town law pertaining to rehearings. We know, you know and I will cite cases to you, to your attorney, that in a circumstance such as this common law principle of rez judicata, the law of the case applies. If the applicant had any dispute, dissatisfaction, disgruntlement or objection to your previous decision they should have taken it to the Supreme Court. They did not. So they are bound by what you said in that decision. What did you say in that decision? You spoke to the issue of the side yard and size of the structure. You ruled that it should not be -- a variance should not be given for that purpose. Now the common law with regard to administrative law is that under those circumstances there is no jurisdiction for you to hold another hearing unless it is alleged by the applicant that there is some change of circumstances mandating that you ignore what PuglieseCourtReporting and Transcription Service (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 10 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 you decided several months ago or that there's some newly discovered evidence that you -- was not available to you several months ago. Those words do not appear in the application before you. There's not a smidgen of mention of newly discovered evidence or change of circumstance. Under those situations the ZBA should even countenance another hearing on this issue of side yard and size of structure. Those are principles well recognized in 2nd Dept of the Supreme Court that controls us. More pertinently there has been enacted in this state 267A of the Town Law subdivision 12 that speaks directly to this circumstance because ZBAs have been peppered with continual requests for rehashing and rehashing of issues previously determined and Section 12, which I'm sure your attorney is well aware of, calls for the fact that under these circumstances an application should be made for a rehearing that this hearing today should be noticed as a rehearing unless you all unanimously agree with rehearing, it goes no further to put an end to this, but this is gleefully ignored. PuglieseCou~ Repo~ingandTranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 11 It's arrogant. This is an action of a politically connected inside lawyer who thinks that law should be ignored, that you should be bulldozed, that applicants should be coming in again and again to wear down the neighbors. It's not right and you have not been bullied by that type of tactic in his prior proceedings. You've demonstrated and you've rendered fair decisions that were all bound by now. The issue here is repeatedly put to you, "this is a technical variance." There's no such term in your Code as a "technical variance." It's a signal by the applicant saying ignore the requirements, it's a technical matter. No, it's an area variance. It deals with dimensions and it deals with location, which you've dealt with already. The side yard has been dealt with already and the same arguments apply. The Code provides, in order to keep side yards open in waterfront districts for obvious reasons, that the accessory structure can be placed in the front yard. There's plenty of PuglieseCou~ Repo~ingandTranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 12 room in this front yard to put another garage. I don't think Tenedios wants to look at it. It's ugly, who would want that on their front lawn? So put it on the side in the face of the neighbors. Let them look at the garage, not me. It's not as if there is no space conforming for a garage on this property. Of course there is, but they've already built a garage into the house, adjoining and that garage could be expanded to 2000 square feet under the house had they so chosen when they built the house. So they created a hardship. They said, well, we want to have an industrial structure to store my cars. So let's stuff it on the side and stuff it in the face of the neighbors. Arrogant. What about the size of the structure? They claim to you that it's now conforming. I beg to differ. It's two-story. It's over 1400 square feet both floors. It's an excess of the 750-foot restriction on this property. So the same issues are there that you decided months ago, the location in the side. ~knd, by the way, if you look at the PuglieseCou~ Repo~ingandTranscriptionSe~ice (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 2O 21 22 23 24 25 13 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 application, which seems to show that this garage is 20 feet from the side line, but the sideline on that easterly side of this property includes a 5-foot right of way. So the measurement is to start at the easterly edge of that right of way. be at least 15 feet not the by the Code. It's another created ambiguity? So it appears to 20 feet required (inaudible), a The applicant obviously wants to comeback to you again and again and again. Well, I don't think that strategy is a mystery. It's part of a segmented strategy, it's part of a strategy commonly called the salami strategy. You keep slicing it and slicing it and slicing it and dicing it and, you know, the neighbors aren't going to show up one of these days, the Board is going to get tired of it, so let's keep slicing. I don't think that is an appropriate way of doing business. We should call it the (inaudible) which of course is the sausage deception, another variation of the same strategy. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Mr. Stankovich, I'm going to give the applicant an opportunity to PuglieseCourtReportingandTranscriptionSe~ice (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 14 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 address some of your concerns and then I'll give it back to you, just so that we don't get too far here. MR. STANKOVICH: Okay. MRS. MOORE: Thank you. I'll attempt to address only the actual misstatements rather than editorializing. I don't feel that's professional. Mr. Stankovich incorrectly points out factually that this is a new application. The garage dimensions are different. The prior appeal and I pulled out the notice and the prior Notice of Disapproval does confirm my memory. The Board certainly has this record. The prior application was for a garage that was -- that would exceed the dimensional requirements. This application conforms with all dimensional requirements. The prior application wanted to put the garage closer to the right of way. Again, it is a dead end right of way that arguably this homeowner is the one to use. We have not yet determined whether or not the other two property owners are even going to use this right of way because it is not their access from the lot to Pugiiese Court Reporting and Transcription Service (631) 878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 15 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 the street. Nonetheless, my client has left it open, has improved it. We welcome you to come to the property to see the improvements that have been made; they are all first class and certainly enhance the value of Mr. Stankovich's property, at least my opinion and the reasonable person's opinion, Mr. Stankovich's opinion aside. This is a new application, new dimensions. As I said before, the garage is in the side yard because it cannot meet the 55-foot front yard setback, which was our preference from the prior application, but we've made this application as conforming as could be legally possible. We have -- my client and I have looked at this with the architect and considered all the alternative locations and the garage placed anywhere on this property in the front yard, which would be the only alternative, not in the back or the waterfront side, would violate the 55-foot front yard setback. If the garage were placed on the west side of the property, the house, as you can PuglieseCourtRepo~ingandTranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 16 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 see is at 55 feet, that's how it was measured by the Building Department. So if you just do a radius, that is the 55-foot setback and it extends along the west and where you see a waterline indication that is approximately where the 55-foot setback ends. So on the west side it was not feasible without again coming back to this Board for a variance. The most logical, open area for a garage is the east side of the property and it is where it is proposed today. So when I say it's a technical variance, it is in a location that does not conform because we cannot put it in front yard, which would be measured from the house at it's closest point to the road, that's where the front yard would be measured from, or the rear yard which is the back deck area. So that is why we are here. It is a new application. We did review the prior application. It is -- the Board felt that we could come in with a more conforming or a conforming application and that is what we chose to do. So Mr. Stankovich's statements, I believe, are both a misstatement of the law as well as the facts. Pugliese Court Reporting and Transcription Service (631) 878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 17 CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: I should just add that you could, in fact, put it in the front yard where it would be conforming, but then you would need variance anyway. You would need a front yard setback variance. MRS. MOORE: Exactly. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Right now, the variance you need is a side yard. So either way it would need a variance one way or the other. MRS. MOORE: Yeah, and we are at conforming side yard. I point out that the side yard setback was reviewed by the Building Department. This is a pedestrian 5-foot right of way that appears on the original subdivision map. It is not a road or a street, which is what a setback is measured from. So the 20 feet is again conforming. We have made the most conforming application that we can and make it a practical usable structure for my client. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Can I ask a question? MRS. MOORE: Of course. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Ms. Moore, in the original -- the past decision, I didn't write PuglieseCourtRepo~ingand Transcription Service (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 18 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 that decision and I'm not speaking for the person that did, there was an intent to try and place this particular building on the westerly side of the property. Okay. Is there a location that the Tenedios family would -- could possibly use on the west side, bearing in mind that variances may be needed to do so? MRS. MOORE: That a what, a variance would be needed? MEMBER GOEHRINGER: A variance may be needed. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Not may, would. MRS. MOORE: Yeah. Yeah, the only place is very close to the property line where opening is on the circle. I could visualize it the MR. SCHWARTZ: meters -- MRS. MOORE: We have meter panel, gas Water line. MR. SCHWARTZ: -- water line all in the area and the reason we didn't do that was again trying to conform to the 55 feet and it was the area that didn't have setbacks already in order for us to put all this equipment so PuglieseCou~ Repo~ingandTranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 19 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 the neighbors wouldn't object. MEMBER HORNING: Mr. Tenedios, while you're there, when you testified that you want to store antique vehicles in this, what are your estimations of how often you would be driving vehicles in and out of the garage? MR. TENEDIOS: Depending on the weather, hopefully very often. MEMBER HORNING: Throughout the year, very often? MR. TENEDIOS: Throughout the year. My intent is to make this a year-round residence. MEMBER HORNING: And where do you drive the antique vehicles? Do you leave the property with them or you just drive them around your driveway or what? I mean what are you doing with them? MRS. MOORE: You drive when it's good weather. MR. TENEDIOS: When it's good weather. MEMBER HORNING: a drive -- MR. TENEDIOS: MEMBER HORNING: You take the car out for Correct. -- on the public roads Pugliese Court Reporting and Transcription Service (63]) 878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 20 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 MR. TENEDIOS: MEMBER HORNING: frequently? MR. TENEDIOS: Correct. And you would do this Correct. MEMBER HORNING: So the garage would be used on a active basis, not just for the storage, you'd be -- MR. TENEDIOS: Active basis. MEMBER HORNING: -- actively using it. MRS. MOORE: Which is what the driveway is there for. MEMBER HORNING: I was just curious, you know, some people have an antique and they -- MRS. MOORE: And they never take it out. MEMBER HOP~NING: Right. MR. TENEDIOS: And I think we should also note that we've improved the side yard -- the right of way where the other two lots have continuous access. I've put a gravel drive down. We cleared the 5-foot right of way going to the beach, even though there's no home there now, there's nobody using it. We cleared the path, we didn't have to, and I did that with good intent with good measure for Mr. Stankovich's pleasure. I think we've made PuglieseCou~ Repo~ingandTranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 21 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 every attempt to make the neighbors happy and to do whatever we can to live harmoniously together. MEMBER HORNING: It certainly looks quite different than it did a year ago. C}{AIRPERSON WEISMAN: I did notice that you had cleared that right of way and that you have a large stone retaining wall with substantial plantings. MR. TENEDIOS: Right. Somebody else would have left it. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Bramble. MR. TENEDIOS: We planted it to keep somebody from doing that. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: I do want to point out something, however, and it is not before us, but it is on the survey that we are looking at, that would be the drawing we would have to deny or approve and that is the mention of proposed deer fencing. I noticed that along that right of way it is already installed. I did not -- is it installed on the westerly side also? MR. TENEDIOS: Yes. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: I didn't go over PuglieseCourtRepo~ingandTranscriptionSe~ice (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 2O 21 22 23 24 25 22 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 there because I was only looking at the site for the garage that you're proposing. We cannot approve an 8-foot high deer fence -- MR. TENEDIOS: It's not 8-foot. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Pardon me? MR. TENEDIOS: It's at 6 feet, which I believe is what the Town Code allows. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: 6 feet is acceptable in a side yard, but -- MR. TENEDIOS: It's at 6 feet. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: On the westerly -- MR. TENEDIOS: Ail around. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Okay. Then that probably has to be changed on your survey. MR. TENEDIOS: Yes. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Because I'm not about to suggest that this -- that we endorse, you know, a survey that has -- MR. TENEDIOS: It's 6 feet and I welcome you to go and measure it. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Yeah, mean I looked on the one side. the other. I'm being honest with you, but I do note that you -- MRS. MOORE: (Inaudible) the new plans, PuglieseCourtReportingand/ranscriptionService (631)878-8355 I did. I I didn't go to 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 23 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 obviously, with just -- all the landscaping on CHAIRPERSON WEISMAI~: Yes. That's fine, so it'll be conforming and so is your 4-foot pool fence. MRS. MOORE: Yes. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: But I did want to point that out. MEMBER HOP~NING: We're requesting a -- CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Yeah, we're requesting a corrected survey. MRS. MOORE: Our -- CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: What about this business of the proposed new limits of clearing? Have you dealt with the Trustees on that or what? Is it approved, you know -- MRS. MOORE: Is it approved limits, we're using an older -- Mark, why don't you come up here cause this is from the original survey where you see the limits of clearing area? MR. SCHWARTZ: This is -- MRS. MOORE: Existing, oh. Okay. MR. SCHWARTZ: This is existing boundaries. MRS. MOORE: Okay, proposed limits of Pugliese Court Reporting and Transcription Service (631) 878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 24 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 clearing. limits of clearing on here. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: the clearing has been done. MOORE: Yeah, I -- MRS. MR. MRS. Okay. You have a new proposed It looks like all TENEDIOS: (Inaudible). MOORE: Yeah. No, I'm sorry. I remember that this had gotten for a larger garage, the Trustees had approved that application. The original application was approved by the Trustees. I didn't go back to redo the -- it's been extended and continued, but I haven't gone back to modify this. We'll have to go back to the Trustees to modify the original application assuming the Board grants this one. I have to show them this new dimensional and locational plan to amend it. It doesn't make sense to amend it until I knew what the Board granted. At this point, we don't have the garage. So the Trustees will most likely look at the area of clearing as well. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: So what you're saying is you need to go back to the Trustees Pugliese Court Reporting and Transcription Service (631) 878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 25 MRS. MOORE: I have to go back and look at the original approval the Trustees granted because I don't recall the clearing limit. I do recall the garage being larger in a different location. I haven't gone back to them on that amendment, but it should be a straightforward amendment since we are actually smaller and I think in the general area, just a smaller structure. The Trustees just want to make sure that we have -- whatever is going to be built is in fact the permit that they've approved. So you have in your file the original Trustee's permit, I believe. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Yes. Well, you know, with a question -- MRS. MOORE: Yes. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: -- because you have an approved area of clearance. The proposed garage, other than one tiny little corner, seems to be within those boundaries. MRS. MOORE: Right. C~AIRPERSON WEISMAN: So I just want to make sure that we're clear, I don't like these dangling questions. PuglieseCou~ Repo~ingandTranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 MRS. MOORE: No, that's quite all right. That's better -- C~AIRPERSON WEISMAN: So I want that cleared up on the survey and the process as well, but that -- MRS. MOORE: Well, any decision would be still subject to the Trustees' approval, so you know your own decision can certainly say and you don't usually review clearing issues, so you can certainly put in the decision that it's subject to -- CHAIRPERSON WEISM3LN: Well, I'm aware of that, but I just want to make sure that this deer fencing height is changed, it's conforming now. MRS. MOORE: Right, yes. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: You've got proposed along the front yard at 8 feet. MR. TENEDIOS: It's all around at 6. CHAIRPERSON WEIS~ULN: At 6 and, of course, a 6-foot high fence in a front yard is not permitted. You realize that, 4 foot. MR. TENEDIOS: The front being? CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Well, where the right of way is is considered a front yard, so PuglieseCourtReportingand TranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 27 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 that has to be cleared up. MRS. MOORE: Yes, we'll MR. TENEDIOS: Yes, CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: conforming 4-foot height. (inaudible) that. we will change that. Change that to a MRS. MOORE: To a conforming, yes, and after a while you may not even need fencing, but I don't know (inaudible). MR. TENEDIOS: It's not a problem to change that. MRS. MOORE: Yes. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Okay, I'm just making notes on the survey so I don't forget any of these details. Jerry, you wanted to ask a question? MEMBER GOEHRINGER: I just want to reflect back on the original decision and the reason why we did not entertain your prior application and uniquely this application is different, there's no question about it. It may be in a similar yard situation, but it is a completely different application; however, I'm not speaking for the Board, I'm speaking for myself, I tend to like to put things to bed, okay, so to speak. Is there a plan that PuglieseCou~ Repo~ingandTran$criptionSe~ice (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 28 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 you could come up with on the west side to place a building if the Board was not so inclined, and I'm not speaking for the Board, I'm speaking for myself, to place this building in the location that you presently have, something that -- MRS. MOORE: Yeah, as we stated before, it's a hardship for my client in that all of the utility, which are very sensitive to relocate, keeping in mind that Mr. Stankovich's objections are mostly visual because we could have easily put the house over in front of, which would have been a much larger structure, over towards the east and just flipped everything over. So that's why view easements -- and Mr. Stankovich could have purchased a view easement if he had wanted to keep that area clear. It's, you know, we've presented what we think is a reasonable request given that it is again it's a placement of the structure in the side yard, but conforming in all other respects. If you're allowed to have a house put in that area, certainly a smaller garage is not an unreasonable request given the fact PuglieseCou~ Repo~ingandTranscriptionSe~ice (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 29 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 that the Town Board had, you know, the Code allows you to put a garage in a front yard for a waterfront house. We are moving it away from the front yard so that we're keeping it away from the property line, as Mr. Stankovich had previously requested. So we've tried to accommodate him, but putting it on the west side just is not feasible given the -- all of the utilities. Those are significant utilities. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: How would you feel about -- I mean the property is so beautifully developed and there are very large imposing structures on it, I know it doesn't go over lot coverage, but they're very, very large imposing buildings and there are a couple of them now. How would you feel about a reduction of the visual mass of the garage in its proposed location by the removal of that 8-foot high cupola? I know it's an aesthetic inaudible). MR. TENEDIOS: If that will help put this issue to bed, as you stated, yes, I will do that. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Well, it's going to PuglieseCou~ RepoSing and Transcription Service (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 30 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 just reduce the visual impact. MR. TENEDIOS: Yes, if it puts the issue to bed I'd be willing to remove the cupola completely. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Okay. I just thought I would put that on the record and find out. MRS. can make MOORE: I'm glad he's here cause he that decision. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Okay. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: And the building could be moved closer to the pool house, too. It could be moved at least another 5 feet closer to the pool house if -- MR. TENEDIOS: If that's what needs to be done, again, I'm -- CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Why would you want to do that? MR. TENEDIOS: It's conforming right now. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: That is a conforming side yard, both of them. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Okay. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: I mean that is a conforming side yard. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: You know, I Pugliese Court Reporting and Transcription Service (631) 878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 31 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 understand. What I'm trying to do is cover any variables that may come up in the deliberation process and I realize that's like rolling dice in a wheelbarrow, okay, but I -- not that I've ever done that, but -- MRS. MOORE: On this side of the table, too, so please ask the questions that you -- MEMBER HORNING: I'll ask a question about the idea of attaching the garage to the west side of the house in the vicinity of where ou have it labeled "proposed driveway," on the west corner right adjacent to the existing garage. MRS. MOORE: Well, that's where the driveway is now? MEMBER HORNING: Yeah, well it says proposed on the survey. MRS. MOORE: Well, no, it's -- CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: It's there. MRS. MOORE: -- built. MEMBER HORNING: Right, so what's the possibility of putting the garage there? MRS. MOORE: Well, the existing garage -- MEMBER HORNING: Attaching it to the house. ?ugliese Court Reporting and Transcription Service (631) 878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 32 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 MRS. MOORE: -- is there, but you have the existing garage doors already facing that direction. MEMBER HORNING: Right. MRS. MOORE: You're the design professional -- MEMBER HORNING: out. the I'm just throwing that MRS. MOORE: Yeah. I think the design of (inaudible), but you're the architect. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: In the interest of time, you know, and not getting too far, I just want to ask if the Board had any other questions. MEMBER DINIZIO: Can I -- CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Please. MEMBER DINIZIO: Yeah, I'm reading the other decision that we made in March and, quick honestly, I don't see where this application is any different. MRS. MOORE: Any different? MEMBER DINIZIO: I mean other than a few dimensions, I mean it's still a place in the side yard and you know it still has -- I'm reading all of the reasons why we didn't grant PuglieseCourtReportingandTranscriptionSe~ice (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 2O 21 22 23 24 25 33 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 that building before, all those reasons still exist. You know, aesthetically too large -- MRS. MOORE: Well, aesthetically it was too large cause it didn't conform to zoning. So now this structure conforms to zoning. MEMBER DINIZIO: Other than the fact -- MRS. MOORE: So presumably we meet all the dimensions -- MEMBER DINIZIO: Well, I don't know how you could state conforms to zoning and be before us. MRS. MOORE: It conforms to the dimensional requirements of an accessory structure. Before the prior application was a three-car garage with two stories and cupola and the rest with pergolas, that was the original application. We actually eliminated pergolas to try and reduce the mass, but the garage was still the same garage. The Board said no that was too much and it was denied for that reason. We've now made a conforming structure so when the Code says, you know, that somebody that owns over an acre is allowed to have a garage of certain size, that's conforming. That's not here before you PuglieseCou~ Repo~ingandTranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 34 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 as a variance. The only variance is the placement in the side yard. Remember our previous variance was a front yard variance to put it closer to the right of way. We offered in discussions we can push it back. In fact, we actually pushed the pool house back a little bit, but this is, yeah, okay it's the same property and we're in the same general vicinity, but it's a completely different application. MEMBER DINIZIO: seeing it, honestly. front yard variance, in the side yard. I understand that, but difference, you know, Okay, I'm really not I mean you know I see side yard variance, it's see all of that, I I honestly don't see much in the actual application. You still want a building that's going to be in the same general vicinity. Now there are places where you can put this garage and not need a variance. MRS. MOORE: Please tell MEMBER DINIZIO: MRS. MOORE: I where. MEMBER DINIZIO: me. Okay -- challenge you to tell me -- you can attach it Pugliese Cou~ RepoSing and Transcription Service (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 35 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 right to the garage. You can attach it to the garage right now. MRS. MOORE: Now -- MEMBER DINIZIO: You'll have to add two more doors, I know you'll have to do some work there just like everybody else does. MRS. MOORE: I'm sorry, I would say we've looked at that. Originally when we looked at it before the house was constructed, we had -- the original plan was to move the house closer to the right of way, but that would have required a variance. So we actually tried to push -- MEMBER DINIZIO: You got 80 feet here. You got 80 feet front yard. MRS. MOORE: 55. MEMBER DINIZIO: No -- MRS. MOORE: The Building Department told us we are measuring the 55 feet from the edge of the right of way. MEMBER DINIZIO: Right, but what about to you? MRS. MOORE: No. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: It's 80 feet to the property line, but 55 to the right of way. PuglieseCou~ Repo~ingandTranscriptionService (631) 878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 36 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 MEMBER DINIZIO: The right of way goes all the way across the property line? MRS. MOORE: Yes, it does. MEMBER DINIZIO: It's not here on the map. MRS. MOORE: Yeah, it is, see where it ends, but you have to take an arc the way the Building Department interprets the front yard setback. If you take -- let me do it this way. MEMBER DINIZIO: You're going to have to explain it to me cause I don't see that. MRS. MOORE: I'm going to do it (inaudible). [Away from microphone.] MEMBER DINIZIO: I wasn't here for the (inaudible). MRS. MOORE: Oh okay. See this is the right of way right here. MEMBER DINIZIO: Right. MRS. MOORE: The Building Department says we have to be 55 feet from all points of this right of way; that was our problem. So that's why we couldn't, right from the beginning -- CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: They're going to need a variance no matter where they put it. PuglieseCourtRepo~ingandTranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 37 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 MRS. MOORE: That's -- C~AIRPERSON WEISMAN: If they put anything anywhere -- MRS. MOORE: Yes, anywhere on this -- CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: -- they will need a variance. The variance they have chosen is side yard. MRS. MOORE: Yes. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: It's the least intrusive affect on adjacent property. MRS. MOORE: The minimal practical application, minimal variance practical. MEMBER DINIZIO: Okay, I understand -- MRS. MOORE: Now you understand? MEMBER DINIZIO: Oh, yeah. MRS. MOORE: Yes. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Okay, are there any other comments from the audience? ASST. TOWN ATTORNEY: Leslie, may I ask a question for clarity of the record? CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Certainly. ASST. TOWN ATTORNEY: What's the square footage of the proposed garage? MRS. MOORE: 27 by 27. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: 27 by 27. Pugliese Court Reporting and Transcription Service (631) 878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 38 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 that MRS. MOORE: Less than 750. ASST. TOWN ATTORNEY: Okay, cause he said it was 14. I just wanted to -- MR. STANKOVICH: That's including upstairs. MRS. MOORE: No, he said -- MR. STANKOVICH: 729 per floor. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Okay. MRS. MOORE: And the second floor is storage, unused space. Okay. MR. STANKOVICH: I beg your pardon? It's usable space. MRS. MOORE: But it's no habitable. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: It's not calculated -- it's not calculated, it is a permitted height and it's not part of our Notice of Disapproval. MRS. MOORE: Correct. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Sir? MR. STANKOVICH: I think your questioning was persuasive because we have now found that they've gone and cleared illegally with regard to the Trustees' prior decision. In addition, they again have violated the covenants and restrictions. They've made no attempt to go PuglieseCou~ Repo~ingandTranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 39 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 to the neighbors to explain what goes on with regard to the covenants filed on this property and in that regard I would request that you grant administrative judicial notice of the entire file in the previous proceeding to make it part of this proceeding and, in particular, the subdivision map in the covenants and restrictions. Is there any objection to that? MEMBER GOEHRINGER: I don't believe we're bound by covenants and restrictions. MR. STANKOVICH: No, but they reflect upon the attitude and attempts of this applicant to continually go beyond the restrictions of the law, whether they are continually going to the Building Inspector to place buildings where not permitted and that has come before you. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: I have to reserve decision on that, we -- counsel has to discuss that with us. MRS. MOORE: And it's my opinion obviously that the covenants and restrictions, certainly you've stated, it doesn't apply to the Zoning Board, but if those -- we are no in violation of the covenants that are on this Pugliese Court Reporting and Transcription Service (631) 878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 40 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 property. So -- MEMBER GOEHRINGER: I think we should reduce this to writing so that we can understand it in both situations; that's just my opinion. I'm only one person. MR. STANKOVICH: I would like two weeks after the close to submit a brief. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Do you have any objection to that, counsel? MEMBER DINIZIO: We have the covenants -- CFLAIRPERSON WEISMAN: We have them in previous -- We have them. I believe we have ample testimony at the public hearing, we will have the transcript, all the facts will be before us -- MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Okay. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: -- everyone has stated their opinion clearly, and I don't think we need to require anything else. MR. STANKOVICH: Except I must note that the hardships feigned by the applicant are self-created. They've brought this project in a segmented fashion and now, using the salami strategy, they want to take one piece out of the last decision and plead their case before PuglieseCou~ Repo~ingand Transcription Service (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 2O 21 22 23 24 25 41 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 you and ask you to weigh on both sides and gain traction to further expand their encroachment. This is -- CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: I think your point is very clear, Mr. Stankovich. I'm going to ask if there are any other comments anyone else would like to make, any questions of the Board? Hearing no further comments, I'd like to make a motion to close the hearing, reserve decision. MRS. MOORE: Thank you. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Second. (See Minutes for Resolution.) Pugliese Court Reporting and Transcription Service (631) 878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 2O 21 22 23 24 25 42 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 HEARING #6403 Judith B. Ullman and Judith A. Moch MEMBER HORNING: "Request for variance from Code Section 280-124, based on an application for building permit and the Building Inspector's March 2, 2010, updated May 25, 2010 Notice of Disapproval concerning proposed foundation reconstruction and alteration to year round dwelling at: 1) less than the code required front yard setback of 50 feet; 2) less than the code required side yard setback of 15 feet; 3) conversion of front porch to habitable space which pursuant to ~Walz" constitutes an increase in nonconformance. Property located at: 7617 Soundview Ave., (adj. to Great Pond aka Leeton's Lake) Southold SCTM#1000-59-6-9&14." CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: All right. State your name for the record, please. MS. MESIANO: Yes, Catherine Mesiano on behalf of the applicants. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Thank you, Cathy. Would you like to proceed? MS. MESIANO: Yes, the purpose -- I'll PuglieseCou~ Repo~ingandTranscriptionSe~ice (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 2O 21 22 23 24 25 43 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 back up. BOARD SECRETARY: Cathy, could you take that mike and place it around the corner to you? I'm having difficulty hearing you. Thank you. MS. MESIANO: The the property October 9, applicants purchased 2009 and a condition of their mortgage was to have heat installed and convert the house to a year round residence by October 2010. Being in a flood zone, the FEMA requirements come into play. FEMA states that any improvement to the structure greater than 50 percent of the cost of the structure requires that the structure be conforming in all ways FEMA requires. We are in an AE elevation 9. The first floor elevation is 10.34 feet, so we are approximately 9 inches shy of FEMA conformity. It was determined that the proposed improvements to the structure would constitute greater than 50 percent in putting in a heating system and putting in windows that would comply with current requirements. So therefore, we're back to dealing with the foundation. PuglieseCourtReportingand Transcription Service (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 44 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 Now this is not the first time I've come before this Board on an application that is driven by these same motivations. So in a nutshell for the want of height of the foundation, the structure as in lift the 9 inches in the we now need to raise up not raze demolish, put in a new conforming foundation and then set the structure back on the new foundation. The new foundation will be in the same footprint as the original house. The house is not going to be enlarged. Unfortunately, again, I've dealt with several of these issues. By the time the structure is brought into conformity with FEMA, the budget for the improvements of the dwelling are used up and what the new buyers or new owners had hoped to achieve with the structure now is out of reach because of the cost factor. So we are here basically because we need to lift the house up 9 inches to enable us to convert this to a structure with heat in it. We're not proposing any additional rooms, any additions. It's strictly lift it up from the foundation and put it back down and then winterize the house. PuglieseCou~ Repo~ingandTranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 45 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 I'd rather deal with the Board's questions than to go on. CHAIRPERSON WEISMA~: Yes, sure. Well they're converting a screen porch to habitable space -- MS. MESIANO: Yes, yes. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: -- which invokes Walz. It's a front yard setback of 42 feet where the Code requires 50. MS. MESIANO: Right -- CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Side yard is being maintained at 13.3. MS. MESIANO: Yes. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Front yard at 29.9, correct? MS. MESIANO: Yes. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Now, we just got a letter from the applicant indicating what you've basically described and it's primarily putting the new foundation on. It's not going to be a teardown, there's not going to be reconstruction. MS. MESIANO: No. No. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: This building is stable enough to raise it off the foundation? Pugliese Court Reporting and Transcription Service (631) 878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 46 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 MS. MESIANO: We've -- it's been inspected by the architect and they have had contractors in to make these determinations. The first thing they did, of course, was dig around the foundation to see if the foundation that was there could be modified as we've done in other situations, but they found that there are no footings to the foundation. So therefore, the foundation is not adequate. So that has to be ripped out and a new foundation installed. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: And what kind of foundation is being proposed? We don't have any -- MS. MESIANO: Poured concrete. There's no plans because at this point everything is conceptual and frankly they don't have enough money in their budget to draw preliminary and then less preliminary and so we're dealing with the conceptual aspect because we don't propose any changes other than to the use of the existing front porch area so the footprint of the house will remain the same. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Are we going to get a foundation plan, though? PuglieseCou~ Repo~ingandTranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 47 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 MS. MESIANO: Are you? MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Yes. I mean we don't know how deep the foundation is, we don't know, you know, we know the size of it conceivably by the outside footprint of the property, but -- MS. MESIkNO: Right, is that relevant though because this Board doesn't deal with Building Codes. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: That's not the point. The point is is it a full 8-foot foundation -- MS. MESIANO: No. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: -- is it a 7-foot foundation, is it a crawlspace foundation; what kind of foundation is it? MS. MESIAI~O: The flood elevation is elevation 9, therefore, the floor of the foundation can be no more than at elevation 8 and -- MEMBER GOEHRINGER: First floor? MS. MESIANO: No, the first floor elevation will -- CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: It's not a slab, it'll be a crawlspace (inaudible) -- MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Okay, will be at 11. PuglieseCou~ ReportingandTranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 48 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: So it'll be a crawlspace, it has to by -- MS. MESIANO: It'll be a 3-foot crawl because we presently have 10.34, for the want of that 9 inches we have to go through this entire exercise, and then we will have a foundation with a slab that's 3 feet deep and it will have the flow-through openings as is required by FEMA. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: You mean the breakaway? MS. MESIANO: Yes. MEMBER HORNING: with no utilities or anything in there. MS. MESIANO: No. According to FEMA they cannot be there. MEMBER HORNING: Right. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: But uniquely, since you don't have a footing, the foundation has to be rebuilt anyway regardless of the height condition. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Right, right. MS. MESIANO: Yes. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Right, so I mean that's -- Pugliese Court Reporting and Transcription Service (631) 878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 2O 21 22 23 24 25 49 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 MEMBER SCHNEIDER: It has to be reconstructed. MS. MESIANO: Yes. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: And it will be done in, as you had said, and I'm not being redundant, I want to just very simply say this, you will be lifting the house, not physically taking the house off the foundation? I mean only by the mere fact of lifting you will not be -- MS. MESIANO: Yes. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: -- removing it and skirting it over to another to another location? MS. MESIANO: To my knowledge, it's not to be moved, again, that's excess expense. They'll be lifting the house up, constructing the foundation under it, back down. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: putting the house Okay. MS. MESIANO: We don't need a temporary site on which to store the house. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: The reason I ask that question, Cathy, is because we've had applications where people wanted to increase PuglieseCou~ Repo~ingandTranscriptionService (631) 878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 50 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 the size of the house. house off its location, reason why we ask that Physically take the okay, and that's the question. MS. MESIANO: Oh sure. No, I'm open to any questions. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Okay. MS. MESIANO: I'm sure by the look on my face, you'll tell if I don't like them, but I'll always give you an answer. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: It's fine. MEMBER DINIZIO: No questions. I mean we got 15 feet and it's going to stay 15 feet, right? MS. MESIANO: It is what it is. MEMBER DINIZIO: Right and you got -- MS. MESI~O: We have the CO. MEMBER DINIZIO: -- 29.9 and you're going to have that and the side yard is going to be 13.3 when you're done? MS. MESIANO: It is what it is. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: And there's no second story? MS. MESIANO: No, but I would like to say, if in the future they wanted to come back to this Board for a second story, I would not PuglieseCou~ Repo~ingandTranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 2O 21 22 23 24 25 51 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 want to foreclose that, but at this point in time there's on discussion of it. The whole budget is going into the foundation. CFL~IRPERSON WEISMAN: Okay. Ken, question? MEMBER SCHNEIDER: Side yards, a conforming side yard is 15 feet? MS. MESIAI~O: Yes. MEMBER SCHNEIDER: I guess it would be too much of a difficulty to ask them to make a conforming side yard since they're making a new foundation and move the house over to -- C~AIRPERSON WEISMAN: That would be more excavation, that would be more disturbance. MEMBER SCHNEIDER: Yeah, right. MS. MESIAi~O: And it would decrease our wetlands setback, which is driving all of this. MEMBER SCHNEIDER: Good point. No further questions. MEMBER HORNING: No. I might point out that according to the Notice of Disapproval and the legal notice that if you were going to consider putting a second story on at some time in the future, you might very well be PuglieseCou~ Reporting and Transcription Se~ice (631)878-8355 1 2 3 5 6 7 8 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 52 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 cited again for this Walz CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: be. reference. Yeah, they would MS. MESIANO: Yes, I understand. MEMBER HORNING: It's nonconforming -- MS. MESIANO: Yes, that's why I said I wouldn't want to preclude the option of coming back because, at this point, we need to winterize the house and because of the age of the structure and the fact that it was constructed as a summer cottage, much more than a coat of paint would constitute more than 50 percent of the cost of the structure. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAI~: Sure. MEMBER DINIZIO: I can only assume that they (inaudible) deny it for Walz for those two setbacks because you're demolishing the foundation. MS. MESIANO: I'm sorry, the -- MEMBER DINIZIO: I can only assume that they didn't mention Walz for the other -- they only mentioned Walz for the front porch because the foundation is going to be demolished so it's beyond Walz. Those setbacks are beyond Walz, so they're going to PuglieseCou~ Repo~ingandTranscriptionSe~ice (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 53 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 be back. MS. MESIANO: Walz was mentioned because of the conversion of the porch -- MEMBER DINIZIO: Right. MS. MESIANO: -- into living space. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Right. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Okay, is there anyone else in the audience who would like to speak to this application? MR. McCARTHY: Good morning. Tom McCarthy, McCarthy Real Estate Southold. I'm not here for the application, but I'm familiar with it and its difficulties. We have previously marked the property for sale prior to the two individuals that own it today and I have been familiar with several other situations like this and I think that the hardship comes because the prior applicants and this applicant really complied with the law and the Certificate of Occupancy that they had was seasonal because they did not have heat in it prior to a Building Department inspection and there's many other little cottages around town that don't play by the rules. They would actually add heat and then PuglieseCou~ Reporting and Transcription Se~ice (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 54 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 have the Building Inspector come in and do an inspection of the property and say, okay, it has heat and you can have a regular CO, but the previous owners did not install heat to this residence as what the mortgage might have required and they played by the rules and unfortunately they're being hurt by it, but I understand it's a very unique situation. I'm very familiar with the house, you know, its location and its setbacks and, you know, I can certainly agree that it is a difficulty and to Cathy's point I'm in favor of the Board granting it. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Thank you, Tom. Thank you for your testimony. Amyone else? Okay, there are no further comments. I'd like to make a motion to close the hearing, reserve decision. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Second. (See Minutes for Resolution.) Pugliese Court Reporting and Transcription Service (631) 878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 55 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 HEARING #6319 & 6336 - William A. Penney III (Tidy Car) (adjourned from PH 12/3/09) [There was a recess previous to this hearing and it appears the appearances were not on the record.] MEMBER HORNING: Is that the only change? CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: So this is the site plan that is currently before the Planning Board for approval? MR. McCARTHY: Actually, I stand corrected. (Inaudible) there were a few other minor changes and it has been modified and I believe it's to deal with the site triangle and the turning lane at the intersection of Youngs Avenue and Route 48 because of the Code and what's necessary for the sight distance. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Can you bring up a -- do you have a copy with you? MR. McCARTHY: I do. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Let us at it and then what I'm going is just submit an updated one for us. MEMBER HORNING: Okay, that on this one either. have a look to ask you to do to the office well I don't have Pugliese Court Reporting and Transcription Service (631) 878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 56 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 MEMBER GOEHRINGER: copy of it. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Yeah, to need that and it's just a -- They'll give us a we're going this is the variance in the side yard and then this is another condition -- MEMBER GOEHRINGER: We really haven't taken any testimony on the special exception anyway, have we? CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: We were really waiting to No, not really. see what the Planning Board was going to do with the site and, actually, we did, I mean, we did take one -- we did, I recall talk a bit about, when Bill was here, the fact that there was some possibility of moving a good deal of the inventory up to -- was it Vermont or New Hampshire, I don't know which. MR. McCARTHY: Vermont. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: What's -- is there an update on that or is he planning to operate this as a full time business here? MR. McCARTHY: Well, he's planning, because of the economic benefits to both himself and to his customers, of moving a PuglieseCourtReportingandTranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 57 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 great deal of the business and inventory up to the north and I believe he's under construction on another facility up there now. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: So what's going to happen to this facility? MR. McCARTHY: At this point, he's looking to comply with what's been requested of him, which is to come into compliance with Town Code. So, as we know, Bill's been there for many years and he's been in front of various different boards to try to -- and the Building Department has been trying to regulate his use because he has been -- he's overgrown his site. He's been a very successful guy, so it's been bursting at the seams and I think we're trying to reduce the inventory and come into compliance to the greatest extent possible with the Code. So he's still going to operate at this location. He's not going to close it up, but it's going to be somewhat of a scaled back operation from what we're seen previously. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: So what kind of display is going to exist in this area eventually, which is part of the special PuglieseCou~ Repo~ingandTranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 58 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 exception? Do we know? MR. McCARTHY: I believe that he's looking to that area for some of his mobile goods, some of the slide-ons. He also does chairs. Bill's a guy who sells things that are all in and around the recreational industry. So it may be building tubes, it could be chairs, it could be slide-on campers; anything in that area. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: So in other words, what you're saying is when he's put stuff there they have complained about it and that is the reason why he wants to bring it into compliance? MR. McCARTHY: That's correct. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: I mean, we usually see a new vehicle from Lucas Ford with a slide-on camper on it and this type of information. MR. McCARTHY: That's correct. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: This is not any type of new automobile industry that he's getting a franchise on or anything of that nature? MR. McCARTHY: Nope. Basically a validation of his existing uses and the site PuglieseCourtRepo~ingand Transcription Service (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 59 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 plan as well creates a little bit better flow from what we had in the past. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Well, I appreciate this being before the Board, because, in fact, what we're really looking at is a permitted use; however, it's been operating without permission -- MR. McCARTHY: Correct. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: -- for a very long time and the business has spilled all over the site and there have been a number of violations as a consequence against the way in which the inventory has just been spread all over the place and with site plan approval in place right now the CO is for car service/gas station; that's it -- MR. McCARTHY: And garden center, I believe. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAIq: My information only says car service/gas station. Maybe I have -- don't have a complete permit -- MR. McCARTHY: Okay. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: You know, I want to make sure that what will happen on this site is what is being proposed, which is to also PuglieseCou~ Repo~ingandTranscriptionSe~ice (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 2O 21 22 23 24 25 60 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 operate it for motor vehicle sales. MR. McCARTHY: Correct. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Otherwise, it's going to become -- if he starts throwing all these other things out there, he's operating a retail business of a very different nature. If he's selling, you know, lawnmowers and he's selling chairs and he's selling inner tubes and he's -- MR. McCARTHY: He is selling accessories to the recreational vehicles and that portion of the industry. I think that he's selling there has scaled back over time where his focus is mainly the vehicles themselves and I think the accessories have really scaled back. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAI~: Can they be accommodated within the building? within the existing building, do they have to be displayed all over the place or can they just be part of an accessory -- like a store? You know, you go inside and you look at what's what? I'm trying to look at visually what the result is going to be on the site. MR. McCARTHY: I understand. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Well, together with PuglieseCou~ RepoSing and Transcription Service (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 61 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 that statement, excuse me, is he should give us a laundry list of what he intends to display and we should be able to tell him, through his special exception purposes, if they conform or don't conform to the special exception. MR. McCARTHY: I can request that of him. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Right? I mean this way we now what's going to be -- I can go back 30 years and tell you that this was a gas station. It was a wonderful gas station, it was probably one of the greatest country gas stations that existed on this road and of course you're absolutely correct; what it is today is certainly not a gas station. MR. McCARTHY: It had been a gas station, a garden center. One parcel was -- it was a two-lot subdivision, this is one of the resultant parcels. The parcel which is adjacent to the west has been preserved by Mr. Hubbard, okay, so I think that's an important piece to consider is the impact to any of the neighbors of this particular use cause there won't be any building as per I believe private and public covenants on the adjacent 3-acre PuglieseCou~ ReportingandTranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 62 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 parcel to the west between O'Malley's and this use will not be built upon. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: But the building that was granted by the Board on the west side is still a part of this property not necessarily this particular site plan. MR. McCARTHY: That's not within his scope right now. He doesn't have any intentions, he was looking to solve the issues on site with the space needs and he's moved that issue up to New Hampshire. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: I see. C~AIRPERSON WEISMAN: Thank you. MEMBER DINIZIO: No questions. MEMBER HORNING: I reviewed the previous decision #4826 of January 18, 2001 involving conditions and what we approved then was subject to the Planning Board's site plan approval and a landscape plan and from my understanding there doesn't seem to be any landscape plan that was put into effect based upon this last decision; is that true or not true? CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: That is true, that is why there were some violations because PuglieseCou~ ReportingandTranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 63 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 there was an approved site plan not a special exception for the use, but there was an approved site plan and the conditions of that site plan have not been met. There is no landscape buffer -- MEMBER HORNING: No, right. Can you address that issue? MR. McCARTHY: The Planning Board has revisited that and we have already submitted to them landscaping that meets, from my understanding that meets their satisfaction. We've got arborvitaes and buttercup shrubs, junipers, old gold, rhododendrons, hydrangeas, etc. on the -- MEMBER HORNING: My question then why would it be, here it is 9 years later, let's say, and the landscape plan was not implemented that we approved to be implemented in this decision? 9 years later is a long time to not do anything. MR. McCARTHY: I understand your question not only was the landscape plan not implemented, neither was the variance for the building and the building wasn't constructed either. Pugliese Court Reporting and Transcription Service (631) 878-8355 1 2 3 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 64 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 MEMBER GOEHRINGER: It's the huge building on the west side -- CHAIRPERSON WEISMAIq: The shed you're talking about -- MEMBER HOP~NING: Right. MR. McCARTHY: On that, it was a separate building that was -- we had several issues at the time I believe it was with the building facing the street, we're on a corner property. (Inaudible) that structure to the west in where we're presently just asking for sales and service yard and there was a detached large building at that time and, George, I believe, to your point that the landscaping was not done at that time because that work that was granted by your Board was not started. MEMBER HORNING: And we're going to get an updated survey, correct? MR. McCARTHY: Yeah, I'd be happy to submit that to you. CHAIRPERSON WEISM~uN: And also whatever information is before the Planning Board. If you have a landscape plan, you know, whatever information they have would be appropriate for PuglieseCou~ Repo~ingandTranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 65 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 us to have -- MR. McCARTHY: for you. Sure. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: we're on the same page. I'd be happy to get that -- in our file so MEMBER HORNING: A couple of other questions or comments. There's a second condition on our prior decision says something, "No outdoor storage of vehicles for display, storage or sale." Now, there seems to be a number of vehicles. I mean, if they're not -- they may not have a for sale sign on them, but they're certainly on display in the front area on Route -- and I presume they're for sale, too, but I don't know that for a fact because they don't have a for sale sign on them, but they're either there for display or for storage in violation of this condition. How do you address that issue? MR. McCARTHY: Most of the vehicles that you see on the front there are for service. The bay doors face the corner of Route 48 and Youngs Avenue. So the things that come in and out of that very similar to willow Hill Automotive, if we were to make the same PuglieseCourtReportingandTranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 2O 21 22 23 24 25 66 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 argument across the street. They've got a parking lot, those vehicles are for the customers whose vehicles are coming in and out of the building, that are being serviced. There may be inventory that gets delivered to Mr. Penny's location where he had to prepare it for sale, add different accessories that may not come from the factory that he adds to these vehicles and he moves them around the lot. MEMBER DINIZIO: Can I comment on that too? You know, in 2001 we had made a decision and they didn't follow through on any of it. They didn't do the variance, so the storage that you see now is all going to be moved inside this building. I mean we had turn radii and buildings, we just had a bunch of stuff and you know all of this -- anything here is going to be servicing what's going to be -- I think you have to store everything in there and just pull one vehicle out, do what you have to do, pull it back in and I think, you know, the other side of the story is, look, we didn't do the variance, okay. We didn't do any of it so, you know, like the PuglieseCou~ Repo~ingandTranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 67 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 landscaping and all of that, it's just they didn't follow through on the variance, but that doesn't necessarily mean that, you know, they ignored it, they just didn't do what they had asked to do. MR. McCARTHY: George, to your point, the gentleman's in business and his is located on business property. He does not want to be hidden and I think part of the inventory that he has is his calling card similar to Mr. Lucas on Horton's Lane or Mr. Mullen on Route 25. When people drive by, yes, they're going to drive by and they're going to see that he does have inventory that's coming and going and it's serviced and that's how he makes his living and he's not looking to be hidden and, if he was, perhaps he'd be in another location and not on Route 48. So I think that his inventory as it comes and goes contributes to the success of his business, but I understand that you don't want it, you know, spread everywhere hither and yon and I think our site plan is an attempt to say, okay, if we are going to display let's designate the area where it is and lets all PuglieseCourtRepo~ingandTranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 68 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 agree on how we can move forward. MEMBER HORNING: I was just trying to get at the root of what happened to the previous decision and what remains of it. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Well, I just believe that -- exactly what Jimmy said, we took significant testimony from them, there was significant agreement in reference to that, which is embodied within that particular document, and that is the reason why I asked that question of Mr. McCarthy because he has basically scrapped that entire idea; am I correct? MR. McCARTHY: Yes. MEMBER HORNING: Okay. With regard to the shed and -- if I may ask about the shed, why could not that be attached to the main building and/or why wasn't it attached to begin with and, therefore, alleviating this problem of having a shed? MR. McCARTHY: It certainly would alleviate it, if it was connected in some fashion. We'd have to be at the Building Department, a building permit, and create some sort of a code compliant attachment. I guess PuglieseCourtRepo~ingandTranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 69 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 we'd have to go for site plan on that as well if there was an attachment in that -- something with that. We have the location of the building, which we feel is the least obtrusive, and if it was attached it would comply with the setbacks, you know, for a principal structure, but we have a real hardship because the accessory structure setbacks do not comply because that's in a non-compliant location for the yard. So it's something that is not of the same durability and quality, it's more of a portable structure that's sitting on a slab and it's not really -- it doesn't have a foundation so to speak and it's not of the same like, kind and quality to attach it to the principal building and what the building code may require of him to do that. MEMBER HORNING: So that doesn't involve any issues involving the allowable road frontage of a building, would it? MR. McCARTHY: Not that I'm aware of. MEMBER HOP~NING: Just curious why it was not attached to begin with and -- MR. McCARTHY: It's not really a PuglieseCou~ Repo~ingandTranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 70 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 principal use within the building, it's for accessory storage, and it's -- MEMBER HORNING: It could nevertheless. MR. McCARTHY: At some point that building may disappear because I believe its usable life is a lot less than what the principal structure's usable life is. MEMBER HORNING: Amd was it constructed without a permit? MR. McCARTHY: My understanding is that it was. It's something that was purchased and delivered on site from, I believe, a shed company up on Route 48 much as, you know, some other folks may have in their backyards, this is a similar type of construction. It was purchased and delivered. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Well, there's a long history here of a variety of things going on on this site that would be very timely to have improved and legalized and I'm glad to see that approaching. I'm assuming that there will be on the site plan as finalized, approval as finalized, a display area and all of the vehicles that are taking up stripped parking spaces they're all -- there's a number PuglieseCou~ ReportingandTranscriptionSe~ice (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 71 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 of them, when I was there yesterday or the day before, sitting in the parking lot, okay, and there's no place to legally park your car. I mean you just put it wherever you can put it because that stuff is everywhere. It's in the side yard, it's in front of the cyclone fence, where the landscaping was supposed to be. As you know, it's everywhere. The stuff is everywhere. There are some really rusty old junk cars and a lot of other junk on the property and is it fair to say that when site plan is finalized and, you know, approved and should this permit be granted, special exception permit be granted to legalize the use that Mr. Penny will be complying with getting it -- cleaning up that site and locating his inventory where it's supposed to go in the (inaudible)-- MR. McCARTHY: That's my understanding. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: -- with some stuff on display and in the allowable display, but that parking will be available for customers and that when he's working on vehicles they'll either be back in that rear yard by the shed PuglieseCou~ ReportingandTranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 72 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 or something or brought in when he needs to and put back into whatever -- MR. McCARTHY: That's what I -- CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: -- storage area as appropriate? MR. McCARTHY: That's my understanding. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Is it his understanding? MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Will you relay that understanding to him? C~AIRPERSON WEISMAN: I know Bill. Believe me, I know him, that's where I bought my first radar. MR. McCARTHY: I believe that that's his intention and that's why we're here is to try to come into compliance and I think he's already made some strides in removing some of the things that he's accumulated over time. Reducing his inventory and I'd like to point out to your point that, if you look at the site plan that's in front of you, directly in the front of the building the garage bay door shows a dimension of 41 feet 10 inches, if you will, facing the apex of 48 and -- CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Okay, yeah? PuglieseCou~ Repo~ingandTranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 2O 21 22 23 24 25 73 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 MR. McCARTHY: -- parking spaces 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13 are not presently in that location. Okay, the rear (inaudible) stop, if you will, is at the 41-foot mark so what we're doing is we're trying to provide better transverse access across the site because right now it is very tight in front of the building so we're going to move those parking spots, together with the Planning Board's approval, further towards the intersection of Route 48 so there is more room for him to transition his product in and out and for people to park. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Okay, so we're just -- what we need is the final site plan -- MR. McCARTHY: (Inaudible). CHAIRPERSON WEISM_AN: -- so whatever we decide to do we're looking at drawings that are the right ones. MR. McCARTHY: I apologize that you don't have the most up to date. CHAIRPERSON WEISMA/~: Okay. Does anyone else have any questions? Is there anyone else in the audience would like to speak to this application? PuglieseCou~ ReportingandTranscriptionSe~ice (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 74 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 Anything else you'd like to say, Tom? MR. McCARTHY: Thank you for having us. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Hearing no further comments, I'll make a motion to close the hearing, reserve decision. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Second. CFLAIRPERSON WEISMAN: I mean this is, of course, closed reserving decision pending receipt of updated survey and -- MR. McCARTHY: I would provide (inaudible). CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Right, you're going to have the things that we requested. You're going to submit to us an updated survey a list of the items to be sold on the subject premises. We're waiting for Planning Board comments and you're also going to provide us with anything else you've submitted other than the survey to the Planning Board, which is landscape scheme and so on. All right? MR. McCARTHY: Yes. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: So those were all the things. The clock will in terms of making a decision is going to start when all of that's received. Can you have that to us PuglieseCourtReportingandTranscriptionService (631)878-8355 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 75 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 within the next week or two? MR. McCARTHY: Within the week. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Good. Okay, and we can probably schedule it for the special exception meeting that's (inaudible). All right. Okay, that was a corrected motion. (See Minutes for Resolution.) Pugliese Court Reporting and Transcription Service (631) 878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 76 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 HEARING #6412 - Thomas M and Maureen F. Dowling MEMBER SCHNEIDER: ~Request for variance from Code Section 280-124, based on an application for building permit and the Building Inspector's May 26, 2010 Notice of Disapproval concerning proposed additions/alterations to a single-family dwelling at: 1) less than the code required side yard setback of 15 feet, 2) less than the code required total side yard combined of 35 feet. Property located at: 1200 Broadwaters Rd., (adj. to Broadwaters Cove) Cutchogue, SCTM#1000-104-9-3." CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: State your name for the record, please, Mark. MR. SCHWARTZ: Mark Schwartz, architect for the project. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Okay, let's see. Do you want to start with the presentation or do you want to have some questions from us? MR. SCHWARTZ: Briefly, as we developed this design we knew there was a concern, an issue with the side yard. The setbacks, existing setback on the west side is 3.3 feet. PuglieseCou~ Repo~ingandTranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 77 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 So as we (inaudible) the additions and alternations, what I thought was a proper way to do it and I thought possibly we wouldn't be at the Zoning Board is that if you take the setbacks at the southern part of the building with 3.3 we did add to the garage, but the opposite setback is 32.5, so we have a total of 35.8, which is greater than the 35 required. It's the same in the middle and it's the same on the northern end if you add the setbacks that we've created with the new additions. So it's only the total side yard if you take the smallest on the west and the smallest on the east, but as you kind of progress out towards the waterside of the house as you add them (inaudible) the additions that we're proposing are within requirements for both a minimum side yard and total side yard. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Ken, did you want to start with some questions or did you want me to? MEMBER SCHNEIDER: You can start. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Okay. Just a PuglieseCou~ Repo~ingandTranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 78 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 couple of questions here. This is, obviously, a very unusually shaped lot and kind of, you know, very wedge-shaped with the point narrow to the street and widens a great deal toward Broadwaters Cove. You also have a very unusual situation with wetlands, which seems as though the marshes have migrated seaward of the bulkhead. So that's a rather unusual situation. We -- the LWRP letter indicated a non- disturbance buffer, but frankly I think we need to have Mark go out there and do a site inspection because I don't know what he's determining is non-disturbance and where a landscape buffer should be or so on and so forth and I think since he's the expert, we are not, I would certainly like to have him gO and inspect the site to see how best that can be handled. MR. SCHWARTZ: Yeah, I agree. I was talking to Mark earlier in the week and tried to get him out there, but he just didn't have a chance to get out there and take a look. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Okay, so we can look into that further to figure all that out. PuglieseCou~ Repo~ingandTranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 79 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 I was out there the other day, is that all grass now? It slopes considerably toward that bulkhead, doesn't it, the property? MR. SCHWARTZ: Yeah, it's kind of manicured grass towards the north right up to the edge of the wetlands and then beyond that is kind of a maintained area that looks more like natural grass. It's not fertilized or watered, so it kind of turns the grass (inaudible) beyond the landward face of the wetlands. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: And does the applicant go through that to get to the bulkhead to access the water in any way? MR. SCHWARTZ: It's all wide open, it's - - it looks kinda like wetland area, but it's sandy and (inaudible) and up towards the bulkhead it's definitely more like a beach area. I think they did the bulkhead probably 35 years ago or 40 years ago. They probably excavated and graded that upland area around the bulkhead that long ago. So it's been used that way for many years. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: And the -- what is the size of the proposed seaward deck with the PuglieseCou~ Repo~ingandTranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 2O 21 22 23 24 25 80 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 hot tub? I don't think I noticed, it's down there, but it's very tiny. MR. SCHWARTZ: It is 644 square feet. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: What would be the length and width? I can't read it. MR. SCHWARTZ: It's about -- CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Huh? MR. SCHWARTZ: About 20 feet north to south. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: 20 feet? MR. SCHWARTZ: 20 feet, yup, and I'd say about 30 feet east to west, 25-30 feet. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Okay and I see that the setback to the wetlands is 89.9 on one side and 100 on the other. Anyway you can work that out so that it's 100 feet from both of those areas? MR. SCHWARTZ: Well -- CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: It's a very, very large deck. MR. SCHWARTZ: We can certainly look at the size of the deck. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: It's a really huge deck. MR. SCHWARTZ: Yeah, we can certainly PuglieseCourtReportingand Transcription Service (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 81 line, but I don't see it MR. SCHWARTZ: Well, do that. I think when I anywhere on your -- we're not going to sent out the notices Pugliese Court Reporting and Transcription Service (631) 878-8355 reduce the size of the deck. Is that a Zoning Board issue? I thought we were here for the side yards. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Well, it's not on the Notice of Disapproval as a setback issue, you're right about that. MR. SCHWARTZ: We have a Trustees' meeting next month so I'm sure it'll be addressed then. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: That's fine then and environmental impacts are part of our (inaudible) so we have the jurisdiction to discuss it, you know. There's a letter from a neighbor indicating they don't object to the 3.3 foot where the accessory garage is located now as long as that doesn't get any higher. It looks as though you're proposing to maintain that as a one-story -- MR. SCHWARTZ: We'll maintain that, yes. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: So that height is maintained. They mentioned something about an outdoor shower 6 feet from their property 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 82 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 for the site plan, we were thinking about putting the shower on that side, but that's why you saw that, we will not do that. C~AIRPERSON WEISMAN: So that isn't -- cause I didn't find it anywhere on here and I'm thinking, all right, I'm missing something. MR. SCHWARTZ: That was an error on my part. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Okay. That's it for me for the moment. Let me just mention a little bit about the structure of the existing house. The basement foundation, what are you doing with that foundation? I see you have a foundation plan some is going to be staying and some is being added. Can you talk to us a little bit about how much of the existing house you're able to keep, how much has to be renovated, how much is being removed? MR. SCHWARTZ: The existing foundation for the house and the garage will remain. We're kind of connecting the two with a new foundation. The garage structure for the most part will stay intact. The main house will -- Pugliese Court Reporting and Transcription Service (631) 878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 83 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 the first floor structure will stay. The exterior walls most likely will remain and, in fact, they have to remain on the west side because they're too close. We're adding our second story addition 15 feet in on that west side, so as not to have another variance issue to deal with and then the roof and the second floor structure will be removed and replaced. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: So new roof over everything. MR. SCHWARTZ: Roof, yes. Yeah. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: In general, it's additions and not demos. MR. SCHWARTZ: Right. It's significant demolition to the main structure -- CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: No significant demolition to the main structure, did I hear that -- MR. SCHWARTZ: No, it is significant to the main -- CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: It is. MR. SCHWARTZ: -- to the main house. The roof the second floor that's there now is going to be removed. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Okay. PuglieseCourtReportingandTranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 84 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 MR. SCHWARTZ: The second floor structure will be removed and we'll be working from there to add and alter up. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Okay, so the existing second story is going. MR. SCHWARTZ: Right. CHAIRPERSON WEISMA/~: The whole second story is new, but the footprint is the same except for the attachment of the garage and the -- MR. SCHWARTZ: Well and the screen porch proposed -- CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: -- and the deck. There's that porch and the deck. MR. SCHWARTZ: That's a two-story structure, the screen porch and above it is a CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: something on the -- yeah. Okay, we don't want field as you can imagine. MEMBER SCHNEIDER: doing? MR. SCHWARTZ: Hi. and the screen octagonal screen A study or any surprises in the Hi, Mark. How are you Pugliese Court Reporting and Transcription Service (631) 878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 2O 21 22 23 24 25 85 ZBA Town of Southold - AuHust 26, 2010 MEMBER SCHNEIDER: So all the new proposed work and additions will have conforminH setbacks? MR. SCHWARTZ: Correct. MEMBER SCHNEIDER: Okay. No further questions from me. MEMBER HORNING: I'll ask about the foundation and the existinH foundation where - - is it like a unused garage underneath there MR. SCHWARTZ: There is -- yes. It's basement and a storage area that they pull in their sailboats and things like that, riHht now. MEMBER HORNING: Right. So it's not habitable space in there? MR. SCHWARTZ: It's not now we are proposing to create a recreation room and probably that garage area and that (inaudible) space is habitable. MEMBER HORNING: I know you're not cited for having greater than 2-1/2 stories, but how do you explain that? MR. SCHWARTZ: The Building Department defines the third story, I believe, as a grade PuglieseCou~ ReportingandTranscriptionSe~ice (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 86 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 plane calculation if you have 5-1/2 feet of exposed foundation from existing grade to first floor, finished floor and we're less. Definitely less than 5-1/2 around the corner of the house, I believe, so it wouldn't be considered a third floor. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: You'll see that in number 5. MEMBER HORNING: Yeah, we have another application. MR. SCHWARTZ: That's next. C~AIRPERSON WEISMAN: Coming up. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: I've seen, definitely discussing the overall mass, looking at the mass from the pond area, it's not a pond, it's saltwater, so any possible reduction of that deck area would be greatly appreciated. Any way to -- the mass is unbelievable. It is a very, very narrow lot. Fortunately, it's skewed back a little bit more toward the street, but it's great. MEMBER DINIZIO: I don't have any questions. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Is there anyone else in the audience who'd like to speak to PuglieseCou~ ReportingandTranscriptionSe~ice (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 87 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 this application? Hearing no further comment, I'll make a motion to close the hearing subject to receipt of comment upon site inspection by the LWRP coordinator. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: (See Minutes Second. for Resolution.) Pugliese Cou~ Reporting and Transcription Se~ice (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 2O 21 22 23 24 25 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 88 HEARING ~6414 - Michael and Renee Bellero MEMBER GOEHRINGER: ~Request for variance from approved Cluster Subdivision setbacks and Code Section 280-18, based on an application for building permit and the Building Inspector's May 26, 2010, amended July 13, 2010 Notice of Disapproval concerning proposed additions/alterations to existing single family dwelling at: 1) less than the approved front yard setback of 25 feet; 2) more than the code required maximum number of stories of two and a half. Property located at: 2095 The Strand and The Greenway, East Marion, SCTM~1000-30-2-52." CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Oh, lucky you, back-to-back. MR. SCHWARTZ: Mark Schwartz, architect. This house was built, I believe, in the '80s. When it was built it was not built with any kind of a variance. What we're trying to do is expand the -- what I would consider the second floor and add a couple of bedrooms. When I submitted to the Building Department they told me that this is considered a third PuglieseCourtRepo~ingandTranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 89 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 floor addition. So our addition does not go higher than the existing ridge of the main structure. It does increase the size of the second -- the upper level. That was the one issue and the second issue was the -- we're trying to create a new entrance, a new stairway to the first -- to the main floor from the street. The setback required is 25 feet, we've got a set of stairs that come down to a landing and then you turn to go down another set of stairs and that landing is where we get the variance issue in the front yard at 16.5 setback. So adding to the house and not going above the main ridge doesn't appear to be any kind of a major concern, I've spoken with the neighbor and he's not against it. He had a retaining wall issue that we're talking about. I think it's a reasonable request just to get two bedrooms and a bathroom on the second level, the upper floor. MEMBER HORNING: referring to? MR. SCHWARTZ: What neighbor are you The neighbor to the north. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Oh, that's the one Pugliese Court Reporting and Transcription Service (631) 878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 90 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 it would have the biggest MR. SCHWARTZ: Yeah. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: there's this house -- impact on. It's back here, but MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Why would they have an impact, this house is down in a nook almost? CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: This one is way up on a big retaining wall in the back there where the cyclone fence is. You're talking about the neighbor that's got the orange fence all the way around the cyclone fencing? MR. SCHWARTZ: Yes. CHAIRPERSON WEISM3kN: And on the other side is the golf course. MR. SCHWARTZ: Right, his house is set way to the west. He's not really adjacent to the house, so he's not concerned (inaudible) the occupants of the house, natural light or anything like that. It's all wooded area back there. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: It's my file, can I speak? CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Sure. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: So you're telling me PuglieseCourtRepo~ingandTranscriptionService (631)878-8355 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 91 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 that this fourth and fifth bedroom is located in the existing portion, there is no additions to the -- I'm going to refer it as the third story. MR. SCHWARTZ: No, I believe I misspoke. There is a -- we are adding to the corner to the northwest corner. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Northwest corner, okay. MR. SCHWARTZ: See the new square that's 10 by 11 or 100 square feet or so? MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Um-hmm. MR. SCHWARTZ: That addition there starts at the basement and goes up all the way to the second floor. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Is that -- this 17 feet, this one? MEMBER GOEHRINGER: 17 feet by 13.37 MR. SCHWARTZ: No. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Which are you talking about, oh this one? MR. SCHWARTZ: Yes, this right here is attached to this jag roof up a bit (inaudible) CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: (inaudible) things Yeah. So it's so Pugliese Court Reporting and Transcription Service (631) 878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 2O 21 22 23 24 25 92 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 light it's hard to see which hatch is which. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: So what do we -- if we were to look at this today, maybe we should look at it -- what are we seeing on the second floor -- what the Building Department is referring to as the third floor? Today, we're seeing one bedroom, is that correct, with a deck? MR. SCHWARTZ: Yeah, open space with a master. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Right, open space with all vaulted ceiling in here? MR. SCHWARTZ: Correct. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: To the first floor? MR. SCHWARTZ: Um-hmm. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: What is this here? MR. SCHWARTZ: Right now it's a roof. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Okay. MR. SCHWARTZ: For the first floor (inaudible) roof. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Okay, so this is going to be added on to to include this. MR. SCHWARTZ: Correct. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Okay and how big is this area, do we know? PuglieseCourtRepo~ingandTranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 93 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 MR. SCHWARTZ: I -- the second floor addition -- CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: 45 feet wide by 11.9-1/2. Yeah, it's asymmetrical, it's 15 feet on -- MEMBER GOEHRINGER: You're showing it as over here as 15 -- CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: 15.8 on one side and (inaudible) on the other side. MR. SCHWD~RTZ: [Not at microphone.] (Inaudible) It should include the sitting room, yes. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: It looks like it's MR. SCHWARTZ: (Inaudible) is on the chart there. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Okay. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Now, is there any sprinkling in this house at all? MR. SCHWARTZ: No. I didn't speak with the state. The state (inaudible) it's a two- story structure with a basement. A basement with two levels above it about the sprinklers. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: (inaudible) concern Yeah. Pugliese Court Reporting and Transcription Service (631) 878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 94 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 MR. SCHWARTZ: Their definition is different than the Town's. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Okay, so -- CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Could you have that in writing? MR. SCHWARTZ: Sure. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: that? MR. SCHWARTZ: I don't have it writing, but I will get it. Can you submit Right? And then what we're anticipating doing is creating a family room down in the basement -- Pugliese Court Reporting and Transcription Service (631) 878-8355 MEMBER GOEHRINGER: MR. SCHWARTZ: Yes MEMBER GOEHRINGER: CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Can you get it and submit it to us? MR. SCHWARTZ: Yes. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: It will help. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Okay, so based upon the prior application that we were discussing down in Nassau Point, the difference here is that we have a walkout basement and garage area, basically, which exists now? MR. SCHWARTZ: Um-hmm. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 95 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 MR. SCHWARTZ: Um-hmm. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: As exists right now, let me just backtrack, there is a half-bath in there? MR. SCHWARTZ: Yes. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Okay, so if we were to walk over there we would see a half-bath? MR. SCHWARTZ: (Inaudible). MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Yeah. MR. SCHWARTZ: (Inaudible) -- MEMBER GOEHRINGER: I reviewed the -- MR. SCHWARTZ: -- the existing foundation drawing. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Uh, yes, existing it's on. It's on 8-5. MR. SCHWARTZ: (Inaudible). MEMBER GOEHRINGER: To be a toilet and a sink. MR. SCHWARTZ: I think it's a full bathroom. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: It's a full bathroom? MR. SCHWARTZ: Yes. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Could you check that for us and let us know. So you're going to convert that to a PuglieseCourtRepo~ingandTranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 2O 21 22 23 24 25 96 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 family room. The mechanical area is going to stay where it is, that's where you wrote existing bath when it says proposed, right, cause there's a shower in this one? MR. SCHWARTZ: Yup. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Okay. MR. SCHWARTZ: The owner's father is handicapped. He was in the military (inaudible) utilize this basement area, that's why we're expanding that so he can get up to the MEMBER GOEHRINGER: (inaudible) elevator (inaudible). So there's going to be an elevator over here? MR. SCHWARTZ: It's existing. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: It's existing. MR. SCHWARTZ: It's kind of a lift inaudible). MEMBER GOEHRINGER: It's a lift. Okay. All right, so I guess the real question is what is the need for the fourth and fifth bedroom? Have they expressed that to you? MR. SCHWARTZ: Yes (inaudible) children (inaudible) one bedroom for each child (inaudible). CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: The proposed new PuglieseCou~ Reporting and Transcription Service (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 97 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 stairs that are requiring the front yard setback, you're going to call them out. You have one enormous setback from this wooded area that's not even visible from Greenway, it's just a wooded part of the lot. You're decreasing it, are you, from the existing nonconforming setback? Is it being reduced from -- what's it being reduced from? MR. SCHWARTZ: Well -- CHAIRPERSON WEISMA/q: It's being proposed at 16.5, the Code requires 25 on your second front yard, but I'm asking -- what is the current? MR. SCHWARTZ: Yes, CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: (inaudible). Okay, just checking that that's the case. So you're going to be decreasing -- well, increasing the non- conformity by like 3-1/2 feet. MR. SCHWARTZ: (Inaudible) lower (inaudible) it's not (inaudible) the stairs. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Right, understand. Yeah, so the measurement 16.5 is from the proposed stairs. Okay. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: I'm sorry, I need to digress one second regarding this third story PuglieseCou~ Repo~ingandTranscriptionSe~ice (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 98 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 aspect between the difference between the state and our particular code. By the nature of Mark giving us this letter from the state, are you saying that we would not be sprinkling the third story or requesting? CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: We would not be saying that? That's why I'm asking if the state says that they're determining it to be two-story and, therefore, does not require sprinkler system then I want that evidence submitted in writing. It would have an impact on whether or not -- normally if we do grant a variance for a third story, we'll have it sprinkled according to Code, our Code. So -- MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Let me digress back again. Let's assume that the Board was not so inclined and did consider this to be a third story and I'm speaking for myself now -- CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Yeah, sure. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: -- not for the Board, should we request any other alternate relief from Mark other than the fact that, you know, this may go or may not go? We don't know how it's going to go, okay, in deliberation I'm saying. In other words, is there any -- are PuglieseCou~ Repo~ingandTranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 99 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 there any changes that could be made to the dwelling that would not create three bedrooms on the second or third floor, whatever way we determine it to be, shall we ask Mark for any alternate relief on this? He indicated -- CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Well, it would be an enormously different design. I mean, you know, it's not just a minor change. (Inaudible) of course (inaudible) we can expand, but what you could do is indicate -- the Town may or we may require that you sprinkle it anyway regardless of what the state says. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: My original question was (inaudible) why don't you put the bedrooms in the basement? You've now indicated the reason why is because a gentleman is going to be, the father I suspect, is going to utilizing the basement or a portion of the basement -- a parent. MR. SCHWARTZ: (Inaudible) -- MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Right, so therefore you're still in need of fourth and fifth bedrooms on what would be the second or the third floor. Okay. Is there any other PuglieseCou~ Repo~ingandTranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 100 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 addition that can be put on the house rather than going up? MR. SCHWARTZ: (Not at microphone.) Well certainly we could do it. The other option would be (inaudible) I could to try and fill in and create (inaudible) on the property so that this wouldn't be considered a third floor. We certainly could do that and the property would then (inaudible) front setback MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Setback. MR. SCHWARTZ: -- (inaudible). CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: That's a lot of money and a lot of drainage. MR. SCHWARTZ: Exactly. (inaudible) this structure. (inaudible) -- MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Right, primarily on the waterside. MR. SCHWARTZ: -- (inaudible) scale. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Right. Okay and it would create a greater difficulty for the people who are of wheelchair need because the ability of having walk-outs is an advantage. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Vicki wants to get PuglieseCourtRepo~ingandTranscriptionSe~ice (631)878-8355 We're not really Certainly 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 101 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 this on tape. Yeah, there are also site conditions to think about. This is a very difficult site. You know, it's shoved way over to the corner of one part of the site and the grade changes are dramatic. I mean, you know, there's virtually no rear yard and -- MEMBER GOEMRINGER: location for the house. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: It's a strange The side yard is a little slit, basically, with a wood retaining wall. You know, going out is much more complicated than going up, you know, in any feasible way. So that's what it looks like in my opinion. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Towards The Greenway. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Yeah, yeah. Well, you know, they have some mechanical stuff in that, you know, there they have septic, they're proposing septic there. It's the only flat part, actually, on the whole property. MEMBER HORNING: The existing septic is there and you're going to make a new septic. MR. SCHWARTZ: Yes. We have to have a a new septic system when we add bedrooms. PuglieseCourtRepo~ingandTranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 102 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 MEMBER HORNING: And so if you expanded towards The Greenway with an addition, you'd have to change the whole septic layout as well, too, because you would be expanding into that existing septic area. MR. SCHWARTZ: Yeah, as well as the -- that existing deck area, the lift that's there now. You'd cut this concrete also to get the lower grade up to this, about 4-foot high up to this lift. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: So my next question is do we close the hearing; is there anything else that we may need from this applicant -- from this architect? CHAIRPERSON WEISM~2q: Does anyone want anything? I've already said I'd like to get a letter from the state, not suggesting it would determine the outcome one way or the other, but at least it's information from them. Is there anyone else wants anything? MEMBER DINIZIO: We're talking about -- If the basement is not a floor now, it sounds like it's turning into a floor. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: That's what my issue is. This is really a three-story house? Pugliese C0u~ Reportingand TranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 103 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 MEMBER DINIZIO: Right, right and, honestly, you know, I think prudence tells you to consider that top story a third story and tell them to put a sprinkler system in there and I think it would cover all of it. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Done deal. MEMBER DINIZIO: Yeah. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Yeah, that's what I think I would do. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Well, yeah, that's what I'm saying, I wasn't suggesting it was going to preclude our nothing doing that. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Right, no. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: But at least if we -- I don't require any -- I don't need any other information, but if anybody else on the Board would like something, state it and we'll get it. MEMBER HORNING: Is there any way of redesigning that stairway system exterior with the landing on it to, you know, make it less non-conforming in terms of the front yard setback, that 16.5 figure? MR. SCHWARTZ: Well, not -- I don't think there really is. They do have a stair that PuglieseCourtReportingandTranscriptionService (631) 878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 104 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 now is a -- kind of a straight line adjacent to it, but the problem is that the owners feel that you really can't see where the front of the house cause the stair is kind of skewed to the side towards the garage. So it's really just an aesthetic way to get up to the main level and into the front door. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: I wouldn't be so concerned about that, George. I mean I would be so concerned about it if we were on a road that was very well accessed, but it's on a dead end. So that's why I didn't raise that issue understanding that it really is an aesthetic. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Right. I mean it's a corner lot and that has -- MEMBER HORNING: is a cul de sac and it There's a golf course. CHAIRPERSON WEISM3kN: And the guy on the other side of the street is way setback. So in this case it really doesn't have a beck of an impact one way or the other. It's stairs, it's not like it's a big (inaudible) -- MEMBER HORNING: Are we concerned with minimizing variance? PuglieseCou~ Repo~ingandTranscriptionSe~ice (631)878-8355 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 105 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Of course, yes. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Without a doubt, certainly. Is there anyone else in the audience who would like to speak to this application? Okay, hearing none, I'll make a motion to close the hearing, reserve decision subject to receipt of a letter via Mark Schwartz from the state regarding the Code for sprinklers of floors. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Second. (See Minutes for Resolution.) Pugliese Court Reporting and Transcription Service (631) 878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 106 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 HEARING #6408 - Bonnie M. Quinn MEMBER SCHNEIDER: ~Request for variance from Code Section 280-116(B) and 280-15, based on an application for building permit and the Building Inspector's June 14, 2010 Notice of Disapproval concerning ~as built" alterations/additions and accessory structures at: 1) less than the code required setback from a bulkhead of 75 feet; 2) accessory structures located in side yard when the rear yard location is code required. Property located at: 1075 Cedar Point Dr. West (adj. to West Lake) Southold, SCTM#1000-90-1-4." CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: I guess it's afternoon in about a minute. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Not quite. MR. STRANG: We'll try to sneak it in and get it done before it's afternoon. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: It's not even close. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Good, barreling right along. MR. STRANG: Good morning. Garrett Strang, architect on behalf of Bonnie Quinn. The application I think is pretty PuglieseCou~ Repo~ingandTranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 107 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 unaware of closed out effort, at everything into either -- well, approval, I should say, on all that we're talking about. straightforward. My client bought this house back in the early 2000s, I think '01 to be precise, and it came with the situations that we're looking at today were there and she was the fact that they had not been and dealt with. So she -- her this point, is now to bring to get the these issues Specifically, there was a second floor deck that was added that in actuality is further back as far as setback to the edge of the lake. It's setback further than the existing first floor deck. There's an arbor that apparently was built, which is an open, relatively open, structure I think with a child's swing or something under this arbor and there was a 10 by 12 shed that was place in a side yard. Obviously, the only practical location for that, all things considered, as it would be you couldn't put it close to the edge of the lake and to move it into the front yard, if you will, which is permitted on waterfront property would be, I think, not PuglieseCourtReportingandTranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 108 road, and the edge of the lake. MEMBER DINIZIO: Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, I got it. Yup. Pugliese Court Reporting and Transcription Service (631) 878-8355 appealing at all to the neighborhood. So in my opinion, the shed where it is is probably in its best location and it appears also that there was an outdoor shower that was added to the utility room, which again is insufficient setback to the edge of the lake. So that's the nature of our application and certainly any questions the Board has I'll be happy to address. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Ken? MEMBER SCHNEIDER: When was the house built? MR. STRA~G: The house was built in 1986 or that's when the CO was issued, so I'm assuming that's somewhat -- MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Wasn't there Zoning Board action on this? MR. STRANG: Yes, there had been to build the actual house -- MEMBER GOEHRINGER: I remember it. MR. STRANG: -- because of the nature of the configuration of the lot, proximity to the 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 109 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 MR. STRANG: I think subsequent to that variance having been granted. At some point in time, the previous owner put in the rip-rap that's presently there. We do, for the record, have a Southold Town Trustees' permit for everything we discuss here in the application. MEMBER SCHNEIDER: I have no further questions right now. Does anybody else have any questions? MEMBER DINIZIO: No, I don't have any questions. MEMBER HORNING: I have none. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: No, I just remember the variance originally and I can understand these things happening. I don't really have any objection to them in any way. CHAIRPERSON WEISMA/q: Okay, just one quick question just to see what your opinion is. The arbor that is really close to the wetlands, it says 18 feet, but that's to the far edge; it's really practically sitting on it. It's nothing more than a wood platform with two ladders and a little child's swing in it and it really isn't a big deal one way or PuglieseCou~ Repo~ingand Transcription Service (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 110 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 the other, but how essential is that to the applicants? I mean could they move it or get rid of it? MR. STRANG: Well, I mean it's there, if the Board objects and wants it removed, certainly I think my applicant won't challenge it. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: It's very minor, but I just think I need to ask that because we're trying to grant the fewest variances possible and that looks like a very nominal inconsequential structure that's very, very close to -- MR. STRANG: I'm not sure what the longevity of that structure would even be at this point. It's filmsy. MEMBER SCHNEIDER: That would be my comment, too. It's like I don't even, in my opinion, I don't even know what's on the survey, why it's even on the survey. It's just some type of swing structure. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: It is. It's just lattice with a platform and a little swing thing. MEMBER SCHNEIDER: But anyway, PuglieseCou~ RepoSing and Transcription Service (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 111 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 nevertheless it is on the -- MR. STRANG: Yah, we're trying to cover all the bases. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Well, sure. Sure. I mean how do you feel? Do you want to keep it or -- MR. STRANG: I think my client would like to keep it, but if it becomes an issue, certainly they'd acquiesce and have it removed. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: All right, I have no further questions. Is there anyone in the audience who would like to address this application? Bruce. MR. ANDERSON: Very quickly, Bruce Anderson, Suffolk Environmental. What are the setbacks that are requested? CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Let's see, 27 feet to the second story deck. This is -- obviously, 75-foot bulkhead setback is required by Code. What's in place is a second story deck at 27 feet from the bulkhead. An arbor, which we've just described, at 18 feet. 39 feet to a framed shed, which is 12 by 10, approximately. 34 to an outdoor shower, which PuglieseCou~ ReportingandTranscriptionSe~ice (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 112 Pugliese Court Reporting and Transcription Service (631) 878-8355 is attached to a utility room and an arbor and shed in the side yard where the Code requires it to be a rear yard or front yard in the case of waterfront property. So those are all of the various variances. MR. ANDERSON: Thank you very much. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Sure. Any other comments from anyone or questions? Anything from the Board? Okay, hearing no further comments, I'll make a motion to close the hearing, reserve decision. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Second. (See Minutes for Resolution.) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 113 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 HEARING #6401 - Andrew W. and Dana Queen MEMBER DINIZIO: "Request for variance from Code Section 280-124, based on an application for building permit and the Building Inspector's December 8, 2009, updated May 27, 2010 Notice of Disapproval concerning proposed deck addition to a single-family dwelling at less than the code required rear yard setback of 35 feet. Property located at: 1380 Koke Dr., Southold SCTM#1000-87-5-18." CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Do you have any green cards with you today? MEMBER DINIZIO: Okay, you can proceed, I guess if you want to (inaudible). MR. QUEEN: I'm trying to build a deck -- MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Just say your name. MR. QUEEN: I'm sorry, Andrew Queen. I'm trying put a deck on the back of a house we purchased approximately a year ago and the setbacks are not obviously adequate. Some other factors that I think come into play as it relates to it is there's a 12-foot right of way that belongs to my neighbor that Pugliese Court Reporting and Transcription Service (631) 878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 114 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 mitigates the impact on the neighbors behind, both neighbors on either side have expressed in writing that they have no objection to it. I understand that the condominium association to my rear has expressed -- MEMBER DINIZIO: Sir, speak into the microphone, CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: you might want to loudly. Thank you, sir. MR. QUEEN: They've expressed concern about that. So in my view this should be relatively low impact. The right of way that goes through there has full growth trees. You can barely see anything to the rear in the months there's leaves on the trees during which the deck would get use as well as the 12-foot right of way that's in there brings me to nearly the required distance to the adjacent property to the rear. MEMBER DINIZIO: Okay, so what's on the other side of your rear yard? MR. QUEEN: A condominium association which is already a high-density area. The decks there are built -- it looks, I've not walked back there, per se, but visually 10 feet from their back. Pugliese Court Reporting and Transcription Service (631) 878-83S5 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 115 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 MEMBER DINIZIO: That's what I believe it is, too. You know, I'm just reading your reasons and I'm having a hard time reading them. Did you go to Catholic school? I'm only kidding. MR. QUEEN: I got a B in handwriting. MEMBER DINIZIO: Or you're a doctor, one or the other. It just says adequate foliage exists and you just covered that and number two, there is a right of way, which is approximately -- and I can't read what it says. MR. QUEEN: I confirmed that with my neighbor who owns the right of way, it's a 12- feet wide strip. MEMBER DINIZIO: But it says, okay, it says approximately the -- something -- width maybe. MR. QUEEN: It's approximately the width of the proposed deck. MEMBER DINIZIO: Okay, I see. All right and then you're talking about that condo being a high-density area, that's fine, and you really don't have any other place to put this deck. It's customarily in a rear yard. PuglieseCou~ Repo~ingandTranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 116 there's a sliding glass door that's already to the rear of the house. MEMBER DINIZIO: Right. MR. QUEEN: And actually the deck would not go further much further out than the existing stairs that egress out of that door that were already existing to the door. MEMBER DINIZIO: Right. Okay, it looks like it's a fairly wide deck. Is there any way that you think that maybe you might -- is there any reason why you have to have it that MR. QUEEN: I think I've got the deck at about 15 feet wide at this point. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: 17. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: 15 at the step, but in the corner you're notching in some steps to get down from the deck to your yard. 17 feet is the majority depth of the -- MR. QUEEN: Okay, look I think I have the survey drawn, I may have altered it in the months (inaudible) the actual survey drawn PuglieseCou~ ReportingandTranscriptionSe~ice (631)878-8355 MR. QUEEN: What's that? MEMBER DINIZIO: It's customary to have a deck in the rear yard. MR. QUEEN: Well, 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 117 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 would be 20 feet from the back line, which would then I think be -- the deck would be 16- foot wide from the furthest rear of the house. MEMBER DINIZIO: Okay, so -- oh, you're looking at it from the opposite way we're looking at it. We're looking to reduce the amount of footage, which is fine, but, you know, just is there any reason why you can't have an 8-foot deck? MR. QUEEN: And 8-foot deck probably wouldn't give us an area to actually enjoy. The object would be to be able to have a table and chairs out there and put the barbecue and (inaudible) -- MEMBER DINIZIO: What's the condition of your rear yard right now? I mean is it grass? MR. QUEEN: The rear yard, it's tree and grass. MEMBER DINIZIO: Okay. First time I've seen the Lowes things. Pretty neat. MR. QUEEN: Inaudible). MEMBER DINIZIO: That's all I have. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAI~: Can you consider reducing that deck somewhat to increase the setback from 20 to 25 feet? That would give PuglieseCourtRepo~ingand Transcription Service (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 118 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 you a 12-foot, still substantial. 12-foot is not nothing. MR. QUEEN: I would consider reducing it, I would prefer not reducing it all the way down to 12, if at all possible. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Okay, but you will do some reduction? MR. QUEEN: Yes. Obviously I have to deal with (inaudible). CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: And how about the people who are in the condos or the one person here said that they're, obviously, they're somewhat concerned because they're considerably lower in grade than you are. MR. QUEEN: Yeah, they're a ways down, they're a good ways down. I actually, looking out my -- (inaudible) the condo. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: I know cause I saw it yesterday, the day before when I was there. It's a dramatic slope, but the trees that are there are primarily deciduous. Would you object, not that you're out there in the dead of winter, but one of the things suggested by that owner would be some sort of visual screening. Would you object to putting in any PuglieseCou~ ReportingandTranscriptionSe~ice (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 119 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 evergreen? MR. QUEEN: Frankly, I think that takes away from what that area already is. A stockade fence I would view as an eyesore. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: I wouldn't suggest a fence. MR. QUEEN: I have -- CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Put in some evergreens. MR. QUEEN: -- spoken with my neighbor that owns, actually this morning, that owns the right of way of there, but if I'm required to put the screening, he would allow me to put the screening on that end of the right of way, which would probably not make the person to the rear happy. He's actually been trying to take over that right of way. He's put up -- he's planted bamboo through there. He's put trellises inside of there, so he's actually trying to take on that piece of property. So I've spoke with my neighbor who's not actually given him permission to do these things. If it would be required by you guys to put up that screening, but (inaudible). Pugliese Court Reporting and Transcription Service (631) 878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 120 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 MEMBER DINIZIO: The right of way would be more or less part of your yard, right? MR. QUEEN: I don't think that's the proper thing to do. I think that the right of way there is a very natural thing that looks very good to both of us and we should both try and enjoy it and take advantage of our neighbor's good graces. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Okay, we just have to enter it into the record, that's all. MEMBER DINIZIO: I just put it out there, I mean -- MR. QUEEN: Of course. I mean (inaudible) did give me that permission, by the way. MEMBER DINIZIO: Oh okay. With regard to the shape of the deck, there's a bump-out there. Is there a reason for that bump-out? MR. QUEEN: There's not, it's just aesthetic. MEMBER DINIZIO: So say you shaved that off and squared that off; is that, I mean is it something that you have to have? MR. QUEEN: I think that's about 2 feet or so, yeah, if I shaved off the 2 feet I Pugliese Court Reporting and Transcription Service (631) 878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 121 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 think the deck at that point would be -- if I could get 14 it would probably be okay. MEMBER DINIZIO: I mean the stairs are on the side -- MR. QUEEN: Yeah. I put the stairs on the side. MEMBER DINIZIO: All right. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: no questions? MEMBER DINIZIO: Yeah, You okay? I have I'm fine. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: No questions. MEMBER SCHNEIDER: No questions. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Is there anyone in the audience who'd like to speak to this application? Okay, hearing no further comment, I'll make a motion to close this hearing, reserve decision to a later date. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Second. (See Minutes for Resolution.) Pugliese Court Reporting and Transcription Service (631) 878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 122 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 HEARING #6405 - William Gorman and Christi Watts-Gorman MEMBER DINIZIO: "Request for variance from Code Section 280-121(A) la, based on an application for building permit and the Building Inspector's May 14, 2010 Notice of Disapproval concerning proposed change of use to an existing structure: 1) In the AC Zone the proposed use is not allowed, 2) per Zoning Board of Appeals grant #1508 structure was granted vacuum cleaner sales and repairs, proposal is to change to retail antique/craft shop. Property located at: 45805 Route 25, Southold SCTM#1000-75-2-14." MR. GORMAIq: Hi, I'm Bill Gorman. I'm co-owner of the property with Christine Watts who's here. Well, we discovered that the use of this property was limited to a vacuum cleaner sales and repaid store when we tried to get a permit to build a second floor. So we've since withdrawn that application. Now, we're just trying to get an expanded use for the building. I don't know if you'd call it PuglieseCou~ Repo~ingandTranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 123 expanded, but you know vacuum cleaner retail and repair is similar to retail store or shop in that we would just like to get a clarification from the Board that we can use it for, you know, retail concern, craft shop, gallery, anything along those lines. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Can I ask a question, whose is this? Are you fabricating anything in this antique shop? MR. GORM3~N: No. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Okay. Is there anything that is somewhat different from a retail operation that you would be -- would have been doing if you were selling vacuum cleaners or repairing vacuum cleaners in any way? MR. GO~: Anything different -- MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Well let's take the (inaudible) repair of a vacuum cleaner, I mean, and the refurbishing or staining or varnishing of a piece of antique furniture, which you may or may not do in this location, okay, I mean I'm going to the N-th degree as opposed to what was priorly granted here. I'm PuglieseCou~ Repo~ingandTranscriptionSe~ice (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 124 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 just asking -- MR. GORMAN: done, we've had there. That was done. That was (Inaudible) Antiques was MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Right. MR. GORMAN: They would do a little bit of refurbishing, certainly nothing on an industrial level. There was no power tools. I think they did, well, I know they did picture framing in there so they might have had a little miter saw, but other than that they would buy the frame lengths and chop them to do the miters and do some of the frames that way. So I think we're never looking at anything more than -- I would imagine that wouldn't even be considered light industrial. I think it would just be more of a retail concern. We've had a couple rent the place. One of of people looking to those was the Down Home Store, he's just a bunch of little odds and ends and crap, that stuff and I'm sure he does little repairs as well, but we can't obviously sign an agreement with them, any kind of lease agreement without having this Pugliese Court Reporting and Transcription Service (631) 878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 125 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 resolved. So -- CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Specifically what use or uses are you applying for? MR. GORMAN: Well, the category is -- CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: You keep mentioning MR. GORMAN: The category is a retail store or shop and that is what we're looking for is that we would like it to be a little bit broad so that we, you know, perhaps this guy won't rent the building out then, you know, it would be difficult to have to come here every time there's a potential tenant and see if we could get it approved. It's a retail store that falls into the category of retail store and shop, then that's what we would hope to achieve today. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Okay. MR. GORMAN: Understanding that it's a home to Christine and my daughter and adopted son, so you know we're never really going to have anything that would be offensive to living there or offensive to us or anyone else living there. MEMBER DINIZIO: I read the decision Pugliese Court Reporting and Transcription Service (631) 878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 126 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 before and the reason why it was so narrowly defined was that the property is AC, you know, MEMBER GOEHRINGER: for anything. It was really used MEMBER DINIZIO: Yeah, (inaudible) use and you know, I'm not prone to this, but quite honestly it's AC zoned and I realize it had traditionally had business in it. I would prefer that we grant this on a case by case basis. You know, if you have something definite coming in, you know, let us take a look at it. I mean a vacuum cleaner shop was the result of that, certainly doesn't have like outside storage, probably doesn't have a lot of traffic, you know, that would could come with antiques and some retail uses. People going in and out, so I mean I understand cause I had spoken to a real estate agent about this particular piece of property and his -- he gave me his explanation too. You know, you need to have leeway when you're trying to sell a piece of property or trying to use a piece of property and that I understand, but on the same token we're Pugliese Court Reporting and Transcription Service (631) 878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 127 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 talking about a piece of AC zoned property, we're not talking about a piece of business property. MR. GORMAN: antique store, a Should we define it as an (inaudible) store or an art gallery? Could we just give it to -- MEMBER DINIZIO: Actually, my point of view on a use variance, which is next to impossible to get, my purpose would be that he who comes in, comes before us, and states what they want to do, and we make that decision based on that and again it's only because you're asking to have -- basically you're asking to have it rezoned to a business use perhaps limited by a decision we might make, but quite honestly we don't have all of the information. I mean you could say art gallery, fine, but, you know, an art gallery can be guys displaying stuff outside, it could be you're going to have shows in there, I could be -- we don't know. I'd like to be able to ask those questions before carte blanche having a business expanded on a piece of AC property. Then again, if you attach this to 10 acres you PuglieseCou~ Repo~ingandTranscriptionSe~ice (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 128 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 could have a farm stand there and probably have rides and corn mazes and everything else. I realize (inaudible) the Code, but that is the case. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Our Town Attorney has just brought the Code over and I want to enter into the record and read to you what retail store is defined as because it's very broad and it's "An enclosed structure where goods are offered for sale to the public and take-out items including hardware, drugs, food and beverages, furnishings, apparel and similar products." Minor repair services within the establishment may be undertaken as part of product sales as opposed like a shoe cobbler would do, you know, a shoe repair place would do repairs there and so on. That's quite broad. One of the things that's required in a use variance is to provide evidence that you could not realize a reasonable return on the use of the property as it's currently permitted and I can certainly understand logically why there's not a big rush to repair vacuum cleaners; however, do you have any kind PuglieseCou~ ReportingandTranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 129 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 of documentation or proof that you attempted to rent this out to anyone in terms of its permitted use? Is there anything you've advertised that you could show us? You need to have some evidence other than the logical suggestion that maybe that isn't such a booming business anymore. MR. GORMAN: Do I have any evidence that the vacuum cleaner store is -- MEMBER DINIZIO: No. No. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: No, that you've advertised, tried to find a tenant so that you could realize a profit on the rental of your property. MR. GORMAN: I think there is a (inaudible). MEMBER GOEHRINGER: You need to use the mike. Just state your name for the record. MS. WATTS: Christine Watts. The Down Home Store, the building was for sale and he was looking to, you know, stay and he was uncomfortable and I was uncomfortable and I actually (inaudible) and that's why we came to this. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Well, how did he PuglieseCou~ Repo~ingand Transcription Service (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 130 Pugliese Court Reporting and Transcription Service (631) 878-835S know about this building being available? MS. WATTS: I was in his store and I said that I didn't have a renter there and he said that he would love to rent that store. There are -- I've spoken to a few other antique based, small gift shop sort of things and I recently spoke to Lori (inaudible) farmhouse who was considering relocating. She may not be anymore, but again anybody with the issue at hand would not take our (inaudible). CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: I guess, yeah. No, I don't think that you want to proceed with renting on an illegal basis, but what I'm trying to get at is I'm sure that there are many businesses that may be local here now that would be interested, that makes perfectly good sense. What I'm trying to find out about because one of the requirements is that the applicant show that they cannot use their property as it's currently permitted. In other words, it's not enough to say we have renters in another category. You have to demonstrate that you cannot rent that property for what it's currently permitted use is, which is vacuum cleaner -- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 2O 21 22 23 24 25 131 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 MEMBER DINIZIO: No. No. MS. WATTS: It's residential. MEMBER DINIZIO: Everything, everything in that zone. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Yeah, that's the other part or it could be used -- it could be rented out as a house, such as residential or it could be used in an agricultural manner. I mean that is what the required criteria for us are. We, it's like an area variance, there are different criteria for a use variance and that's not an easy one to prove, particularly, which is why there are not that many granted. Now, I certainly don't want to see your, you know, your property sit there while you're paying taxes on it and can't use it for anything, that's a hardship. I understand that, but I'm trying to get into the record whatever we can to show that as it's currently zoned it's not adequate and certainly to call it a retail store just about opens it up to anything according to the definition in the Code of a retail store. MR. GORMAN: I think there's a built-in hardship in that if the building is vacant for Pugliese Court Reporting and Transcription Service (631) 878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 132 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 two years and it loses it's grandfathered -- it loses it's use. MEMBER DINIZIO: But it's not grandfathered. The use that the Zoning Board gave you is forever, it's not grandfathered. MR. GORMAN: Okay, so that -- CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: It's not like a -- MR. GORMAN: So that is not a concern we need to have. What about the time factor where we advertise? I mean certainly we can see if we advertise and we have a potential candidate we say we need four months to do the application and do the hearing, I mean there's a built-in financial hardship there as well without having some sort of category that we can at least say, you know, an antique store. I mean an antique store was there for 20 years. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: But here's -- let me try and state this again. If I were -- I won't give you advice, it's what I would do, but the way in which you can prove that this permitted use for vacuum cleaner sales, which is very narrow, isn't economically feasible is Pugliese Court Reporting and Transcription Service (631) 878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 133 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 to advertise for someone to rent that space for that purpose. MR. GORMAN: Right. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: And to say we advertised two months in a row and we got absolutely no bites on this whatsoever. I mean documentation that shows you've made an effort to try and rent it out then we have some evidence, because that is what the Code requires us to have. I mean it is -- we're not -- we don't have a lot of wiggle room that is the law. MS. WATTS: (Inaudible) go through this whole process and then come back? MR. GORMAI~: I think perhaps we -- can leave this application open? MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Sure. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: We can adjourn it without a date. MR. GORMAN: Okay. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: To give you ample time to go and -- MS. WATTS: (Inaudible) be sufficient? MEMBER DINIZIO: I would warn you that it's not just vacuum cleaners. That piece of PuglieseCou~ Repo~ingand Transcription Service (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 134 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 property is zoned AC and there's plenty of things you can do in an AC zone. MS. WATTS: (Inaudible) what? MEMBER DINIZIO: Well, you would have to look in the Code, quite honestly. You would have to look in the Code and see, but again the use that we -- that the Zoning Board gave you in that use variance is only one use, one additional permitted use in that zone for that one particular piece of property and it was very specific in that, you know, it gave the criteria, it said, it described what the area was as you did, and going from AC to business, that's a huge jump and, again, if you had your ducks in a row and someone came in and said, you know, I'm really interested in this and came before the Board and said, look it's not that much difference, here's what's going to happen. We're going to have an art gallery say, right, but we're not going to have advance wine and cheese tasting and shows: it's just going to be people that come in and see the art that I (inaudible). Okay? It's just cause there has to be a lot of restrictions on that. Again, I got PuglieseCou~ Repo~ingandTranscriptionSe~ice (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 2O 21 22 23 24 25 135 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 from the application itself, from the decision itself that they considered the use, which is vacuum cleaner sales, was not a very intense use for that particular piece of -- particular building, which is close to the highway, probably not the best place to have a house, to have a residence, you know, so it was giving them some use for that piece of property and I think you'd be hard pressed to at least convince me that it can't be used for something AC. I mean not that you couldn't -- you know, you could get any farmer to rent it and do something in it, but -- MS. WATTS: I'll try again with the -- MEMBER DINIZIO: Well, again I believe it's attached to 10 acres that's used. You know, there's plenty of things, plenty of ways of going about it. I mean to my mind, it would be better if you went to the Town Board and got the zone changed. I mean based on the criteria of what's around, there's gas stations there, oil and heating guys there, you know, in the general vicinity. I think there's a doll factory there. There used to be a firehouse not too far away, I don't know PuglieseCourtRepo~ingandTranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 136 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 what it is now. There's a car dealer down the road, it's on the Main Road. Ail those things kind of make a compelling issue for maybe a zone change of some sort. Listen, don't think I'm sending you on your merry way, I'm just saying a use variance is even tougher to get than a zone change would be, in my opinion, based on the decision that was given for that vacuum cleaner sales. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Well -- MEMBER DINIZIO: I'm only one of five. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: -- this building, this structure that's being used is on the same lot as your dwelling? MR. GORMAN: Yes. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: So it is an accessory use to a principal dwelling cause it's on one lot, it's not a separate lot. MEMBER DINIZIO: It's an accessory building. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Accessory building with a separately predetermined use, which is by use variance, but it is another building on your lot that's improved with a principal dwelling. $o there are other options in PuglieseCou~ Repo~ingandTranscriptionService (63])878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 2O 21 22 23 24 25 137 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 addition to agricultural or vacuum cleaner, which is to convert this to an accessory apartment in an accessory structure. MEMBER DINIZIO: I don't think they want to do that. CHAIRPERSON WEISM3~N: I'm just saying what the options are. MEMBER DINIZIO: There are plenty of -- there's a garage, there's -- yeah. C~AIRPERSON WEISMAN: There's options for what you can do with it. MR. GORMAN: Is that a possibility? CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: We now have a new accessory apartment law, which says that by special permission and there's -- we have the forms available for you to look at that will spell out the criteria. If you meet them based on the size and you're occupying the principal dwelling as long as you propose to have as a tenant either yourself a family member or someone who qualifies on the affordable housing registry, which doesn't mean that you have to accept the first on the list or whatever you can interview, there's a long list of people on there. That is PuglieseCourtReporting and Transcription Service (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 2O 21 22 23 24 25 138 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 something that you could bring before this Board. There are square footage requirements, I can't tell from looking at it off the top of my head, but I'm saying that's only -- so I guess what we're really trying to do is in order to get a use variance you have to really show that you can't do anything else with this property, you just can't because that is what the law requires us to have as evidence in order to enter into a -- put into a determination, into our findings and if we were to do otherwise, we would be leaving ourselves open for a considerable problem; lawsuits and everything. We have to make those arguments based upon the required criteria and you know what they are, you've seen them. MS. WATTS: microphone) So (inaudible). (Not at CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Okay. MS. WATTS: And this has been now six months since (inaudible). So if I did find a renter and they came before the Board and it was acceptable to you, is that still something that we can do or not? Pugliese Cou~ RepoSing and Transcription Service (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 139 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: The only way that you can rent this out, and again I would suggest if you'd like come into the office and we would be glad ot provide assistance in explaining the Code to you. What you would have to do would be to apply for special exception permit to do that and meet the criteria of the permit, I'm not talking about retail, I'm talking about -- are you talking about a retail renter or are you talking about as a tenant for a residence, for an apartment? MS. WATTS: Well, I don't have a family member that -- MR. GORMAN: Or a Section 8 -- MS. WATTS: Section 8? CHAIRPERSON WEISMAIq: No, it's not Section 8. The Town has a workforce housing registry, people who already live in the town, mostly, who are looking for a rental place and who have fairly substantial income. If you would like to know more about that, I suggest you just go right down the hall and talk to Phillip (Inaudible), he's a special projects coordinator who will give you all the background on what's involved there. I mean PuglieseCou~ Repo~ingandTranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 140 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 it's something for you to explore. At least you can rule it in or out as an option. I mean we're trying to work with you here is what I'm saying. MR. GO~: I understand that. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: And to kind of explain what the law limits us to. We can, we may personally empathize with your situation, but we have to base this upon very rational, you know, spelled out criteria and I'm trying to explain how it is you need to build up your case before this Board. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Going back to what the Chairperson said, you have to also explain to us that whatever manner or process you used in the past six months to try and find somebody, okay, is a part of the procedure. So if you start from ground zero today and come back in two months, you say in two months I have tried to rent this for the purpose of what existed. It hasn't existed and, therefore, I need to do something. In the interim you can open the lines of communication up with the Down Home Store and say there's a possibility we might be able to PuglieseCou~ Repo~ingandTranscriptionService (631)878-8355 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 141 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 do something here. So whatever way -- or go the affordable housing route that the Chairperson -- CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: But again you'd have to show that you couldn't use it as a residential use or an agricultural use, that you would really need to change its status from retail vacuum sales and repair to some other retail category. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: And the dollar and cents proof of what it would take to return it to a residence. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Right now it's clear that it's been used as a gallery because there's paintings on the walls, there's paintings stored allover. There's, you know, chairs stacked, there's a screen for lectures or seminars were going on there or something. So, you know, however it's been used or not been used, the bottom line is for us to consider a use variance, we'd have to have a very strong case. MR. GORMAN: Okay. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Is there anyone else -- are there other questions from the PuglieseCourtRepo~ingandTranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 142 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 Board? MEMBER HORNING: Septic system for that building, can you explain to us what it is? MR. GORMAN: The septic system is tied into the house septic system. MEMBER HORNING: Okay. You purchased in 1999; is that correct? MR. GORMAN: Yes. MEMBER HORNING: And what was it being used for at that time? MS. WATT: (Inaudible) antiques. MEMBER HORNING: So already there was a violation of use going on when you bought it. MS. WATT: (Inaudible). MR. GORMAN: And they'd been there for -- MS. WATT: We didn't know. C~AIRPERSON WEISMAN: A long time. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: And nobody questioned it. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Yeah, of course, nobody looked into it and -- MR. GORMAN: I'm not claiming ignorance as an excuse, but we just assumed, you know -- MEMBER HORNING: I'm just trying to get some of this in the record for the historical Pugliese Cou~ Reporting and Transcription Service (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 143 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 perspective of what has been going on there. So in 1999 there was an art gallery -- CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Antique -- MS. WATTS: Antique store. MEMBER HORNING: -- and how long after your purchase was that in use? MS. WATTS: 8 or 9 years. MEMBER HORNING: Until? MS. WATTS: (Inaudible) -- MR. GORMAN: Yeah, she moved by 7-11. She moved to one of those red buildings. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: So then you had a vacancy? MEMBER HORNING: that? MS. WATTS: find out. MR. GORMAN: MS. WATTS: MEMBER HORNING: anything else -- MS. WATTS: Nope. MEMBER HORNING: Do you have a date on I would say it was -- I can I think it was 2008. 2008. And has it been used for -- since then? MS. WATTS: Nothing, I have (inaudible) people and so I have my equipment and my Pugliese Court Reporting and Transcription Service (631) 878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 144 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 chairs in there, at the moment. There has never been any -- the North Fork Environmental Council wanted to have a screening there for their board once, they came and they did it there. I applied (inaudible) so art that's on the wall is not for show, it's just my friends'. Actually, in all honesty, (inaudible) there once a week and he doesn't even pay me rent. So that's the only -- CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: I don't think anybody was criticizing and, in fact, it's very laudable that you're attempting to do the right thing on this property. Nobody was really questioning your lawfulness. MR. GOPd~J~N: Is there an avenue for it's been in use for so long that -- MEMBER HORNING: No, I'm just inquiring. The structural soundness of the building overall, do you have any assessment on that -- MS. WATTS: It's been all redone. It's redone almost completely. MEMBER HORNING: So as far as you can testify, it's a structurally sound building -- MEMBER DINIZIO: Well, it was built in '72 or something -- PuglieseCou~ Repo~ingandTranscriptionSe~ice (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 145 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 MEMBER HORNING: When I saw it there were some cracks in the wall and such, but those are cosmetic? MR. GORMAN: Cosmetic. MEMBER HORNING: All right, so it's a structurally sound building with septic attached to another septic use by the adjacent house on the same parcel, correct? MR. GORMAN: Correct. MEMBER SCHNEIDER: No questions. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: What does the Board want to do? MEMBER GOEHRINGER: We want to adjourn it without a date, let them get some things together and see if they can come in and if they can prove they need a use variance -- CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: to everybody? MEMBER GOEHRINGER: CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Is that agreeable Sure, yeah. Okay, so I'll make a motion to -- I did ask and there was nobody else in the audience -- MEMBER GOEHRINGER: No. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: -- who wanted to address the application. Okay, hearing no Pugliese Court Reporting and Transcription Service (631) 878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 146 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 further comments, I'll make a motion to adjourn this hearing without a date. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Second. (See Minutes for Resolution.) Pugliese Cou~ RepoSing and Transcription Service (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 147 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 HEARING #6406 - Eileen F. Debaney MEMBER GOEHRINGER: "Request for Variance from Code Section 280-124, based on an application for building permit and the Building Inspector's June 3, 2010 Notice of Disapproval, concerning Was built" deck addition to existing single-family dwelling, 1) less than the code required front yard setback of 35 feet, at: 1140 Carrington Rd. and Vanston Rd., Cutchogue. SCTM#i 000- 111-6-10." MEMBER GOEHRINGER: are you today? MRS. MOORE: Hi. Okay, Ms. Moore, how Good. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Ms. Moore of all the years I've been going to Nassau Point, I've noticed this house going down Carrington. We've had friends that we spend a lot of time in Carrington. This house has been in existence for a relatively long period of time. What would you like to tell us about the deck? MRS. MOORE: Sure. Well, at little bit of background, Debaney is the former owner at the time we made the application. My client PuglieseCou~ ReportingandTranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 148 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 Mr. and Mrs. Bendick were in contract for the purchase of the property, both Debaney and Bendick joined in the application. Mrs. Debaney is an elderly woman. There was a cement patio under the deck and, at some point in time as she was having trouble walking, her son built the deck over top of the patio because it was more elevated to the backdoor. It met up with the backdoor. It's still only a few feet above grade. It's not on grade, as the patio was it was slightly above grade. Apparently, they should have gotten a building permit for the deck, it was not discovered that they didn't have a permit in so my client and I did the CO search and we discovered that the deck did not have a permit. So that's the application we're making today. We -- you've gone to the property. You can see and I'm sure you've seen for yourself Carrington, the corner of Carrington and Vanston, the house is quite elevated from the road and when you're on the Bendick/Debaney property the deck -- it has no neighbors, essentially. Vanston Road is wooded, so it's PuglieseCou~ Repo~ingandTranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 149 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 screened from view from Vanston Road when you're actually in a car down on Vanston Road and you try to look up to see, you can't even see it. You can barely see the house. The Debaneys some years ago purchased what is on the survey showing as lot 362. That was actually one of the Nassau Point properties that was -- the Debaneys purchased with their adjoining property owner and split to give both of them half the piece because that area there is a natural swale. So all of the water that comes off of the Bendick property, the water naturally flows into the swale the natural swale, which is on my client's property and, in fact, that swale picks up a lot of the water that is carried from off premises from other properties in Nassau Point. Nassau Point, just for the record, is a hilly, wooded area where it's a 1930s development with some drainage, but many of the homes predate our drainage code. So a lot of the drainage problems that I believe one of the neighbors raised in his letter are from existing homes that may have in the past were PuglieseCou~ Repo~ingandTranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 150 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 not built with proper drywells for their homes. That will eventually be corrected over time since the Town has now adopted a drainage code that hopefully new homes and large renovations will require compliance with the drainage code. In the interim, for this particular application, I had Angel Chorno, the Bendick's archictect, go out during a rainstorm to see where the water was running off and the letter was prepared to address where water is running off from this property. So the conclusion is that this deck, any -- again there is a patio underneath, the deck is pervious, but the patio underneath any water that's on the premises goes towards the swale, which remains on the clients' property. I think -- if there's any other questions, I'd be happy to address them. Angel Chorno is here, Mrs. Bendick is here and we would just ask to be allowed to retain a wood deck, which is attractive in character and quite small in relation to the homes and this property. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Maybe I missed it, PuglieseCourtRepo~ing and Transcription Se~ice (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 2O 21 22 23 24 25 151 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 but are you attempting to do anything about the water runoff on the house? MRS. MOORE: The existing house, the house that's there? MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Yeah. MRS. MOORE: Well, it's -- we're not doing anything to the house. There's no construction -- MEMBER GOEHRINGER: No, no, no. Are you attempting to put any storm drains in -- MRS. MOORE: To the existing house? MEMBER GOEHRINGER: -- to this house? MRS. MOORE: There are drywells there, excuse me, there are gutters and leaders, but I don't believe there's drywells, right? No. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: There's nothing showing on the survey. MRS. MOORE: There's nothing showing there. I mean it's up to the Board, it would certainly be an expense given the fact that we're not doing anything to the house and the property is quite large given the lot coverage here and, again, any water runoff is in fact going in -- staying on our own property into that swale. PuglieseCou~ Repo~ingandTranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 152 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Into that swale. MRS. MOORE: Into that swale, which is our property. So we have water containment occurring on site for all structures on site. It seems that there is no drainage issue applicable to this particular property. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Okay, Pat. I was only thinking from the standpoint of the cement slab, which may be -- MRS. MOORE: Well, I was concerned about where the water was going -- MEMBER GOEHRINGER: And that's the reason why I raised that issue. MRS. MOORE: Yeah, I know and that's why we specifically looked at it and that water from the slab is going into the swale. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Okay and the last statement, very simply is, there is no intentions or intent to enclose this deck in any way? MRS. MOORE: No. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Screen porch, nothing of that nature? MRS. MOORE: No. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Very good. I have no PuglieseCou~ Repo~ingand Transcription Service (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 153 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 further questions. MEMBER DINIZIO: No, I don't have any questions. MEMBER HORNING: I'm all set. MEMBER SCHNEIDER: No. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Okay, I have no questions either except to add that I was there when it was raining cats and dogs also as well as when it was dry and to be perfectly candid I saw no observable runoff of any consequence that went into the road. It's a - - as you point out, Nassau Point is full of properties that are of varying grade, lots of hills and -- MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Nooks and crannies. CHAIRPERSON WEISM3~N: -- nooks and crannies and it's not (inaudible). So I have no questions. Is there anyone else in the audience who would like to address -- MRS. MOORE: I would just also point out, I'm sorry, there is a catch basin that's showing on the survey and the letter pointed it out, but there are actually two catch basins. The one on the east side closest to PuglieseCourtRepo~ingandTranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 154 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 my client's property is Road on the survey. It's the surveyor. CHAIRPERSON WEISMA/~: showing on Vanston identified as CB by Um-hmm. MRS. MOORE: So there is a catch basin there. There is also one observed across the road from it. So just a point of information. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Okay. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Thank you. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Anyone in the audience wish to address this, please come forward. MR. RASWEILER: My name is John Rasweiler, I'm the person who wrote the letter objecting to the request CHAIRPERSON WEISM3~N: your name for the record, for the variance. Could you spell sir? MR. HASWEILER: R-A-S-W-E-I-L-E-R. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Thank you. MR. RASWEILER: I live on the property directly across the street from the Debaney property and in recent years there has been a very serious stormwater runoff problem there and this is not a figment of my imagination. It's my understanding from numerous PuglieseCou~ ReportingandTranscriptionSe~ice (631)878-8355 1 2 3 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 155 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 communications with the Highway Department they computerized everything and I have had numerous interactions with them since 2006. I was actually the one who requested them to put the drainage well on the corner of the Debaney property. When that didn't work, they then put another drain well, a substantial one, on the opposite side on the corner of my property. We're not yet certain that that is solving the problem because so much water goes down to that intersection when traffic goes by it splashes the water up onto the embankment and the embankment has been washed out on repeated occasions. The most serious, recent serious bout of flooding occurred in March of this year. That was after that western cistern had been put in, the one on the corner of my property. That flooding washed out the embankment and again I had water going all the way through my property leaving a wide trail of destruction. It goes through my property, it goes down an embankment next to my pump house down to the beach where if you look at the beach right PuglieseCou~ RepoSing and Transcription Service (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 156 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 now the beach is a mess. The debris is still down there. The water down on the beach does not come only from the intersection of Carrington and Vanston; however, that is a contributing source of the water. So it's an environmental issue. All of that water and debris, because it takes a lot of forest litter and deer droppings down into the cove, it's going to pollute the cove. So I've been trying with all of my neighbors to cut down on the amount of stormwater runoff because of both the erosion and the environmental damage to the cove. Now, I do disagree with the statement that there is no significant runoff from the Debaney property. It was not my part to go up and stand on the property, it's not my property. All I could do was examine it from the roadway from all sides. If you look at the slope of their driveway, they're dumping water from their driveway, which is a small circular drive in front of the garage, they're dumping that water onto the roadway, which slopes down to the intersection. Similarly PuglieseCourtRepo~ing and Transcription Service (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 157 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 the house directly across the roadway on Carrington, which belongs to (inaudible) at 985 Carrington, they're similarly dumping water onto the roadway. I'm getting all of this. It's not only coming into my property at the intersection, but there's another place opposite the driveway of the piece of property right behind lot 362 where the roadway is presently being washed out. I was fully prepared to go to the Highway Department yet again to have them come and repair that until this matter came up out of the blue. I said, hey, hold everything. Before I get that repaired, it's an issue with respect to this request for a variance. So I held off getting in touch with the Highway Department about that damage being done. Again, it's water going down into my property and it's going to undermine the roadbed that is directly below the Debaney property. I agree from looking at the situation some of the water is probably going into that depression behind their house, which they apparently own, but from what I can see some of it's probably also going onto Vanston Road. PuglieseCourtRepo~ingand Transcription Service (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 2O 21 22 23 24 25 158 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 Certainly the water from the driveway is going onto Vanston Road. My goal, at this point, frankly, I'm not trying to get them to destroy the deck. I do not object to the deck on aesthetic grounds. I've never objected to the deck on those grounds; however, something has to be done about the damage that's being inflicted by stormwater runoff from that property and some other properties in the immediate area. That's why I registered my objection and I think there are simple steps that could be taken to arrest the amount of runoff. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Have you attempted to speak to them at all? MR. RASWEILER: No because I haven't seen anybody there and, you know, it's only been several weeks and, furthermore, I'm very, very busy. I had to take a day off from work to come here, but I felt it was important enough that if there were questions you could ask me questions I could respond directly. I would really like to do everything possible to facilitate the matter. I'm not trying to be a thorn in the side of the new PuglieseCou~ Repo~ingandTranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 159 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 people that apparently own the property now. I just want the problem solved. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Is Mrs. Debaney here? MRS. MOORE: She's -- Mrs. Bendick is here. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Mrs. Bendick is here. Are you willing to speak to this gentleman outside on the -- MRS. BENDICK: (Inaudible MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Sure. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: If you have to say something, you have to come up to the mike. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Come on up, please. Just state your name for the record. MR. CHORNO: My name is Angel Chorno. I'm the architect who did the drawing for the existing deck and I'm the one who sent the letter that I was there Sunday looking at what the rain is doing. Of course, it was not a storm like the one that he mentioned, but it was substantial rain. All of that semi-circular drain that the property has, half of that goes the opposite side. There is a crown right there and half is going to Vanston, the other half goes the PuglieseCou~ Reporting and Transcription Service (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 160 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 other way. So half of that drive is not putting the water into Carrington Road. That water is going around the corner into the catch basin that's shown on the survey and -- CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Angel, can I ask you to just hold on one second? I'm sorry to do this, but we have to change tapes. (TAPE CHAIqGE TO #2) MR. CHORNO: -- to the catch basin. The little bit that slips through the catch basin goes around the corner and goes to the same swale that is on the property that was mentioned before. So I don't know how you can say that that property is dumping water in your property. It has to go a long way in order to do that. MR. RASWEILER: Okay, well where is -- MEMBER GOEHRINGER: You have to approach the Board, excuse me Madame Chairman for saying this. MR. CHORNO: That's all I have to say. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Thank you. MEMBER HORNING: Leslie, could I ask this fella to identify his property on this map? MR. RASWEILER: Okay, my property -- I PuglieseCourtReportingandTranscriptionSe~ice (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 161 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 have to look at the map myself where the words ~Vanston Road" Oh, well all I have is MEMBER GOEHRINGER: we'll compare it. MEMBER HOP~NING: Yeah. locate your property on this. -- do you see are written? Bring that up here, See if you can MRS. MOORE: Is it that horseshoe there? MR. RASWEILER: This is Debaney and my property is all of this. MRS. MOORE: Okay. MR. RASWEILER: From Vanston Road all the way down to the beach. In other words, it's - MRS. MOORE: (Inaudible) your house? MR. RASWEILER: That's my house. So it would be this piece and that part, okay, and there's a drainage cistern here and there's one at the corner and then there's also a drainage problem down in the hollow (inaudible) there's a drainage problem over here. MEMBER HORNING: That's my pen. MR. RASWEILER: All of this is my property. PuglieseCourtReporting and Transcription Service (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 162 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Okay. MR. RASWEILER: So I'm handling stormwater runoff damage done here and there, okay? And all you have to do if you go out there right now and go onto my property you can see the damage. I haven't cleaned it up since the last time. I cleaned it up -- CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: You need to go back to the mike, please. MR. RASWEILER: Sure. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Well, look, let me make a comment, if I might, please? I have a very similar situation where I live and it's very frustrating. and we know it's damages property. I mean flooding is awful environmentally awful and it What we need to understand is whether or not this deck, this rather small deck that's been there a long time, which is what's before us, is contributing to that -- if there's any evidence to show that that deck is contributing to runoff. If it's driveways and accumulation from other properties and so on, that needs to be addressed with the Town Engineer, Jamie Richter, or with Pete Harris with the Highway PuglieseCou~ ReportingandTranscriptionSe~ice (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 2O 21 22 23 24 25 163 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 Department and I know you must certainly know them both at this point -- MR. RASWEILER: He's Town Superintendent of Highways. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAIg: Yes. MR. RASWEILER: I know he's been out there -- CHAIRPERSON WEISMAiq: Yes and it's a problem all over, especially in Nassau Point. ~unyplace where it's really hilly, you're going to have intersections and properties that are just, you know, subsumed by water especially when you have really, really heavy rains. So it is a problem, but what is before us is a 24.4-foot setback where the Code requires 40 feet for a preexisting -- not a preexisting, it's an bas-built" deck and whether or not that -- the real concern we would have would be whether or not that deck is a contributing factor and if so if there's something we can do to allow the deck to remain and to mitigate some of that runoff, but I really haven't heard anything that suggests that the deck is responsible. MR. RASWEILER: The deck could not be Pugliese Court Reporting and Transcription Service (63]) 878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 164 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 totally responsible. The driveway definitely is contributing, but that's a separate issue. I believe the Code now states that -- CHAIRPERSON WEISMAIq: It's impervious. MR. RASWEILER: -- if somebody now puts in a driveway there has to be some sort of drainage provided, but that driveway I assume was put in previously. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Yes. MR. RASWEILER: With respect to the deck, you know, I can't go up on the property. It's my property to go up on the property every time it rains. Furthermore, it's the very heavy rainstorms that are causing the damage. Rain like we had this week, I went up there this morning and there was no evidence of damage; however, when there's a torrential downpour and that's happened on a number of occasions in the last four years, I have a swath of damage through my property and the water has to be coming from Debaney and (Inaudible) properties because they're above me and they drain down in my direction. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Okay. MR. HASWEILER: With respect -- there are PuglieseCou~ Reporting and Transcription Se~ice (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 165 simple solutions. There's a retaining wall, if that could be patched up to hold, that would help to hold the water. And, finally, all one has to do is dig two small trenches along the side of the deck, put in some perforated pipe, stone on top of it and the pipes run them into a drywell. I could do it in one day as a do-it-yourself-project. So there are ways of making sure the deck doesn't shed any water. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Okay. MR. RASWEILER: I say that, I worked as a mason's apprentice many years ago and I did that kind of work. So I'm familiar with the kinds of solutions that one can come up with. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Okay. MR. HASWEILER: Okay. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Thank you. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Anything else? MRS. MOORE: I think it's already been stated that the water -- that we have a 294 square foot deck and we have a 4.8 percent lot coverage overall of this property so it's a very minimal development of this house on the overall size of the property and my clients' PuglieseCou~ ReportingandTranscriptionService (631) 878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 166 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 purchased an entire extra piece, that extra swale, to really solve all, you know, drainage from other sources, but certainly at a minimum it covers all of our drainage needs. So it seems, you know, he's asking -- we've dealt with the drainage. The Debaneys dealt with the drainage just by the fact that they purchased the property to prevent another house from being developed and keeping the swale as it is. So I don't know what more we can do, I think the evidence is that we're not creating a drainage problem by this 294- square-foot deck which used to be a patio. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: MRS. MOORE: Okay. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Okay. Any other questions or comments from the Board? Hearing no further comments, I'll make a motion to close this hearing, reserve decision. (See Minutes for Resolution.) Pugliese Court Reporting and Transcription Service (631) 878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 167 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 HEARING #6396 John and Daniella Venetis MEMBER SCHNEIDER: ~Requests for Variances under Sections 280-116B and 280-124, based on the Building Inspector's April 20, 2010 Notice of Disapproval concerning an application for reconstruction and second floor addition, which new construction will be: 1) less than the code-required minimum 75 feet from the bulkhead, 2) less than 35 feet from the front lot line, 3) less than 35 feet from the rear lot line, 4) less than 25 feet for both (combined) minimum side yard setbacks, 5) exceeds the code limitation of 20% maximum lot coverage (building area); at 2600 Takaposha Road, (adj. to Corey Harbor) Southold; CTM 1000-87-6-4." MRS. MOORE: May I start? CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Yes, you can. MRS. MOORE: Good afternoon. Patricia Moore on behalf of Mr. and Mrs. Venetis. I have with me today Mr. and Mrs. Venetis and Pugliese Court Reporting and Transcription Service (63]) 878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 168 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 their lovely family, the four children, all their children. I also have with me Angel Chorno who is the design professional on this project. We -- what I presented to the Board to give you, to make life easier, I gave you a memo in support of the variances, which I'll go over. Just to identify the documents that are here, for your information. There is a portion of the tax map book so you can see the circular road that ends, that is the Takaposha Road I have on it it shows the tax map numbers and the five homeowners that make up this small community. I also have, for the record, an aerial, Google aerial photograph of the houses in this community. After that I have an outline, which I'll discuss setback issues. In particular the front yard setback because as I was preparing for this hearing and getting some surveys that the Building Department had, I realized that - this came up on the Zang application -- the Building Department had applied an average setback for a front yard setback and we actually have, the Venetis property and the PuglieseCourtReportingand Transcription Se~ice (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 169 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 Hartford property, we found an old survey from the Hartford Living Trust, which is the neighbor to the right of this house, tax lot number 2, and the front yard setback is showing us 19.5 as the existing setback. So an average setback of these two properties would be 24.5. So we actually have the existing house, even with the variances that were granted on this house would have conformity with front yard setback, but that seems to justify the variance in the past that was granted for this deck because when you take the average setbacks of all of the homes, it actually comes to the number that the variance for the deck was given many years ago. So the numbers all match up, but nonetheless we are requesting just a second floor addition over the existing space so we are actually even more conforming in that our setback of the front yard is the house, which is at 28.6. So if you apply the average setback of 24.5, we are conforming at 28.6. After that I provide you with some property cards that show the progression of PuglieseCou~ ReportingandTranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 170 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 the development of the properties in this community. The first one that just happened in the order, tax map order, the first one is Venetis, the next one is the Hartford property. Most of these properties have pretty much stayed the same property owners and they have been renovated over time and the best way to see that is the property cards, the Assessor's records which in many cases have the original house that may have been built in the 60s and then the renovations that many of these homes were renovated in the 80s, that seems to be the timeframe of many of these renovations. So I provide you with some of the progression of the improvements in this neighborhood and as you go you'll see the different photographs. Hartford is, as I said, the closest house to us. They don't have a bulkhead, so their setback is -- they don't have to deal with setback to the bulkhead. In fact, the wetlands are pretty much the same distance as our bulkhead is. So again these properties are very similarly developed. When I show you the Zang application, which actually got a PuglieseCou~ Repo~ingand Transcription Service (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 2O 21 22 23 24 25 171 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 variance, I guess they're just waiting for the client to build and we have the survey from the file of the existing house, so I have Zang. Then Pinella, Pinella seems to be the only house that has pretty much stayed the same. They haven't -- they may have renovated with some window replacements and things like that, but from the looks of it it doesn't conform with FEMA and any renovations at this point would be back to this Board because of the FEMA issues. So that's just obvious from the look of the house. The foundation is maybe a foot, foot and a half, from grade and you know from the surrounding area that the conforming elevation has to be higher because of the flood zone. Then finally, the house that is McNamara. That is a significant house and it has -- you can again see the progression of the improvements of this house from 1980 when it was first constructed, 1990 when an addition was added, it looks like a second floor was increased, and then finally more currently there is an open building permit for all new decking and siding and windows and so on. So PuglieseCou~ Repo~ingandTranscriptionSe~ice (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 172 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 there's been a lot of work to that, but for whatever reason it didn't have to come before you being that it's improvements to the existing structure. So that just gives you the flavor of the community. Looking at the first page of the memo, I tried to take the issues with respect to the variances that the Building Department has sent us here for, but again I point out that with respect to these variances we have downsized this proposal. We are doing just a second floor. The bedrooms are being relocated to a second floor. It is only a portion of the house over the living space not over the garage in order to get the extra living space on the second floor, which is an attic right now. So it's a roof dormered second floor. My clients are willing to reduce the lot coverage, the existing deck that had previously been granted variances in the 80s. So they're willing to take away from what is a legally permitted structure, the decking, in order to provide the living space to the second floor. For obvious reasons, their PuglieseCou~ Repo~ingandTranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 173 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 children are here, their family -- this is their family and they will speak for themselves, but the living space, the bedrooms are for the children. Eventually these little kittens turn into cats and they need a little more room. The second variance is the lot coverage. Again, we are reducing the lot coverage. We are not increasing the lot coverage for the second floor it is no change, but we are actually reducing the lot coverage by cutting back some of the decking. So that is pointed out here. The third variance, which is listed here, is setback. The front yard setback and as I pointed out, before when we looked at the front yard setbacks of the neighboring houses and the closest house within 300 feet we actually have a conforming front yard setback. Nonetheless, we are still willing to reduce the doubts in order to provide for the living space. Finally, the side yard setbacks. The side yard setbacks that are required are 10 and 15. It's -- what we're doing is, again, second floor space that's the existing house. PuglieseCou~ ReportingandTranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 174 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 If you look at the survey, the Venetis survey, you can see that the existing house on the east side is existing at 12 feet, we need 10. so we are conforming there. On the west side the deck remains in part, but the house where the addition is going is actually at 19 feet and the requirement is 15. So we are conforming, our second floor would be conforming to side yard setbacks. The Building Department when I asked about this they said well because you're making a change, even though we are cutting back the existing deck they felt that they just should just include it all in the variance request so it's all dealt with under one variance, but I would point out that we are conforming with respect to this proposal. The other portion, as I said before, the existing deck is -- most of it is remaining. What they would like, my clients would like to do is just add some trellis to the back deck, the waterfront side of the deck that does not require any structural changes. The trellis would just enable the owner to put a fan on the back on the deck because that seems to be Pugliese Court Reporting and Transcription Service (631) 878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 175 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 a better way of handling the bugs in this area. The -- I'm sure you're all aware of when you're near the water particularly so much undeveloped area around them the bugs are quite (inaudible) and it's very difficult for them to use the back deck as soon as the afternoon draws near and the evening -- they just need some air circulation and the fan would be the proposed way of doing it. They would keep the deck unenclosed in the sense that the trellis provides just a support mechanism for a fan, but structurally it doesn't require any modification. The footings area adequate, it's just a modification to the posts of the deck. In reviewing the (inaudible) history of this property it appears that there was an error made by the Building Department cause there was an issue in the prior application that somehow or another this was a seasonal dwelling and I wondered where that came from because the pre-CO showed that there was heat in the house and there always has been and my clients, to their knowledge, have always had heat. It appears that the pre-CO referred to PuglieseCou~ Repo~ingandTranscriptionSe~ice (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 2O 21 22 23 24 25 176 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 a heat pump and it was a heated house. When the Building Department issued what would have been the addition to the deck in the back by the prior owners (inaudible) or something like that, that building permit. The Building Department claimed that it was a deck addition to a seasonal dwelling and that was an error on the Building Department's part because that was a heated house and their own pre-CO showed it as a house that was built with a heat pump. It was heated, insulated and had all -- it was what it is today and I confirmed with my client and yes the, you know, they've had to replace the heat pump with a newer version because of the many years, but it's always been heated. So it has been and will continue to be a heated year-round house. We have intentionally kept the garage the same so that we are again minimizing the request to just second floor and the trellis. The neighborhood is for the most part, I've given you the drawings to show you what the neighborhood is like, and I did review Land Preservation when they went for the hearing the acquisition of the (inaudible) property. PuglieseCourtRepo~ingandTranscriptionSe~ice (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 177 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 There was a recognition that there are five homes in that area and, in fact, and I'll provide this after the hearing, but what I went to look at their files they -- the environmental report that was done for the (Inaudible) acquisition actually pointed out that as the homes are improved that these homes that are existing will in fact have their sanitary systems replaced and upgraded so that they are more conforming and more environmentally making an environmental benefit to this community. Also, in support of that position, even though common sense tells you that that is in fact the case, I have asked Interscience, which does the environmental reports for many of the Southampton and Village of Sag Harbor and so on, they are going to provide the main opinion letter to put in your file with respect to the fact that this project, as it's proposed, will not have an adverse impact on the environment. Your own SEQRA determination concludes that, but in fact will be an enhancement to the environment in that and also the fact that the house will have proper PuglieseCou~ Repo~ingandTranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 178 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 drainage when the roof is altered. So I will ask that then environmental report be provided. I also am aware that you sent this to Land Preservation for comments and their meeting isn't until -- CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: August 31. MRS. MOORE: -- August 31st so it'll probably have to stay open I'm sure to accept that and giYe us an opportunity to review it. So anticipating all that I'm giving you what I have, but in anticipation of more information to come. I would also point out that the purchase of the (inaudible) property comes about the same time that the Town acquired the Zoomis and the Hertado properties and created conservation subdivisions, which at the time they were doing a generic impact statement to try to reduce residential homes on all these large tracts of property. So the (Inaudible) property was just all part of the overall Town's plan to reduce residential development on undeveloped property. So I'm not, certainly not, to prohibit or limit the ability of homeowners of existing homes to be PuglieseCou~ Repo~ingandTranscriptionSe~ice (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 179 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 improved and upgraded and expanded as need be within reasonable limits, you know, which we think we have here today. This being the most -- this is a very reduced plan that we've provided for you. We have made this plan feasible for the applicants, but also in consideration of minimizing volumes and size of this project and we hope that you will feel that this project is certainly in keeping with the Board's policies and the law. I believe I've gone through, I have it all written out so I don't want to read to you what is already in writing, that seems to me redundant and not necessary. So I'm here to answer any questions and any design issues that you may have questions that you may have or questions you might have. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: It's Ken's so do you want to start? MEMBER SCHNEIDER: Sure. The first one again is with the sanitary system. You're not sure where it's going to go or where -- MRS. MOORE: No, we know where it's going to go. PuglieseCou~ Repo~ingandTranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 180 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 MEMBER SCHNEIDER: Oh, you do. MRS. MOORE: Yes. We're -- obviously a sanitary system, a new one is not required if we don't do anything on this property. So it'll continue to be as it is, which is it's right now in the front yard. I would say on the left side, on the west side of the property in the front yard in front of the decking area. That's where the existing sanitary system is presently. We have a new design. Joe Fischetti actually designed a new sanitary system and -- is he here? No. Okay, I saw him in the hallway earlier, but he's not here for this application, but certainly I can defer any questions to him. We have a design. In fairness to my client in spending so much money to get here, the next step would be to give this sanitary design, which is a conforming design, to the surveyor, which Stanley Isakson is no longer in Town so I would have to have the new surveyor plot it on the survey and submit it to the Health Department as a modification to the existing system. So all being in conformity with current standards, that's the PuglieseCou~ Repo~ingandTranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 181 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 plan. MEMBER SCHNEIDER: Specifically the amount of bedrooms. MRS. MOORE: Yeah, we have -- the number of bedrooms is four in total. MEMBER SCHi~EIDER: Three -- four, right. Four. MRS. MOORE: Oh, I'm sorry, five. MEMBER SCHNEIDER: Five. There's one on the first floor, that's the existing. The other ones were relocated to the second floor. There is an additional one bedroom, that's why we're going for -- we have to get sanitary approval. If we kept to the same number of bedrooms the sanitary would -- we wouldn't have to go there, but because we are adding one bedroom and -- oh two bedrooms, I'm sorry. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Could you please speak at the mike because we're tape recording MRS. MOORE: you get -- okay. I'll repeat it for him so Go ahead. He's actually -- the property owner is going to clarify. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Okay, fine. Pugliese Court Reporting and Transcription Service (631) 878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 MR. VENETIS: It's a three-bedroom home 182 CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Would you just state your name, please, sir, for the record? MR. VENETIS: Oh sure. John Venetis. CFLAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Thank you. MR. VENETIS: It's a three-bedroom home right now. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: And you're going to make it -- MR. VENETIS: We would like to make it a five-bedroom. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Five-bedroom. Okay, thank you. MRS. MOORE: For what reason? MR. VENETIS: We have -- CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: I think you told us. MRS. MOORE: I think it's obvious, for the record, I mean -- MR. VENETIS: MRS. MOORE: but We have four children and Well, for the record since we don't have a stenographer to count heads. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: If we were being Pugliese Court Reporting and Transcription Service (631) 878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 183 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 videotaped it'd be fine. MRS. MOORE: That's true. So that's -- the plan is as shown here on the -- with the elevations. Yeah. Go ahead. Do you have other questions? MEMBER SCHNEIDER: No, not at this time. MEMBER HORNING: Pat, without being too lengthy, could you kind of describe the difference between this application and the application that was denied? MRS. MOORE: Sure. Okay, this -- the first application, the Building Department considered the application a demolition because initially when we applied we thought that the FEMA regulations required us to raise the foundation and given past history of raising foundations and what impact it has on an existing first floor, it might result in more being removed than was -- than would have been allowed as a renovation rather than as a demolition. So that was the initial, the biggest issue that seems to have been -- while during the hearing and just before the hearing we found that the FEMA map came out and it looked like we didn't have to do it, it's PuglieseCou~ ReportingandTranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 184 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 still -- our Notice of Disapproval still addressed it as a demolition. Also the plan was to build a second floor over the entire existing house, so we've cut back and not used any portion of the garage space, horizontal space for any addition. The original plan was keeping -- it was actually creating a wall in the front of the house in order to change the architectural design of the house and that's not here. We are actually removing the bay window and removing some of the existing decking. That is different from the first application. So the -- we are removing structures that had gotten variances to exist, the decking that had been previously permitted. are finding that the have been conforming, So even though now we front yard setbacks would it still would trigger the lot coverage issue and since we had our application was to reduce the lot coverage to make this application more conforming we still have to address lot coverage from somewhere and the only place we can take it from an existing house is from the existing deck. So that's also part of this. This plan is Pugliese Court Reporting and Transcription Service (631) 878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 185 different than the previous plan. MEMBER HORNING: Let me tackle these in a different way then. Notice of Disapproval distance from the bulkhead, on the one that was denied the distance from the bulkhead was applied for at 22 feet. On the new Notice it's 22 feet, so distance from the bulkhead remains the same, correct? MRS. MOORE: Well, I would ask the Board to look at that because we -- the reason I -- cause I went and spoke to Pat Conklin at the Building Department and said we're not changing the deck, it's the same deck. She said, yeah, but I want to include it all as part of the same Notice of Disapproval because you may, in granting the second floor, which is at a more conforming front yard setback, the distance of the second floor from the bulkhead is 35.9, almost 40 feet. That's really -- that's the area we're changing. The deck in the back is the same deck. On the first application if you had to raise the house you had to raise the deck to meet the floor of the raised house. Since we don't have to raise the house, the deck is PuglieseCourtRepo~ingandTranscriptionSe~ice (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 186 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 exactly the same. The trellis, whether or not that would constitute an increase, the Building Department prefers to include it rather than exclude it and it's up to the Board whether we can have a fan or not, trellis. MEMBER HORNING: Well, Pat, the copy of the survey that you submitted with your memorandum here shows a distance from the deck to the high water mark of 24.5 feet. MRS. MOORE: Right. MEMBER HORNING: Extrapolating the width of the bulkhead, I believe that's where it comes up with this around 22 feet. MRS. MOORE: And probably I think that the steps down maybe as well. MEMBER HORNING: So I'm trying to get what the difference is between this application and the one that was denied remains the same, correct? MRS. MOORE: This application the distance to the bulkhead remains at 35.9 for the second floor of the house. If that's -- if what I'm answering -- MEMBER HORNING: That's not what the Pugliese Court Reporting and Transcription Service (631) 878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 187 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 Notice of Disapproval says. MRS. MOORE: Ail right, I can't control what a Disapproval says. The Building Department prefers to include everything. MEMBER HORNING: Okay, the second thing here item, lot coverage. MRS. MOORE: Right. MEMBER HORNING: The new notice says lot coverage reduced from 27 percent to 24.5. MRS. MOORE: Right. MEMBER HORNING: The other application that was denied called for lot coverage of 30.5 -- MRS. MOORE: difference. MEMBER HORNING: that? So that's clearly a -- you would agree with MRS. MOORE: Oh absolutely. Well, that's clearly a difference, yeah. MEMBER HORNING: Side yard, the new application calls for combined side yard setbacks of 24.3 feet, which is just a little bit under the Code requirement and the decision that was denied called for a combined side yard setback of 23.5, which is 1 foot PuglieseCou~ ReportingandTranscriptionSe~ice (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 188 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 less than approximately -- in other words, the new denial increases the side yard setback about one foot; would you agree with that? MRS. MOORE: I actually don't agree. I mean I agree that that's what they say, but I would point out that our second floor is at conforming 12 -- well, more than 12.3 cause the second floor is not over the garage. I'm using the 12.3 from the garage when you need 10 and you have 12, that means that you have conformity on the right side, and on the left side the deck was at 12.3. We're cutting the deck back and the house addition, the second floor is at 19.5. So 19 is more than 15, so we're conforming with the minimum 15. So I would say that I don't think we needed a variance for the second floor on side yard issues, but again the Building Department tries to be as conservative as possible. Once you're here for variances they prefer not to make the determination on whether or not cutting the deck back or it requires a variance or not because it had already a variance, a side yard variance in 1985 when it got the deck. It was allowed to be at 12.3, PuglieseCou~ ReportingandTranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 189 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 if you recall the prior decision, but when -- if you granted an approval here, you're actually modifying the previous appeal in that we're reducing that 12.3. We still have it towards the back, but we're actually cutting back some of it so it overrides in a sense the design that was approved in '85. So I think the Building Department felt that it had been part of a variance, we're cutting it back, surely, so -- but it made sense to cover it all because when I -- once you approve or if you approve this, we have to come back to them with a building plan that conforms and we don't want to have any misinterpretations of what was allowed, what wasn't allowed. It's easier if it's just all shown at once and we, you know, we go from there. MEMBER HORNING: Okay one further question. MRS. MOORE: Yes. MEMBER HORNING: Front yard setback. The latest Notice of Disapproval, the substance in your appeal here calls for a front yard setback of 28.6 feet. The application that PuglieseCou~ Repo~ingandTranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 190 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 was denied you were requesting front yard setback of 22 feet. Tell us what changed in terms of the front. MRS. MOORE: From the first application? MEMBER HORNING: Right. MRS. MOORE: Yes, that's what I -- we changed -- there is a bow window. You see that little pop-out where it says, "paved driveway" on the survey? MEMBER HORNING: I see that. MRS. MOORE: Okay, That's the bow window, We're not changing the that is cut back. so that's cut back. front of the house at all. The first plan had architectural elements to try to change the design of the front facade. That's not being done here and the changes, again we're cutting back from existing. That window is popped out and the second floor is the only additional space, and the second floor starts at 28.6. That's the setback, front yard setback of 28.6. Do you see that measurement on the right hand side? MEMBER HORNING: Yes. MRS. MOORE: That's the foundation. That's where the front yard starts, but again PuglieseCourtRepo~ingand Transcription Service (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 191 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 I point out that when you look at the average setback as the Code says, when you're going to -- let's say you're building a house and you have within 300 feet everybody in your neighborhood is at 20 feet, you can build your house at 20 feet because that's the way the neighborhood has built out and the Code specifically says that. When we apply an average setback here we could go as close to the front yard to the street as 24.5 and we're not. We're actually cutting back and we're going up. MEMBER HORNING: Okay, thanks. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Let me follow up on this for a minute, in a nutshell one of the most dramatic differences, as you said Pat, rightly so, the first application that led to denial was for a demo. MRS. MOORE: Right. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: And this new Notice of Disapproval in addition to the things we've already gone over is describing this as reconstruction and second floor addition. Now, the architect's plans show what new construction on the walls on the first floor PuglieseCou~ Repo~ingandTranscriptionSe~ice (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 192 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 are being proposed and what is to remain. There is also a letter on record -- MRS. MOORE: Right. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: -- indicating that there was a visual inspection. MRS. MOORE: Yes. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Now, I would like to find out a little bit more about what the visual inspection entailed. It's very difficult without ripping into sheetrock, without digging up to see the condition of the foundation. MRS. MOORE: Actually, we cut the sheetrock, yes. CHAIRPERSON WEISMJ%N: Then that's what I want to find out more about because clearly one of the most important aspects here is the fact that this first floor will remain because it is not described as additions and alterations, it's described as reconstruction and that term may very well mean demo and rebuilding in place and in kind; it has been known to be defined that way. So I'd like the record to clearly reflect exactly what kind of changes on the first floor are being proposed. PuglieseCou~ ReportingandTranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 193 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 I know the removal of the bay window, cutting back of the existing deck and so on. MRS. MOORE: Right. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: There are a couple of pieces of bearing wall that are being changed, it would appear, east and westerly walls look as though they're intact. So perhaps, Angel, do you want to come and talk a little bit about here? MRS. MOORE: MR. CHORiqO: this structural analysis Yes, come on up. We are removing the kitchen, the wall in front of the entrance and pushing that wall to allow the kitchen to be larger, but that's -- we keep one of the existing walls of that kitchen. Now, in the porch where you see dark, that's the pieces that we are changing to make a recessed porch. We are modifying the bathroom wall to accommodate the stair, which is a new stair. The existing stair is in the back and that is being removed and we put the new stairs in the front. We close where the shower is, it's an existing shower, the bathroom remains as is. Modernize the kitchen, that's about it. Pugliese Court Reporting and Transcription Service (631) 878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 194 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 Then we change windows and put doors and this and that, that's where the other dark pieces show because we have to cut in order to increase the window and to patch the windows and that's about it. The bedroom number 1 remains exactly as it is. Laundry, mechanical both, garage is all as is. We're not changing that. The kitchen is the only area that we are renovating. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: The floor plans do -- are very clear, you know, in terms of what you're actually doing with partition walls and weight-bearing walls. I want to know about the structural condition of the foundation because that was a big issue before, so let's look at how you went about analyzing that it has -- you indicated in your letter that inspection showed the foundation was in good condition and it only needed possibly some enlargement for a cavity for insulation purposes. Can you amplify that? MR. CHORNO: Yes. The first floor has 2 by 4s like all the properties of the time. We have to increase the size of that putting an additional 2 inches to the 2 by 4s or put in a PuglieseCou~ Reporting and Transcription Service (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 195 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 2 by 6 next to the 2 by 4s in order to accommodate more insulation, but the 2 by 4s are in good condition. I've been doing jobs here where you open the walls and they are all rotten. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Right, exactly. MR. CHORNO: This is not the case in this house, for what I could inspect there and look, I didn't take the drywall, I didn't take. So it looks like it's in good condition and maybe the owner can verify that. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Did you actually remove some sheetrock to inspect the condition of the studs? MR. CHORNO: Yes, we did that. The father came with me and we go into the (inaudible) and we cut and I looked to see if it was rotten or not because I've been having these surprises often enough so that's what I want to know. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Especially on the water. So you can sister studs to the existing? MR. CHORNO: Yes, they are good studs and we can use that for construction purpose, it's PuglieseCou~ Repo~ingandTranscriptionSe~ice (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 196 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 no problem. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Okay. While you're still there let me just look -- MR. CHORNO: So in order to be more acceptable, we cut the height of the old structure considerably. We're doing some trick in the second floor to get dormers and to get the walls at 5 feet in order to change the height that was like 38 feet to 26 feet. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: For the roof. MR. CHORNO: So the overall from the ground outside to the top of the roof is only 26 feet. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: That's to the ridge. MR. CHORNO: MRS. MOORE: failed to point Yes. George, you were asking. that out,, that's another I change that from the first application to this one is an overall reduction in the height and mass of the second floor that's what he's talking about. MR. CHORNO: A substantial -- MEMBER HORNING: That's understood, but the Notice of Disapproval is -- PuglieseCourtRepo~ingandTranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 2O 21 22 23 24 25 197 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 MRS. MOORE: (Inaudible) sorry. MEMBER HORNING: -- it doesn't address that. MRS. MOORE: Exactly. MR. CHORNO: So that's all I can tell you. I cannot -- CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Okay. MR. CHORNO: -- guarantee anything in the (inaudible) of the structure. (Inaudible) I don't know, I can go there and try to investigate as much as I can with the cooperation of the owner and that's about it. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: What's the foundation, poured or block? MR. CHORNO: Block. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Okay and were you able to inspect it, did you dig? MR. CHORNO: Yeah, but (inaudible) because it's a flood zone. So it's not a real problem to look at the foundation. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Did you want to say something? One other question before we get to that. Just so it's clear, your plans show the proposed trellis, I believe that's why it was noticed at 22 feet because that's another PuglieseCourtReportingand Transcription Service (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 198 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 structure. The deck, you know, that's an addition on top of the deck being proposed so that is why that was noticed at 22 feet from the bulkhead because that is where the deck is and the trellis you're proposing will be in addition to that. MRS. MOORE: It's not a roofed -- CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: It's two gables -- well, I'm about to clarify. According to the plans and the elevations, open raft -- MR. CHORNO: Yes. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: you're proposing -- two gables -- MR. CHOP/qO: Yes, it's a true trellis. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: -- but it is just open, a (inaudible). MR. CHORNO: Right. Right, the purpose is to support fans, not create shade. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Okay. All right. MR. VENETIS: To tell you the truth, if the first floor structure and the foundation were in question, we wouldn't be able to -- it would -- we would value ourselves right out of this project. We couldn't afford to rebuild the first floor and do a new foundation or Pugliese Court Reporting and Transcription Service (631) 878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 2O 21 22 23 24 25 199 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 raise the home and it was one of the best things that we found out that we didn't have to raise the structure or knock down the first floor and we can just add an addition cause we couldn't afford to do it any other way. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Mr. Venetis, have you also spoken, I think I overhead you, I'd like to enter it into the record, you've spoken to a contractor? MR. VENETIS: I've spoken to three contractors and did get three proposed costs for what was on the drawings, like a preliminary bid based on. We would probably hire a local company to do the extension and do anything related to the exterior of the home and I would probably take on the interior myself because that's what I do for a living and I think that I would probably cost me a lot less to do it myself on the inside. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Sure and you have four little helpers. MR. VENETIS: No I don't, just the demolition. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: We don't want demolition really. Don't use the D-word. PuglieseCourtRepo~ingandTranscriptionSe~ice (631)878-83S5 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 200 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 MR. VENETIS: No. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: No questions. MEMBER DINIZIO: No. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Is there anybody else in the audience that would like to address this application? Okay, we're going to be receiving comments as you recognized in the beginning, Pat, from the Land Preservation Committee that is going to be meeting on August 31st and you also had a report you wanted to submit to us from a consultant. MRS. MOORE: Yeah, I apologize. It's vacation time for everybody, so that's (inaudible). CHAIRPERSON WEISMAIq: You know what, I think the easiest thing to do is to adjourn this to October at 1:00 and that way -- MRS. MOORE: I'm sorry, October what? BOARD SECRETARY: 21st because otherwise it's September -- I don't know if that's enough time for everybody to MRS. MOORE: Oh, for me in the next two weeks, so -- respond and -- it should be done BOARD SECRETARY: What about Landmark? Pugliese Court Reporting and Transcription Service (631) 8?8-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 201 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 MRS. MOORE: They're meeting on Tuesday. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Land Preservation is meeting on August 31st so they can get comments and they're usually pretty quick. BOARD SECRETARY: All right, it's September 23rd -- CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Let's leave it to October. MRS. MOORE: Okay. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAi~: We're just so jammed up. 1:00 -- MRS. MOORE: My client's okay with it, so I'm okay with it. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: You're not going to start building right now anyway. October 21st MRS. MOORE: You said at 1:007 CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: 1:00 p.m., all right. So hearing no further comments, I'm going to make a motion to adjourn this hearing to October 21st at 1:00 p.m. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Second. (See Minutes for Resolution.) Pugliese Court Reporting and Transcription Service (631) 878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 202 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 HEARING #6379 - Orient Fire District (T-Mobile Northeast, LLC) (Adjourned from May 20, 2010 PH) MEMBER GOEHRINGER: ~Request for Variance from Code Section 280-70(i) based on an application for building permit to co-locate on existing wireless communication tower and install equipment, and the Building Inspector's August 13, 2009, amended December 8, 2009 updated March 4, 2010 Notice of Disapproval concerning co-location of wireless communication tower,, 1) tower exceeding the code required maximum height of 45 feet and the prior height granted of 90 feet; at 23300 Main Rd. and Tabor Rd., Orient, NEW YORK. SCTRM#1000-18-5-13.8. Zone R80." CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: We're going to open this hearing because it was legally noticed and see if there is anyone here who wishes to testify, but we have received a letter requesting adjournment without a date from the applicant because they are going to be revising their application based upon material, some (inaudible) and material that are going to be submitted based on comments PuglieseCou~ Repo~ingandTranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 203 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 from the Planning Board and the Planning Board's consultant. So let me just see if -- Is there anyone here who wishes to address this application? Okay, hearing no comments, I'll make a motion to adjourn this hearing without a date. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Second. (See Minutes for Resolution.) Pugliese Court Reporting and Transcription Service (631) 878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 204 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 HEARING ~6383 (adjourned from June CHAIRPERSON WEISMAiq: Sim Moy 30, 2010 PH) We have received some information, I think it was as of today, yesterday or today. BOARD SECRETARY: Yesterday. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Yesterday from West Lake Association and yesterday or today? BOARD SECRETARY: -- was this also Yes. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Okay, we got two reports from them and certainly this Board has not had a chance to read it and really go through it, but I just want you to be aware of that and we'll take testimony now. Would you please, I presume you're here to present. MR. ROSENBERG: Madame Chairperson, members of the Board, my name is David Rosenberg. I appeared last time the hearing was held, which was on June 30tn. The Board I'm sure recalls that at the last hearing we submitted pretty much a complete application and there were two concerns presented by the board members. I believe it was Member PuglieseCou~ ReportingandTranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 2O 21 22 23 24 25 205 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 Goehringer who expressed some concern about the road specification for the extension of West Lake Drive to the new residence. Following discussion with the Board, Mr. Fischetti our engineer did, in fact, consult with a Town Engineer and following that meeting he sent a letter, which should be in your package now. I believe 14tn of this year, if not, I believe you already have it. it's dated July have a copy, but I It's on Mr. Fischetti's letterhead as a professional engineer confirming his conversation with Mr. Richter that in regard to the specification for the road that the proposed 6-inch thick, 3/4-inch stone blend roadway surface for the 12-foot wide roadway would be adequate to support emergency vehicles to comply with Section 280-137A subdivision E, as Mr. Goehringer had inquired about. So I think that should pretty much deal with that issue. The other issue which was discussed was the question that there was some concern that the site plan as originally presented could require a person driving a vehicle to the new residence to actually have to back out along PuglieseCou~ Repo~ingandTranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 206 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 the driveway to the extension of West Lake Road and there was a suggestion that maybe we could come up with some sort of turnaround area and Mr. Fischetti has amended the site plan. I believe that was also submitted to the Board and, again, if there are any questions about that, Mr. Fischetti is here. That also is dated July 14, 2010 and it does show as to the extension of West Lake Drive and the stone driveway a turnaround area was added to the immediate -- I guess depending on where you're looking, but if you're facing the front of the house it would be just to the right off the driveway so that a vehicle could be parked there and if they want to depart from the house they can back up into the area of the stone driveway along the side of the house and proceed or they can park closest to that stairway into the side of the house and if they were going to leave they would back into the new turnaround area and they can proceed out. So those are the only two concerns that the Board had and I believe that was the purpose of adjourning the hearing. PuglieseCou~ Repo~ingandTranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 207 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 I have Mr. Fischetti here who did the design work, but Madame Chairperson, I am aware of some submissions that were made, but that not being -- I'm certainly not going to volunteer any arguments or address them until they're formally made before the Board. So with the permission of the Board, unless you have any questions on these two points, I at this time have nothing else to present; however, of course I would like to reserve, as is the custom of this Board, that if there is any opposition or any other comments submitted I'll have an opportunity to address them at that time. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Certainly. MR. ROSENBERG: Chairperson, just confirm you have both of these, the letter from Mr. Fischetti to the engineer and -- I want to make sure they're part of the record. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: I believe so. MR. ROSENBERG: I believe they were submitted many weeks ago. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: We got them. This is the plan, there's a cover letter and then there is a letter confirming a discussion with PuglieseCou~ ReportingandTranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 208 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 the Town Engineer. MR. ROSENBERG: Right. Thank you. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Okay, so George do you want to continue to ask any questions or shall we see what else comes up? MEMBER HORNING: Let's continue. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: We have received information from West Lake Association and from E.D. Bennett Consulting Engineer. Counsel, do you have copies of this recent? MR. ROSENBERG: (Inaudible). CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: All right, fine. I think it would be a good idea to maybe get comments from all interested parties before we continue to question; is that acceptable to the Board or do you have a question? Jim, do you have a question you want to ask? MEMBER DINIZIO: No, not at all. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Anybody else? All right, let's see who else is here and would like to address this application. Who' like to address the Board? MR. TARBET: Good afternoon. My name is PuglieseCourtReportingand TranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 209 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 John Tarbet, Amagansett. before you. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: name, please? MR. TARBET: A-R, B as in boy, Tarbet (inaudible) law firm in This is my first time appearing Can you spell your The last name is Tarbet, T- E-T. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Thank you. MR. TARBET: We were working until yesterday (inaudible) and I'm like permission to hand in to you (inaudible) have multiple copies of it. everybody. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Sure. materials. I I have copies for MR. ROSENBERG: (Inaudible). MR. TARBET: There's two things I'm submitting. One is the report by the engineer and the other is my memo of law, both of which were emailed to the applicant, nothing is change. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Okay, so you have copies. We've already received that, let me just double check here. MEMBER HORNING: Leslie, no. This one is Pugliese Court Reporting and Transcription Service (631) 878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 210 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 Memorandum of law I CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: think is not (inaudible). MR. TARBET: I don't believe I ever handed the memo of law in until just now. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: All right, this memorandum of law is today? MR. TARBET: Today. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: All right, did you give counsel a copy? MR. TARBET: An original copy. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAIq: Okay, so now we are (inaudible). Keeping us busy with the reading, folks. All right, please proceed. MR. TARBET: Yeah, my name is John Tarbet and I am here actually representing the West Lake Association. The application is particularly important to them because their riparian rights to access Little Peconic Bay and the major concern of the Association is the bulkhead. The -- our engineer has gone to the property, inspected the bulkhead, and there is a legitimate concern that the bulkhead will collapse if the project goes forward. PuglieseCou~ Repo~ingandTranscriptionSe~ice (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 211 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 It's primarily the driveway that is less than 2 feet -- less than 1 foot from the bulkhead is a concern. There's a concern with the traffic on the already loose soils and the already deteriorated bulkhead will cause that bulkhead to collapse. If that bulkhead were to collapse, it would be catastrophic to the environmental and access to the inlet as well as to the environmental concern of access to Little Peconic Bay to residents. As you know there's a (inaudible) it's a benefit to the applicant and a detriment to the neighborhood. In this case, the detriment is clear cut. Access to Little Peconic Bay, if that bulkhead were to collapse, it would be at least a year possibly longer before they were able to get the proper permits to get the bulkhead replaced so we're asking the Board to consider requiring the applicant to simply bring the bulkhead up to what would be considered strong enough to support the proposed construction. We're not asking the Board to not grant the variances, we're asking for the Board to consider the detriment and require the bulkhead be brought up to proper PuglieseCou~ Repo~ingandTranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 212 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 standards. I have Drew Bennett here. He's in the audience I'd like for him to come up and talk to you about his inspection and what he saw and when he went to the property. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Okay. Please come forward. MR. BENNETT: Good afternoon. My name is Drew Bennett, consulting engineer doing business at 84A Park Place CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: last name. in East Hampton. Please spell your MR. BENNETT: B-E-N-N-E-T-T. CHAIRPERSON WEISMA/~: Thank you. MR. BENNETT: I've been practicing for 26 years professionally, the last 18 years on Long Island and in the tri-state area. I currently serve as the village Engineer for the Village of Sagaponack and the Village of East Hampton. I'm also currently under retainer with the Town of Shelter Island, the village of North Haven, as well as the Town of East Hampton. I was retained by the community association that Mr. Tarbet referenced, West PuglieseCourtReportingand Transcription Se~ice (631)878-8355 1 2 3 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 213 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 Lake Community Association, to perform an inspection of the subject bulkhead. The purpose of the inspection is to basically make an assessment of its condition and how -- and make a prediction of how it would perform once the proposed project was constructed. I performed the inspection on August 18th at low tide. I conducted it both from the water side with the aid of Dr. (Inaudible) boat as well as on the land side. I met the applicant's engineer, Mr. Fischetti, at the property. We had a discussion of what to do about the bulkhead, the history of it, and how it was constructed. what I observed was a conventional timber bulkhead that was in fair condition. It shows its age, which we estimate to be about 30-40 years old. It's been recently replanked as sand was beginning to flow through the timber bulkhead and it was planked on the landward side of it to try to minimize that. Once sand begins to run through the bulkhead that's beginning to fail and not serve its function. The original face of the bulkhead is actually in quite poor condition and there's planking PuglieseCou~ Repo~ingandTranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 214 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 on the landward side of it. There still is evidence on the landward side with what they call piping through the bulkhead, which is basically sand running through the bulkhead even after the planking has been replaced. Most of the critical components of this bulkhead are not visible so you can't inspect them. The piles themselves I have no knowledge of what the depth is, how long they are. I asked Mr. Fischetti if he knew and he can speak to this, but my recollection of our conversation is he did not have the design details of the construction (inaudible) installed. So I don't know how deep the piles are, I don't know how deep the planking goes into the mud of the channel I don't how long or what the condition of this (inaudible) of soil (inaudible) that particular bulkhead. I can tell you that the piles themselves are relatively small and, as I mentioned earlier, the bulkhead age is estimated to be between 30 and 40 years. So in sum the existing condition is fair. In my judgment it continues to serve its intended function which Pugliese Cou~ RepoSing and Transcription Service (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 215 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 was to stabilize the inlet that's there and provide water circulation and navigation. Looking forward to how it would perform based on the proposed project, I have some reservations and those reservations are that there are three aspects that I looked at of the proposed project. One is the driveway and basically the house, those two aspects. The house is far enough from the bulkhead. It would be set on a timber-pile foundation and in my judgment will not have an affect on the bulkhead itself; however, the driveway, based on the plans that I have is located as close as 2 feet from the timber- pile bulkhead that we're talking about and that would create additional load on the bulkhead and we'll call it a surcharge load. I looked at the size of the timber planking existing timber pile dimensions and the height of the pile and the number of tie backs that I observed and I made an estimate of whether or not -- a very preliminary estimate because again I don't know all the specifics of how this thing was constructed. Pugliese Court Reporting and Transcription Service (631) 878-8355 1 2 3 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 216 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 It's an adequately constructed bulkhead for the condition, assuming that all the materials are in good condition, but in my -- based on my preliminary estimates, it's probably not suitable for what I refer to as a surcharge load or additional load placed on it other than the native material. I -- the ground that's near the bulkhead is soft and basically wouldn't -- at this point in time, wouldn't support a car (inaudible) bulkhead face. I personally would have very deep reservations about parking a loaded truck next to the bulkhead or a fuel truck and so I -- engineers tend to be safe. The public health, safety of the public is our number one priority and, in my judgment, there's not enough knowledge of the true condition of the bulkhead and I don't think there's enough (inaudible) safety on this particular bulkhead in its condition that would be prudent to allow traffic or heavy trucks to park near it. So if it does fail, I think as Mr. Tarbet pointed out, several bad things could happen. One, people could get injured as I also point PuglieseCou~ Repo~ingandTranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 217 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 out in my report, which is dated August 20tn that the bulkhead is flush with the ground and the driveway is going to be 2 feet from it. At a minimum you'd want to have a guardrail so that people wouldn't go off the end of it. So in my opinion, it's risky to allow traffic to park next to this bulkhead and I find it to be a risk that the consequences of that risk being the bulkhead collapse, (inaudible) to navigation and heaven forbid someone be harmed or injured. There are some very serious consequences if this fails. MEMBER HORNING: You're testifying here based upon the driveway being put on the existing grade and just stones being put on top of the existing grade; is that what you're basing your remarks upon or the change of grade? MR. BENNETT: I would assume that the grade is changed. The bulkhead isn't going to be raised so we have a fixed point in time and there'll be a slope. So the way the contours are drawn you'll see that it's a relatively flat slope. If there was a lot of fill the runoff would go directly into the dug inlet PuglieseCou~ RepoSing and TranscriptionSe~ice (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 218 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 itself. So I would assume that they would prepare the driveway and the standard construction would be that there would be a sub-base and some sort of permeable pavement on top of that, but the piping -- I did see signs of active piping meaning sand running through the bulkhead and so I would expect that the sub-base would only last so long before you'd see similar effects within the driveway itself and I also point out in my report that correcting, once sand piping starts like that, correcting that is actually a challenge. The practice is to continually try to patch it and it works for a while and then it fails somewhere else or the patch fails and really the only way to really prevent that entirely is to replace the bulkhead in its entirety, in my opinion. MEMBER SCHNEIDER: I have a question. If you had the construction plans of this bulkhead -- MR. BENNETT: Yes. MEMBER SCHNEIDER: -- would you think you would still come to the same conclusion, regardless of the depth and the piling -- PuglieseCourtRepo~ingandTranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 219 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 MR. BENNETT: I have no idea what the conclusion would be if I had the construction plans. I'm making some assumptions of what the standard practice, construction practices are here on eastern Long Island. MEMBER SCHNEIDER: Okay. MR. BENNETT: knd it's difficult for me to see the condition of the foot pile tips cause they're underground or under water. It would help me tighten my prediction, but it would still be a prediction. MEMBER SCHNEIDER: Well, what you've been witnessing is -- would you call it failure of the bulkhead? MR. BENNETT: It's beginning to fail, yes. MEMBER SCHNEIDER: Beginning to fail, so regardless of what construction drawings were or are, the condition still exists. MR. BENNETT: It's a tired bulkhead. MEMBER SCHNEIDER: Okay. MR. BENNETT: A tired bulkhead and I also point out in my report that the next major coastal storm that we have where we have beach overtopping, I would not be surprised if the PuglieseCou~ Reporting and Transcription Se~ice (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 220 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 bulkhead collapses or failed in that type of event without the construction. The next time we have a major storm surge and wave action overtopping the bulkhead, once water gets behind the bulkhead it's quite harming to the bulkhead. The piles themselves show ice damage, they also show decay. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: I'd like to ask you if the house as currently proposed on pilings is proposed with an easterly side yard setback of 10 feet and the water service is coming in along that property line. If the house were moved over an additional 5 feet toward the westerly side toward the bulkhead, the dug canal I'm talking about, and a driveway was located on the easterly side of the subject property, would that possibly create a more appropriate response to the problem -- I also think it's frankly quite dangerous simply from a human safety point of view to be parking a vehicle in the dark a foot away from a canal. You know, if the house were -- I mean we want to keep property as far away from bulkhead as we can, obviously, so it's a bit of a conundrum to be suggesting moving it closer to PuglieseCourtRepo~ingand Transcription Service (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 221 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 a bulkhead; however one does need to be able to get off of that right of way and bring a vehicle on to the property, if a dwelling is to be there. What is your reaction to that proposal? MR. BENNETT: Moving the house closer to the dug canal and putting a driveway on the opposite side of the house -- CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: About 5 feet. MR. BENNETT: Yeah, the house as its intended right now would be on a timber-pile foundation so this load would no have an affect on the bulkhead, in my opinion. Moving the driveway further from the bulkhead would address my concern that I raised of having a (inaudible) load next to an old bulkhead. The only question that I would have as a technical person is in reviewing the soil data, the soils, the site is a dredge spoils site, in my opinion, and below the dredge spoil is bog. So it's an old marsh, but it's been buried. So doing some quick calculations of what the likely depth of those piles are before they get to competent ground they're going to be quite deep. So in my report I also suggest PuglieseCou~ Repo~ingand TranscriptionSe~ice (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 222 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 that they probably ought to do a test pile to make sure that they have the expected bearing capacity with respect. So assuming the ground is good where they move it, and they can get the piles (inaudible) to the house, that would be an option. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Okay. The other issue that the Association had some concerns about was the use of the Association's right of way for a creation of a pervious driveway and by moving the driveway of the residence onto the easterly side it would certainly get rid of the necessity of using that, at least that part of the right of way for access to the subject property. So that's another thing for us to look at. Do any of you have any questions of this Okay, we may want to question you further. Who else would like to speak now on behalf of this application? MR. BENNETT: Thank you. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: This gentlemen here. MR. HENRY: Is this working? CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Do you want to PuglieseCou~ Repo~ingandTranscriptionSe~ice (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 223 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 raise it a little so you don't have to kill your neck while you're standing there? MR. KAMINER: Thank you. Thank you. I'm Henry Kaminer, I'm secretary of the Association and the -- I sent you pictures pertaining to the conditions and what has been discussed is the plans, how it will be built and a few people on both sides of the argument have talked about grading and how it will be graded, but I -- and the actual diagrams of the building plans show grading, but I don't think that that's possible because on July 22nd a year ago when the Trustees gave the permission for the building, and you have that in your kit, they said that it could be built with a buffer 4-foot wide, etc., but no grading of the property, no fill or other material placed on the property with the exception of the amount necessary for the sanitary system as approved by the Health Department. So that anything that would require grading I don't think would be permitted. So that makes it complicated. Anything requiring grading would not be permitted so I don't know how that could be PuglieseCou~ Repo~ingandTranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 224 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 done if you include grading as a necessary part. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Okay. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: knyone else? MR. SCHAB: I'm David Schab, I'm Henry's son-in-law. I just also wanted to add that -- CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Please spell your name. MR. SCHAB: also (inaudible) S-C-H-A-B, David Schab. That that members also consider that not only do emergency vehicles have to get onto the bulkhead, but also the dredging machinery also periodically is brought up near there, I believe, and we need to make sure that there's room for that and that the bulkhead can support the dredging machinery that goes along the right of way. Thank you. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: You're welcome. Anyone else like to address this application? Counsel, do you have any comments or -- I see people busy back there talking perhaps if they want to consult. Did you want to consult with each other? MR. ROSENBERG: No. Madame Chairman, I PuglieseCou~ Repo~ingandTranscriptionSe~ice (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 225 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 think I've heard enough and I'm prepared to respond and my experts are certainly here prepared to respond as well. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Okay. MR. ROSENBERG: Madame Chairperson, if I seem somewhat frustrated it's because of the continual opposition that the neighbors of Mrs. Moy have done to try to frustrate this project, particularly Mr. Kaminer who, when he looks out of his second floor bedroom window now sees over the property and has a beautiful view of the bay, but that is not a basis for this Board to deny the relief sought. I also see that Mr. Kaminer submitted a letter on the West Lake Road Association letterhead and, yet, there are people that I know who are part of that association who have never gotten notice of a meeting and were never informed that the Association was taking any meeting to determine whether or not the Association or its officers have the authority to represent themselves as being part of an Association action. Members of the Board I'd also like to -- I do this with all due respect and I will PuglieseCou~ Repo~ingandTranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 226 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 certainly respond to these issues, but it may be as an exercise of caution as an attorney and to preserve my rights and to preserve the record. I would also like to say that it is of my opinion as an attorney -- I've been doing this for 25 years -- that the objections that have been raised and I will address them are totally irrelevant to your proceedings. You are a Board of Zoning Appeals you have the power to interpret the Code. You have the power to grant variances. You certainly have the power to condition the grant of that authority; however, this is a prior nonconforming parcel. This parcel was created as a legal building lot years before the Code was in effect. It is an application for, I think, two or perhaps three area variances. What this Board should be looking at are the factors set forth in the Town Code, which I addressed the last time. For example, whether it is self-created, which we know it is not. Whether or not this is the minimum application for a variance that we can make and still have some use of our property. Whether this changes the character PuglieseCourtRepo~ingandTranscriptionSe~ice (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 227 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 of the neighborhood, which it certainly does not as all the other homes around West Lake and more importantly, if you look at all the other homes fronting along Peconic Bay, not one of them satisfy the existing Code requirement and there is a document, which we put in last time, that shows that a requested variance that we have puts the rear of our house no closer to Peconic Bay than the other properties that appear along that aerial photograph which we have. In fact, it is ironic to me that if you look at the brief submitted to counsel, in the very first paragraph of his brief and perhaps those of you who want to just take a look at it the memorandum of law in the fourth line he agrees that the Moy property is unique in that it has water frontage on Little Peconic Bay and on a dug inlet that provides access to West Lake. Well, what is the very standard of practical difficulty which is what you have to determine for an area variance. One of them and the main one is the uniqueness of the property; they're conceding it's unique. They're conceding that this lot exists as a PuglieseCourtReportingand Transcription Se~ice (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 228 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 legal lot before the code was in effect. There's no question in my mind that as far as the application for area variances go we have established the requirements under the Town Code. Again, I will address their issues, but I want to make it very clear and I want to preserve the record that whether or not the bulkhead is structurally sound or not goes to the engineering, it goes to whether or not the building engineer or the Town Engineer will approve the drawing, it will go to whether or not our professional or structural engineer will seal the drawings when they apply for a building permit, but it has nothing to do with whether this Board has a consideration as an engineering opinion as to whether or not the bulkhead is stable. Now, let me talk about Mr. Bennett's so called report. Again, and if the Board would like to follow along I'd be happy to show you some of the things which concern me about the credibility of his testimony. If you look on page 3 of his report, which he says is his assessment, three minutes after he describes PuglieseCou~ Repo~ingandTranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 229 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 the facts, but now he's expressing some opinion. Number one, it says, ~The subject bulkhead is old, but in fair condition." So the only difference we have right now between Mr. Fischetti and Mr. Bennett is whether it is good or fair. They both concede it is not perfect. None of them concede it is poor or bad. Kit has received periodic maintenance," continuing on page 3, ~and was designed consistent with local construction practices. In my opinion, it continues to adequately serve its function of maintaining the dug inlet." So Mr. Bennett in his professional opinion is saying that it was designed and, therefore, approved with local construction practices at the time. Now he's saying he wants to uncover the pilings, he wants to do geo-technical reports. Well, you know what, if he was retained as an expert if he wanted to do those reports, he could have. If he chose not to, there is no reason to put that burden on the applicant. The second point of his assessment is that the new planking is in good condition, PuglieseCou~ ReportingandTranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 230 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 agrees with what Mr. Fischetti said. If you look at the bottom of the third point, it says, "This development is in close proximity to the bulkhead," and he's describing the proposed structure. It says, Kin my opinion, the location of the house will not result in a surcharge of the bulkhead." Now today he was equivocating on that and I guess he didn't want to say something which he could not professionally support, but he certainly tried to equivocate from what was in his own letter. It says, "The construction and location of the house will not result in a surcharge," which to me is the load bearing nature of the house ~on the bulkhead." So he's talking about the driveway and the landscaping. He's worried apparently that the weight of the landscaping may have some load on the bulkhead which will cause a catastrophic failure. Number five, "Very preliminary calculations suggest that the bulkhead is not adequate to support the loads from cars and trucks and landscaping." I don't know what preliminary calculations were, but if I am an engineer and certainly our engineer has PuglieseCou~ Repo~ingandTranscriptionSe~ice (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 231 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 actually done those calculations. Our engineer is a structural engineer. Our engineer would have gave his opinion based upon calculations and he's prepared to defend those calculations to this Board. I don't know what very preliminary calculations without any other authority or any other explanation of that means. Number ten, "I am not able to determine the type of landscape proposed along the subject bulkhead. I am concerned that when these plantings mature they may interfere with navigation in the channel." Now I am not an engineer, I don't know if anybody on this Board is an engineer, but I can't fathom how you make that conclusion and have any credibility as a professional engineer by saying that the type of landscaping on the landward side of the bulkhead on top of the and landward of the bulkhead when it matures will affect the navigation in the channel. Number twelve, Kin my opinion, the risk of bulkhead failure is blockage of the inlet, which would prohibit navigation and restrict tidal circulation." The only type of failure PuglieseCou~ Repo~ingandTranscriptionSe~ice (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 232 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 he could be talking about would be a catastrophic failure. My client has maintained that bulkhead. The piles have been there for 40 years and they have not moved. Those piles have been there for in excess of 40 years and that bulkhead is still there. It is either in fair or good condition. It still adequately performs its function and when I say fair or good, again I'm emphasizing that both engineers say it is not bad or poor. I think that Mr. Bennett in his report was a little bit more candid than he was today, but certainly if there's nothing there that should have this Board consider those factors and again Mr. Fischetti will actually address them, but I think that the Board should know that. The other thing I just want to raise, Mr. Kaminer made some or maybe it was the son-in- law, made some comment about the grading perhaps violating the conditions of the Town permit. I can assure you Mr. Fischetti will again confirm today that the plan as submitted, the only fill we are bringing in there is to elevate the property the minimum PuglieseCourtReportingandTranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 233 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 amount required for the Health Department permit for the sanitary system and no other grading and no other fill will be presented. At this point, I would like to ask Mr. Fischetti to address the more technical natures of their objections, but again it's with reserving my right, with all due respect to the Board, and I am going to present that that I don't think that that is relevant at all to the issue of an area variance for a prior nonconforming parcel for an area variance. Again, I believe last time I submitted the curriculum vitae of Mr. Fischetti. I think the Board also indicated familiarity with him and has previously heard his testimony as an expert, so I won't bother going through that again. MR. FISCHETTI: Good afternoon. I'm Joe fischetti. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Good afternoon. MEMBER DINIZIO: Good afternoon. MR. FISCHETTI: Mr. Bennett is a very competent and capable engineer and I'm glad that he was there. I met him on the site when Pugliese Court Reporting and Transcription Service (631) 878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 234 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 we looked at -- when he was over looking at the Moy bulkhead. You have some new documents that just came in. I did review both Mr. Bennett's report and the attorney's description that actually took Mr. Bennett's report. Lots of words, a lot of comments, but there's really -- as engineers we need to be very simple. There is really only two words that we need to look at and analyze. Sound and failure. Those two words are important today because they've been used -- one of them has been used often. When I look at houses or structures, if you look at a roofline that's been framed with 2 by 4s and it has a sag in it, that 2 by 4 and that roof structure has failed, but it hasn't collapsed. It's not doing the job that it was intended to. If you have a floor joist that undersized and you put your lumber and your load or you put your furniture on there and you walk on it you may find that the floor is not level. That has failed possibly in accordance with building code, which is one way of failure or it's failed because it's not producing or it's PuglieseCou~ Repo~ingandTranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 235 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 not doing the job it's supposed to do. So that piece of lumber has failed, but it has not collapsed. The job of the bulkhead is to hold the lateral load of the soil. That's its job. It is to hold the lateral load of the soil. If the bulkhead has moved, it has failed if it hasn't handled that lateral load. Now, Mr. Bennett was out there for an hour and a half with his 3-foot level and in his report you'll see that he says that it's - - it has movement from one-quarter of an inch. He actually looked at it from one-quarter of an inch to three inches. So his report says that there's some non-level -- the bulkhead is out of level from a quarter of an inch to three inches. Nowhere in that report does Mr. Bennett say that that bulkhead has failed. Actually, what I would say today is that that bulkhead is in structurally sound condition. I'm a Board Certified structural engineer and there's not a person in this room today who will refute what I just said. That bulkhead is in structurally sound condition. It is doing the job, actually Mr. Bennett says that in his number one, which was brought out PuglieseCourtReporting and Transcription Service (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 236 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 to you. Number one on his assessment, "It has received periodic maintenance. It was designed consistent with local practices and in my opinion it continually and adequately serves its function of maintaining the inlet." (AUDIENCE MEMBER SPEAKING IN BACKGROUND AI~D MR. FISCHETTI LISTENS TO WHAT HE SAYS, BUT IT IS INDISCERNIBLE TO THE TYPIST.) MR. FISCHETTI: Let me -- let's give some history here. I spoke to Mr. Moy. This bulkhead, when you talk about piping or sands filtering through, this bulkhead was repaired by Costello 8-10 years ago. The way Mr. Costello repaired this bulkhead was he dug out the back of the wall completely. He exposed all the ties, he exposed all the dead men, he put filter mesh in the back, he put tongue and groove planking in, backfilled it. Now, Mr. Costello inspected all those tiebacks. They are -- they're all galvanized 1-inch tiebacks. Mr. Costello would not have allowed any rotted tiebacks to be there while it was exposed. He backfilled it and nothing has been done -- I have to say that's the only thing Mr. Bennett is wrong about. Mr. Moy has not maintained PuglieseCou~ ReportingandTranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 237 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 this. That bulkhead has not been touched for 8 years. So I disagree that this is piping or seepage through there. I think it's just backfill, it's just compaction. If you have filter mesh and you have tongue and groove planking, which is less than 8 years old, you don't have seepage through there. So you might have one or two, but this is just settling. So it is -- this bulkhead is actually structurally sound. I have to reiterate that the attorney here said I did calculations, but no, I did not do calculations because I don't know what's in there. I don't know how many tiebacks there are there, but this bulkhead is structurally sound. Now, what you have to understand is that this -- if I wanted to fail this bulkhead what I would do is I'd get a dump truck filled with soil and I back it up to the edge of that bulkhead. Now, what would happen? Now, this is not going to happen normally all we have here going is residential cars. If I put a fully loaded dump truck next to there I'm PuglieseCou~ Repo~ingandTranscriptionSe~ice (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 238 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 going to ask the question what happens? We know what would happen. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: It would start to buckle. MR. FISCHETTI: It will start to move. That's the failure. We're not talking about catastrophic failure here. The only way that bulkhead is going to fail catastrophically to fall in there, is if a meteor came down and fell on it. Now, the point is that under normal circumstances with normal cars in here we will maintain that bulkhead. We will look at it. If it tends to move or it tends to fail for any reason in the future, it will be maintained by Mr. Moy and I think this is a diversion to the original application here. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Before you leave. The original discussion at the last hearing was the issue of 280A and approved access. MR. FISCHETTI: Correct. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: The discussion with Jamie Richter, the Town Engineer, and so on and so forth and, of course, you've been before this Board many, many times where we've talked about using light machinery on the top PuglieseCou~ Repo~ingand Transcription Service (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 239 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 of a bluff, okay, rather than using heavy machinery for putting swimming pools in and other types of things. The purpose of the 280A aspect and the specific type of ground cover is primarily for 280A, but it is also for my fellow fire fighters. MR. FISCHETTI: Correct. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Because as OS~A has continued the trucks that used to cost $12,000.00 went to $24,000.00. Now they're $270,000.00 that is the reason why new fire departments are being built, new doors are being put in, and the weight of them are 17- 1/2 to 18 tons. It's a lot of weight and that is one of the concerns. This is a very unique application and I agree with whatever everybody says about it. It is adjacent to the water, so my question to you is do you fell the same way if we end up with an 18 ton vehicle adjacent to that bulkhead? MR. FISCHETTI: The Town Code requires it to the property line. Your firemen will be coming along West Lake Drive, they're not going to come into my driveway. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Not necessarily. PuglieseCou~ Repo~ingandTranscriptionSe~ice (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 240 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 MR. FISCHETTI: Not necessary. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: If there was an -- the normal process is the first responder goes. I'm not talking about this particular fire department, I'm talking about our fire department which is two towns away. They always bring in these cases a heavy rescue vehicle. A heavy rescue vehicle is a usually a pumper with heavy rescue equipment on it. They are going to go to the quickest, easiest spot to be able to get to. Not only a house situation, but a water situation and a water situation could very simply be Little Peconic Bay or this wonderful, beautiful lagoon area that exists here. Okay, I'm just asking you that question because if you feel differently, then this property owner should really inform the fire department that they really shouldn't bring any heavy vehicles in here. MR. FISCHETTI: As I said, I go back to the Town Code that says that the fire vehicles have to go to their access. They're not going to be coming into that driveway. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: There is no way you PuglieseCou~ Reporting and Transcription Service (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 241 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 can stop them. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: (inaudible). MEMBER GOEHRINGER: When they -- If there's a fire (Inaudible) surround that house or they're going to go in as far as they possibly can to gain access to that inaudible). MR. FISCHETTI: Okay, then all I can say is if they put a pumper in there, the failure would not be a catastrophic failure. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Okay. MR. FISCHETTI: But possibly a deflection of that bulkhead, at the present time, but that's all that -- that's what would happen. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Let me just ask a question. How do you feel about the previous comment about moving the house toward the westerly dug canal somewhat, maybe 5 feet and the driveway on the easterly side of the house or in the front because as a matter of fact, there's no reason why a pervious driveway can't go over a septic system. MR. ANDERSON: Bruce Anderson, Suffolk Environmental. To address those points quickly you have to understand that this is PuglieseCou~ Repo~ingandTranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 242 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 subject to very heavy and very detailed scrutiny by both the Trustees and the DEC. The suggestion that we would take the house and move it closer to the water in any direction is clearly prohibited by their regulations. So that is not a practicable alternative. The other thing you should know, the suggestion of putting a driveway over a septic system is prohibited by Suffolk County Department of Health Services regulations for residential construction. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Is there anyone else here -- does the Board have any questions? MEMBER SCHNEIDER: I just have a comment. This relates to Mr. Fischetti about the Trustee permit about the grading on the property and the fill. You gave us a topo that we requested at the last meeting and after looking at this it looks like there is fill being proposed in areas above and beyond the proposed septic system, which is permitted. MR. FISCHETTI: It's a combination of -- Pugliese Court Reporting and Transcription Service (631) 878-8355 1 2 3 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 243 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 it's not fill, it's movement of the existing soil back and forth. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: So it's regrading. MR. FISCHETTI: It's regrading, this is not a level site here and secondly, I'm and answering the question that some areas, because of the way the steps are, we want to raise that area so that there aren't that many steps to come down. There was somebody else from the community -- MEMBER SCHNEIDER: If that satisfies the Trustees' permit then I guess I -- CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: They did indicate they wanted no grading onsite, other than for septic. MR. FISCHETTI: The sanitary system needs grading. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Right. Other than for that, which obviously has to be raised to Health Department standards -- MEMBER SC~EIDER: But in a topo here it indicates the grading goes all the way from the septic system, continues underneath the proposed house along with its pilings and goes past the steps. So it's (inaudible). PuglieseCourtRepo~ingand Transcription Se~ice (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 244 MR. ROSENBERG: (Inaudible) I think it's just a feather down from the elevation of the septic system to the existing grade. They don't want it to have a terrace. MR. FISCHETTI: Again, I don't know the termination. So you're saying -- I'm trying to determine that the Code says that it has to stay exactly the way it is, that it can't be MEMBER SCHNEIDER: Not the Code, the Trustees. MR. FISCHETTI: Not Code, the Trustees. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAiq: The Trustees' permit. MEMBER SCHNEIDER: It's the Trustees' permit, which -- MR. FISCHETTI: Then we will leave it as is. Then that -- those grading plans that I have was moving dirt around to get the proper height. MEMBER SCHNEIDER: It goes from 6 feet to 8 feet, so that's considerable. I could see if you're moving 6 to 7, but just addressing the concerns of -- MR. FISCHETTI: Well, the 8 feet is PuglieseCou~ ReportingandTranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 245 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 required for the sanitary system and it's slowly going down from that area. MEMBER SCHNEIDER: No, no. I'm not talking about the sanitary system. I'm talking, I guess that would be -- let's see, going south of the sanitary system. Underneath the whole house it's 8 feet elevation, it's brought up to 8 feet where there exists 6 feet. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: It's very possible the Trustees' permit didn't realize that there had to be some regrading. You may have to go back and tell them that. MR. ROSENBERG: Well, whatever we have to do to comply with that permit -- MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Okay. MR. ROSENBERG: I'd rather not go back to them, if you recall we had a (inaudible). So we will comply (inaudible) comply. MR. FISCHETTI: We will comply. MEMBER SCHNEIDER: Well, again, I'm addressing the concerns of your neighbors here and it's -- MR. FISCHETTI: What is the concern -- MEMBER SCKNEIDER: The concern is Pugliese Court Reporting and Transcription Service (631) 878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 246 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 compliance with the permit, that's all. MR. FISCHETTI: Okay. MR. ROSENBERG: I don't know if that's a concern of theirs or they're raising a technicality in hopes of influencing the Board, but -- MEMBER SCHNEIDER: That's your opinion. MR. ROSENBERG: -- within standards of the Town Code I don't see how that changes the character of the neighborhood whether it's at 6 feet or 7 feet or at 8 feet and I don't see how grading will affect the character of the neighborhood. We will comply with the permit, but I think that these are red herrings that they're bringing up and are not within the factors or the criteria that this Board is supposed to be concerned with. With all due respect, you're certainly (inaudible) to ask the question and we will answer them, but I'd just like to make that point. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Let me ask you a question. MR. FISCHETTI: Sure. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: The non-disturbance PuglieseCou~ Repo~ingandTranscriptionSe~ice (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 247 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 buffer proposed along the -- along Little Peconic Bay, along that bulkhead, what is the width? MR. FISCHETTI: Say again? CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: The width of the non-disturbance buffer that's proposed along the bulkhead -- MR. ROSENBERG: It's already existing as a matter of fact. It goes along the entire bulkhead. (Inaudible) -- CHAIRPERSON WEISM3~N: Yes, I've seen that. I've observed it. I just want to know what the -- MR. ROSENBERG: It's 15 feet. My recollection is it's 15 feet. 15 feet. MR. ANDERSON: That was required as per Trustees' -- CHAIRPERSON WEISgLAN: Right. MR. ANDERSON: -- (inaudible CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Okay. I observed that it's there. What's the width of the proposed driveway at its widest? MR. FISCHETTI: At its widest, actually the driveway itself coming up had to be 12 feet to be compliant with the Section of the PuglieseCou~ RepoSing and Transcription Service (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 248 Code that Jerry was asking for. As it comes in here, it might be a little wider where that parking area is. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAIq: Yeah, but there's no scale indicated here. MR. FISCHETTI: The scale is 1 -- CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Oh, 1 inch to 10 feet. MR. FISCHETTI: It might be 20 feet to get two cars to park on that one area, it's a little bit wider. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Well, are we saying it's 20 feet wide? MR. FISCHETTI: I'm thinking that I set it up for two cars. CHAIRPERSON WEISMkN: It seems -- MR. FISCHETTI: It doesn't look 20 feet. I don't have a scale with me. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Yeah, I don't either, that's why I thought maybe you knew it because at the very least -- MR. FISCHETTI: It might be 18. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: -- this may be an inconvenience for the applicant, but at the very least the width of one car, you know, one PuglieseCourtReportingandTranscriptionSe~ice (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 249 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 could be the backup space. You're going to have to a little maneuvering here. There needs to be a buffer along that dug canal. There needs to be some sort of protective buffer along that dug canal and a railing, a guardrail of some sort. MR. FISCHETTI: We have no problem with guardrails, and as far as the width goes, now that we have a turnaround area I think we can probably do a narrow driveway. The portion of the driveway along the western side of the house by a foot or two. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Probably do better than a foot or two. Okay, anybody else? MR. FISCHETTI: Excuse me, just a comment. We could probably reduce the parking area down to one car and I could probably get 3 feet out of that entrance where it comes around the turn. So I could get three more feet out of that section where it's closest. So we could probably get 5 feet there and, again, a barrier of some kind should not be a problem. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Thank you, Joe. PuglieseCourtReportingandTranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 250 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 MR. FISCHETTI: You're welcome. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: This gentleman is ready to speak. Did you want to make a comment, this gentleman is waiting to speak? Okay, please come forward. MR. GUNN: I just wanted to ask the attorney -- MEMBER GOEHRINGER: You address the Board. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAI~: Please state your name. MR. GUNN: I'm sorry. My name is Peter Gunn and I'm President of the West Lake Association. I have been vociferous in terms of my words of -- against this project, but I was challenged, I think I heard today, that I did not have the authority to have our attorney -- MEMBER GOEHRINGER: This way. MR. GUNN: I'm sorry. I'm sorry. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Address the Board. MR. GUN-N: I'm trying to elicit from the attorney his objections to, on technical merit, I guess, to our attorney who is representing us here today, that I didn't give PuglieseCou~ Reporting and Transcription Service (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 251 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 notice to the, or have the permission of, the rest of the West Lake Association. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Well, regardless, we have the information you supplied us with and any applicant has a right to legal representation and so does anyone else who wishes to come before this Board, so that's moot. MR. GUNN: Well, just for the record, I can't give you the exact date, but there was a meeting of the West Lake Association and our efforts were to hire an attorney and engineer to represent us in this regard. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Okay. All right, the record is set straight now. Thank you. MR. GUNN: Uh -- CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: uh -- okay. MR. GUNN: I just wanted to -- CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: I'd like to just -- go ahead, finish your point. MR. GUN-N: I'm sorry. Mr. KamineR tried to explain what this objection was and, again, he held up this similar piece of paper. You all know what it is and it's the permit issued by the Board of the Town Trustees. This new PuglieseCou~ Repo~ingandTranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 2O 21 22 23 24 25 252 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 grading map, which was asked for by this Board at the last hearing July 30th, has been submitted and in essence it is been submitted in violation of the Trustees' permit. That's the only point I'm trying to make. The other issue is that Mr. Fischetti on the last hearing explained how we could grass this and make it look good and plantings, etc, etc. The only vegetation allowed for this entire site is the natural vegetation grasses. There is no sod or lawn to be allowed. That's all I wanted to talk about. Thank you. MR. TALBET: John Talbet, Talbet, Lester, and (inaudible) for the West Lake Association. I'm not going to respond to personal attacks. I just want to set a few things straight. When my firm was contacted I said well, we don't really do neighbors who want to oppose pools in people's backyards. We're not looking to prevent people from building houses on their property. We said what is your concern? They said their concern is the dug inlet. It's our right to get to Little Peconic Bay. I said okay, we'll hire an engineer, we know a good engineer and if he PuglieseCourtReportingandTranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 253 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 says there's a problem, we'll show up. If he goes out there and says that thing is fine, then we're not going to be here tonight. So Drew went out and he has very, he stated on the record, he stated it in writing, but he has very legitimate concerns regarding what will happen to the bulkhead if this project is built. I don't believe I heard Mr. Fischetti say -- actually, I think I heard him say that it will fail if -- and there may be some discrepancy, disagreement about whether it would be catastrophic or not and I'm not an engineer, but I know that bulkheads can fail in a catastrophic way, but even a failure is a problem. In this case, the applicant is requesting a 51-foot and I do think that when you're requesting a 51-foot variance from a bulkhead the state of the bulkhead is something that is pertinent to the application. So when you're requesting a 51-foot variance and one of your neighbors says, you know, I'm not opposed to your variance, but I have to make sure that you're not going to interfere with my right to get to Little Peconic Bay. The only way he PuglieseCou~ ReportingandTranscriptionSe~ice (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 254 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 wouldn't say, you know what, I'll bring that bulkhead up to standards so you're satisfied it's going to hold is cost. So apparently the applicant doesn't want to spend the money to bring the bulkhead up to a condition that won't fail and instead he's asking you for a very large variance. So we think that it's a failure to the application. They have to be at the minimum necessary and refusing to spend money to bring this up is failure to meet the minimum standards. Thank you. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Mr. Bennett, did you want to make any comments regarding anything that you heard or you're all right? MR. BENNETT: Drew Bennett, Consulting Engineer. I would like to express my appreciation to Mr. Fischetti, he did facilitate my inspection, and I do appreciate his opinion. I do not agree with his -- all of his judgments and I think we're not that far apart. I think most of it has to do with vocabulary, but I think you did hear that, and I don't want to speak for Mr. Fischetti, but I think we would all have some reservations PuglieseCou~ Reportingand/ranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 2O 21 22 23 24 25 255 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 about parking a dump truck on the edge of this bulkhead. I'd park my bike there, but I don't know if I'd park a fully loaded dump truck. In terms of a catastrophic failure, I think John has touched on that a little bit. This past winter I saw hundreds and hundreds of feet of bulkhead snapped off where the pile snaps. Once the pile snaps, it goes. So I'm not predicting that, but it does happen and that's (inaudible) very recently. The only thing I'd like to touch on of the attorney's comments, it's basically I think I'm pretty clear in my report and I thought I was clear in my testimony that I do not believe that the house, in its proposed location, will have a detriment to this particular bulkhead. I do have serious reservations about the parking lot, (inaudible) the parking lot and its location to the bulkhead. I think that's all I would like to clarify. Thank you. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: In the other hearings that are before us, a great deal of testimony here and rightly so, it's a complicated issue and we want to be Pugliese Cou~ RepoSing and Transcription Service (631)878-8355 interest of we've taken 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 256 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 fair to all interested parties, I'd like to have some summary comments if there are any other questions before the Board, then the Board will decide what to do next. MR. ROSENBERG: I just heard it again, for those of you who recall it from last time, I'll restate it again, the Moys actually do have a dock on the Pond, so they also use that inlet. So they have every reason to maintain it. We have already said that if the permit were granted we shall maintain it. I think these are maintenance issues. I think it's demonstrated by the fact that 8 years ago we redid the whole bulkhead. He uses that inlet himself, so he has no reason not to maintain it and I think that this is again focusing on issues that are not relevant to the criteria that's established in the Town law for you to grant an area variance. These are all maintenance issues. They will be continued to be maintained provided we get the permit and I think if you look at the bulkhead on the other side of the dug inlet, this is as functional as that side is. There is no concern and of course the (inaudible) is clearly an example PuglieseCou~ Reporting and Transcription Service (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 257 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 of hyperbole. If there is any concern by the way that during construction it is -- we will represent just like we have other conditions in the permit like hay bales and all that kind of stuff, that any heavy construction equipment will not go near the bulkhead because they can certainly get to it from the extension of West Lake Road and from what I call the front of the house. So none of those heavy construction vehicles will be close to the bulkhead. I think that based upon the evidence presented, and the criteria that this Board is compelled to consider based upon Town law, that we have satisfied our burden of proving that the variances requested should be granted. Thank you. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: I have just one question more. As proposed, there is a wraparound deck, you know, obviously raised deck along the -- both bulkheads, the one on Little Peconic Bay and the one that's facing the dug canal and that side, is there any reason why that deck along that side facing the dug inlet cannot be removed and the PuglieseCou~ ReportingandTranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 2O 21 22 23 24 25 258 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 driveway brought over closer that way to the house and further away from that bulkhead? MR. ROSENBERG: I think even if the deck were removed, I think we'd still need some landing at the top of the stairs going up to the house so that the landing itself would have to be there. So the driveway would still have to be west of the landing and staircase. So I would think we wouldn't actually be able to move the staircase any closer to the house, I think that the Code would require a landing CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: It would, but why is it necessary to have -- you have one entrance off of West Lake and you've got two sets of stairs off of the other one. Why do you need a fourth? MR. ROSENBERG: That's closest to the driveway so if you come in with packages, that's also the kitchen side of the house. So with grocery shopping or anything else, that would be the way they would come into the house. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: looking for some sort of Well, I'm just concession here, some Pugliese Court Reporting and Transcription Service (631) 878-8355 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 259 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 way of designing, redesigning something. MR. ROSENBERG: I think Mr. Fischetti's already indicated he could probably pick up 3 feet by narrowing the driveway. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Yeah, I understand that. I'm just looking to see the minimum variance possible and if there's a way that maybe that deck along the side could be -- you can redesign the stairs. The stairs do not have to go perpendicular to the dug canal. They can come up to a landing and be parallel to the dug canal. MR. ROSENBERG: Yeah, Madame Chairperson, as far as the, again, so we understand each other, as far as the minimum variance we're requesting, that goes to the edge of the house and the house we're not talking about moving. So as far as the variance goes and out of respect for the Board we've already indicated we will narrow the driveway. If, in fact, that landing is not needed or if we can reconfigure the stairs so they go parallel to the house instead of outward toward the dug inlet, we're certainly prepared to make those modifications. Pugliese Court Reporting and Transcription Service (631) 878-8355 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 260 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: thing I want to point out setback of 24.3 is not to Yeah, the only counsel is that the the house, it is to the deck. MR. that. MR. It is to the proposed deck. FISCHETTI: Let Mr. Anderson handle ANDERSON: Just a suggestion. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Sure. MR. ANDERSON: (Not at microphone) Inaudible) to run the stairway to the side. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: That's what I was just proposing. MR. ANDERSON: (Inaudible) this way and bring it over that way. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: over. Right, to bring it exactly. Well, you're even maintaining your depth that way. MR. ANDERSON: (Inaudible) -- CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: I mean what you're gaining is this, which is what I was proposing anyway. At the very least you can add to the narrowing of the driveway by rerunning the PuglieseCou~ Repo~ingandTranscriptionSe~ice (631)878-8355 MR. ANDERSON: (Inaudible) setback. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Right. Yup, 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 1 2 3 261 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 steps that way, there's a car parked right here anyhow. MR. ANDERSON: (Inaudible). CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: You're not losing anything and you're giving yourself a little more safety from that bulkhead in terms of -- you need a door swing, too, when you open the car doors you need to be able to step around it and not into the canal. (3:17 MEMBER HORNING LEFT THE MEETING.) CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: So how about we do this. We also have a lot of stuff to read that we just got yesterday and, you know, normally I would propose closing this hearing but I think because we may have further questions and we do want to have time to read everything we can -- how does the Board feel about -- MR. ROSENBERG: Madame Chairperson, if I may, if the Board closed the hearing and had any other questions, it could certainly reopen the hearing. I would like some finality as far as giving the opposition, for lack of a better word -- CHAIRPERSON WEISMA/~: Reopening the PuglieseCou~ Reporting and Transcription Service (631)878-8355 1 2 3 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 262 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 hearing is a lot bigger deal than just leaving it open. I don't know about that, but we can close it subject to a certain amount of time to receive additional comments and to read this, but you know if we have questions, if we read the materials submitted, we have a memorandum of law that no one has read that was just received, you know, we have a lot of information to digest -- MR. ROSENBERG: I just hope the Board would -- CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: The person writing the draft findings will probably want to review the transcripts, which take about two weeks, sometimes three in fact to get back from the consultant and this is a very long hearing and it's a lot to read. MR. ROSENBERG: I -- CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: I'll poll the Board and see what they want to do. Do you want to close it or do you want to adjourn it to September. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Hold it to the September meeting. Pugliese Court Reporting and Transcription Service (63]) 878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 263 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Ail right, let's do this, we're going to adjourn this to September. We will fit you in at 2:00 in September even though we're very crowded because, hopefully, there will be -- we'll be able to open it and close it without any additional commentary, but at least that way every one concerned has an opportunity -- MR. ROSENBERG: Is it possible to get 2:30? I don't know what the last scheduled hearing is you have that day, but -- last CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: MR. ROSENBERG: All That would be the right, then we'll keep it at 2. I just also want the Board -- CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Bear in mind that it's (inaudible). MR. ROSENBERG: -- that Mrs. Moy is 86 years old and I think you might have seen her here last time. She does have difficulty getting around and she would like to hopefully enjoy the house before she passes on. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: We won't take that long to make a decision, believe me. I promise. PuglieseCou~ Repo~ingand Transcription Se~ice (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 264 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 UNIDENTIFIED: What is the September date? MEMBER SCHNEIDER: The 23rd. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: I made a motion to adjourn this hearing to September 23rd at 2:00 MEMBER GOEHRINGER: (See Minutes Second. for Resolution.) Pugliese Court Reporting and Transcription Service (631) 878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 265 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 HEARING #6389 - John E and Sharon I. Wren (Adjourned from July 29, 2010 CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: We have an application before us now that has previously been heard on July 29tn and before we get started on that, there's no need to read the legal notice because it's a carryover, before we get started I just want to let the audience know that we have received and I'm assuming, rightly or wrongly, that many of you, if not all of you are aware of the fact that the applicant's architect, Mo Kramer, was unable to be here today and has requested in writing that this hearing be adjourned to next month so that she will have an opportunity to come before the Board to address any questions the Board might have or any comments that anyone from the public might be making. So I'm going to open this hearing and we will take testimony if there are those here who have something very important to say. The architect can certainly read the transcript, you know, and come back and be prepared to comment accordingly. PuglieseCou~ Repo~ingandTranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 266 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 So let's see if there's -- who's this assigned to? MEMBER DINIZIO: Me. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: So let's open this hearing up and see if there's anyone here who'd like to address this application. Please come forward, state your name for the record. MS. WREN: My name is Sharon Wren and I'm the applicant for this variance and we have one particular family that is very strongly opposed to us having this renovation in any -- in his first letter that he wrote he specified that he did not want a variance of any kind, at any time, any place, any time being granted to us and when his -- the wife Ms. Kirchner inherited this property this property from her father a couple of years ago, she approached my husband and she said, ~I hope it's okay with you, but we do not plan to maintain the part of our property," which is actually the front of their property, "that is closest to your property because we don't really use that area." And she had said that to my husband. Last week, I think it was last week, PuglieseCou~ ReportingandTranscriptionSe~ice (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 2O 21 22 23 24 25 267 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 there was a work session or something here and since that time, I think that was Wednesday of last week -- CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: It was a special meeting. MS. WREN: Yeah, it was a special meeting. Since that meeting, they have been parking two different cars as close to our property line as they can possibly get them to kind of set that they are in fact using that end of their property. Now, the opposite side of their property is where they really do use because they have a large deck and a swimming pool and it's on the bay side. The part of the property that faces our property is basically a big circle drive that they come in, they park the car and then we never see them. Now what happened last week is suddenly they start parking these two cars as close to our property as they possibly can. Yesterday I came back from shopping and I saw two beach chairs close to our property under a dead Lilac tree facing their house. So again they're trying to establish that they're going to use this part of their PuglieseCourtReportingand Transcription Se~ice (631)878-8355 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 268 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 property and so they don't want us to be so close when, in fact, our house and their house are 170 feet apart. Now today I went out into my backyard and they were constructing -- putting up a lacrosse net about three feet from the property line and my daughter went out and she said, ~'Excuse me, what are you doing?" They said, "We have a son who is in college who is on," some big team, "who plays lacrosse and when and if he comes," and I've never seen him, "he might want to practice his lacrosse." Now, with this net being put where they put it, if I go out my back door I'll be hit by a lacrosse ball because it's right there and right on my property line and any ball that they hit, if it doesn't go in the net, is going to go in my yard. I took some pictures just to give you an idea. Also he does not like the idea that we may obstruct his sunlight. north side of his property. this picture where the net We are on the You can see by is, where the car is, where his house is and there is sunshine (inaudible) there and here's another picture PuglieseCourtRepo~ingandTranscriptionSe~ice (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 269 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 of their lawn chairs under the dead tree. Here's another picture of the two cars that are parked there. I don't understand why they are being so nasty, I really don't. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Mrs. Wren, in all true fairness, I've been on this Board for 30- 1/2 years, I'm not the Chairperson on this Board, I have asked people to go out and try and rectify things. I can't answer your question. Things tend to be counterproductive at certain times. I'm not saying that you shouldn't have given us those pictures, they're valuable pictures; I think. I'm not speaking for the Chairperson. I think we would like to keep them in the file if we could. MRS. WREN: Yes. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: We were -- I will, as the Board will continue this hearing, and I'm speaking for the Board, we will then render a decision and we thank you. I am personally thanking you for the pictures, although I'm sure the Chairperson would and the members of the Board and we'll go from there. PuglieseCou~ ReportingandTranscriptionSe~ice (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 2O 21 22 23 24 25 270 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 MRS. WREN: Okay. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: And we'll continue the hearing as we have and we will make a decision some time after the next meeting, which is September 23. MRS. WREN: We always had a very nice relationship with her father. As a matter of fact, I maintained his rose bushes when he became ill and couldn't do it anymore. I took care of them cause they were on the split rail fence that is adjoining our property and then I got to the point where I said, you know, it's really a lot of work for me to maintain your rose bushes. How about if I dig them up and plant hydrangeas across that back, in front of his fence, the split rail fence and I said I will dig up the rose bushes, I will buy the hydrangeas, I will take care of them and I have watered and pruned those hydrangeas on his property until just this year when we had our battles with his daughter and I mean I just don't understand what's going on. It blows my mind. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: One second please. We have two letters that are brand new, well PuglieseCou~ ReportingandTranscriptionSe~ice (631)878-8355 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 271 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 pretty brand new August 25. Same people, different letter, we've heard from them before. We have one letter that I'd like to just enter into the record from a Stephen Latham supporting this application indicating that some of those who have written letters or complainants can't see the Wren property from their homes while others haven't even seen the plans, submitting that some of the complaints are born out of personal animus for John and his family having nothing to do with the size, location or architecture of the project. On the other hand we have a letter from Thomas and Barbara Ball indicating that this will be one of the largest houses in the neighborhood on one of the smallest lots in the neighborhood and that it will result with a huge second floor dormer denying privacy and will create additional runoff. Can you address those three issues? MRS. WREN: Absolutely. As far as being one of the biggest houses on the smallest lot, that is absolutely untrue. Right next door to us we have another Tudor that I understand he -- they have renovated. I mean, I don't PuglieseCourtRepo~ingandTranscriptionSe~ice (631)878-8355 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 272 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 understand, I know they have renovated quite a bit and they definitely have the smallest lot and they've covered 28 percent of their lot. The house across the street from us used to be a ranch and it is now a two-story house that is probably -- our renovation will be about the size of that house. Every -- almost every single house in our community has been renovated and the house that is exactly behind our house used to be a smaller house. Now they've put on a big sunroom, this was the previous owners, and they are covering a good percent of their property as well. We are certainly not going to be the biggest house in there. There is another house that -- I forget what that is. Rogers Road and then the one coming in. Orchard. There is a large house, very large house that I believe was one of the existing houses that we called the -- anyway it's a big, big structure, much bigger than what we are proposing. So -- CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: And with regard to your proposed second floor dormer, how huge is PuglieseCourtReportingandTranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 273 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 that and how will it affect the neighbors' privacy and anybody? MRS. WREN: It will be over -- we want a two-car garage with two bedrooms with dormers over that and it will not affect anybody's view in any way, shape or form. The Kuchner property it won't -- what it would affect is they wouldn't be able to see Hippodrome Drive. It's not affecting their view, it's not affecting their sun because they have trees in their back yard that they couldn't really see except if they are back on our property line. They wouldn't even be able to see our house, probably, through the trees. I don't, you know, I don't understand how it's going to affect anybody's view of anything. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: How about runoff? Are you planning to put in gutters and leaders and drywells, as per Code? MRS. WREN: I'm sure the architect would put in gutters and what-have-you. The Board of Health has given us permission for our septic fields. I don't -- I can't see -- the neighbors who are across the street from us are only 125 feet from us. The Kuchners are PuglieseCourtRepo~ingandTranscriptionSe~ice (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 274 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 170 feet from us. The house across the street is -- I mean we're not blocking any view of them. We're not blocking anybody's view. I don't understand what the problem is. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Let's see if there's anyone else here that would like to address this, bearing in mind that we'll have continuing testimony next month. MR. TALBET: John Talbet, Talbet, Lester and (Inaudible). CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Okay. MR. TALBET: Second time today, second time ever. I do have some pictures of this application and I just wondered did you get my memo of law (inaudible)? If not, I'll give it to you again. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Have we got a memorandum of law? MEMBER GOEHRINGER: I thought we did. MR. TALBET: Okay, good. I wasn't sure. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAI~: Oh yes. Yes. We have it right here. MR. TALBET: I just wondered, when this is continued will there be a chance for me to Pugliese Court Reporting and Transcription Service (631) 878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 2O 21 22 23 24 25 275 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 speak then? MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Sure. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Oh yes. MR, TALBET: Mrs. Wren, she's already made my point for me. She's obviously disturbed by the fact that my clients have started using part of their property to park their car, for the beach chairs and put a lacrosse net. It's their property. They're looking to put a -- in effect, it would be a 27-foot high, 43-foot long wall 9 feet from her property line. The setback is not -- the setback is not from her house it's from the property line and I have a hard time imagining where a Zoning Board would go from here. Once you grant a two-story high 33-foot long addition on a small property 9 feet from a property line, it's hard to imagine a larger variance. Is it the minimum variance necessary? Absolutely not. Is it substantial? Absolutely. So I just wanted to clarify those two things and I'll be here next time. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Good. Thank you. Anyone else? PuglieseCourtReportingandTranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 276 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 MRS. KUCHNER: Mrs. Chairperson and the Board, Mrs. Wren, I do want -- CHAIRPERSON WEISMAi~: please. MRS. KUCHNER: Yes, State your name, I'm Mrs. Kuchner. I do want to clarify some things. I think that the photograph that was presented by Mrs. Wren is a very good example of why we're concerned about our privacy. We're using our yard in a way that's appropriate for a family. She has been quizzing me on what I'm going to be doing. How I use my property as long as I'm not making a lot of noise and I'm not making a lot of mess and I'm not interfering with them is -- should not be her concern. I resent having pictures being taken of me without my permission while I'm putting up a lacrosse goal and by the way my son is a Division 1 -- was a Division 1 lacrosse player and he does play lacrosse and uses -- we have used that area. Another example is she has been talking about the comings and goings of my family and her daughter made several comments to me, unwanted comments, and I do want to preserve Pugliese Court Reporting and Transcription Service (631) 878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 277 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 that for the record, about my guests, about my person, about what I was doing in my yard on a beautiful morning. I do want to indicate that they are requesting a very large variance. They are asking to put -- to double or more than double the size of a house 9 feet, I think it's 9 feet 3 inches from my property line. The laws talk about property lines, not distances from the doors of homes. I certainly can understand that one might need a small variance to put up a cellar door or for something that is of importance in terms of safety. The Wrens are asking to put 25 feet of their home in the space that the Zoning Board in their Codes have indicated should be the area between homes. That is more than two rooms. I do not understand why they should assume that they can place two of their rooms in the space and this is what is upsetting me a great deal. I am sure that there are other configurations that could allow them to renovate and I do understand that they want to stay in a lovely neighborhood and that they want to winter there. Pugliese Court Reporting and Transcription Service (631) 878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 278 ZBA To~rn of Southold - August 26, 2010 My father and my mother loved that area and were fulltime residents and when I retire we also plan to stay in the area and we have a dream of lovely space, a rural area that is fitting with this area in Southold that we have loved for many, many years. Our family has been living out here in Southold for over 40 years and my sons grew up summering there with their grandparents. I grew up summering here as did the Wren family. So I really feel that I have to rely on the Board to look at the specifics of their Code and not to make up new ways of thinking about things, such as the distance from the door. We have a larger lot then the Wrens, but we also pay taxes on a larger lot and this was part of the dream. The concern is setback, which is required 35 feet and they are demanding 9 feet 3 inches, something like that, and the concern is proportion of the size of their building to the lot size that they have. Thank you. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Ms. Kuchner, I just wanted to let you know that the photograph PuglieseCou~ Repo~ingandTranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 279 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 that we just received from Mrs. Wren does not show anybody in it. Okay, just objects. You were not photographed, just so you know that that's not in our file. MRS. KUCHNER: Thank you. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Okay, is there anyone else who would like to make a comment on this application at this time? MR. HEATH: Good afternoon. My name is Bruce Heath, resident (inaudible) on Hippodrome Drive. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Could you spell your last name? MR. HEATH: Yes, it's H-E-A-T-H. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Thank you. MR. HEATH: For the past 30 years we've been vacationing out in Southold, we're now permanent residents. We're just, my wife and I are just finishing this whole process, and finally completing our house and moving in shortly. Over the last five years, four years, since we've been out here permanently, I got involved within the organization itself in terms of the politics. I thought it was my time to kind of step up, during all those PuglieseCou~ ReportingandTranscriptionSe~ice (631)878-8355 1 2 3 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 280 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 years I was playing with the kids and raising them. I don't want to get into personalities within Dixie (Inaudible), but I think it would be accurate to say that, unfortunately, it's a community right now that's full of tension. It's a beach community which doesn't have a beach, depending on the tide. If I was to move in as a total stranger or any of you today and you were to meet somebody, depending on who you spoke to at Dixie (Inaudible) and you saw the -- I've been checking around and I saw that the beach is gone, I think it's an act of God, you make a certain amount of enemies. If you say it's because of bulkhead, you'll make maybe a few enemies. If you raise the topic that it maybe has to do with homes that were built originally on the water back in the 80s, you also make enemies. All I'm trying to say here is there are no clear answers to this question, but the tensions that exist sometimes do overflow and having gone through the same process of having neighbors with concerns when we were doing our building come to us and I could see the difference between PuglieseCourtRepo~ingand TranscriptionService (631)878-8355 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 1 2 3 4 281 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 somebody coming with a sincere reservation. I know the difference when somebody's coming with a personal feeling cause they're just not getting along with their neighbor, it doesn't say anything about either side, but I would like to say that I do believe that part of what's taken place has split our area and it's almost like you're for us or you're against us and it's going to play out in many applications I believe as time goes on here. We don't have many homes that have not been renovated in Dixie (inaudible) but unfortunately it's almost like you go to do something and the tom-toms start. The phone calls are being made, people are being called in and I don't understand how some of that works sometimes. If I have a complaint against a neighbor, I talk to my neighbor. I don't need another neighbor to call, but it's politics at its worst sometimes and maybe hopefully it'll get better one day, but that is something that's overhanging this organization -- I'm sorry, Thank you. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: this community. Thank you. Pugliese Court Reporting and Transcription Service (631) 878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 282 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 Okay, I'm going to reserve any questions I might have until the next hearing, especially in the interest of time today. Does any other Board member have anything they'd like to add at this time? MEMBER GOEHRINGER: No. MEMBER SCHNEIDER: No. MEMBER DINIZIO: No. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Okay. Hearing no further comments or questions, I'm going to make a motion to adjourn this hearing to September 23rd at 2:30. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Second. (See Minutes for Resolution.) Pugliese Court Reporting and Transcription Service (63~) 878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 283 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 HEARING ~6385 - Alexander L. and Tracy M. Sutton (Adjourned from June 30, 2010 PH) CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: The next application before us is also a carryover. Jim, that was your application, would you like to begin questioning? MEMBER DINIZIO: No. They can present their case. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Okay. Do you want me to just ask because we have heard testimony on this, Pat has presented the applicant's case. We have the transcripts and all of that. I want to know if any other Board members, at the moment, have any other questions, otherwise I'll see who else is in the audience and whether there are additional testimony. I don't know if I want to go back over stuff that we already heard and presented or whatever unless there's some crucial reason why, but I would assume everybody in the audience is pretty up to date on what has been discussed so far. We have not received any additional information other than today a petition and PuglieseCou~ Repo~ingand Transcription Service (631)878-8355 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 284 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 was there -- it's signed by one person and I don't know if it's going to be signed by anybody else, but it's called a petition. So one would assume more than one signature, but nevertheless I'm sure that they'll have some comments about that. MRS. MOORE: May I get a copy of it at Vicki's convenience? CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Okay. MRS. MOORE: It doesn't have to be now. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Let's just go ahead and take some testimony. MRS. MOORE: Okay. I don't want to rehash everything. You have the transcript and I think last hearing we actually discussed an alternative size of the lots in the area, particularly Victoria Drive area. We had already stated for the record that the 50-foot right of way, that parcel that's shown on the tax map will be retained as is as a right of way. My client has no objection to that and that was a request by the community, which we would certainly honor. I had given you two different maps, if you recall. The one, the map that I first PuglieseCou~ Repo~ingand Transcription Service (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 285 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 submitted with my application was the map that had been before the Planning Board so that's why I submitted it to you. That is the map with respect to the lot size, the proposed lot size of lot 2 made a more conforming lot to the Victoria Drive neighborhood, which it seems to belong to. So we wanted -- that is our preference. The lot 1 on the subdivision, which would be a little bit oversized was around the Suttons' house and then that particular map for purposes of clarifying and acreage square footages we just showed it as parcel A and parcel B, that provided square footage calculations. That was the first map. The second map when there were some questions by the Board I think Jerry had asked a question as to had we looked at an alternative plan that provided -- that evened out the lots, we said, yes, we actually had a drawing of that and that showed the evening out of the two lots. Again, we would prefer that lot 2 be the smaller one requiring a variance, a greater variance in a sense that more of the acreage would be on lot 1, but again it leaves for a better dimensional PuglieseCou~ Repo~ingand Transcription Se~ice (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 286 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 parcel for the overall subdivision of these two pieces. That map, the second map, actually provides a better drawing of the roadway. What we were discussing out in the hallway and I'll have Eileen Powers -- Ms. Powers come before the Board -- we came up with certain consensus as a group and we'd like to present it to you for consideration, but one of the issues was keeping that right of way as a separate tax lot number with, which right now is in a separate LLC, keeping that as a separate and not having the property line as shown in the first map extend across, but keeping it as a separate unit that hopefully we can get the Assessor's not to create a tax bill for it and just assign it to the minimal tax bill that you would apply to the adjacent property if they can do that so that you don't lose it again for lack of taxation or lack of payment of taxes, but keeping that parcel separate so that it's very clear that we're not preventing anybody from accessing it. Also, I think I recommended it to the Pugliese Court Reporting and Transcription Service (631) 878-8355 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 1 2 3 4 287 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 client as well to keep it in a separate LLC for liability purposes since we're going to have people crossing that right of way, it's better to keep it as a separate distinct unit. So that was something that would require me to draw it up, but I think for purposes of the variance application you just have to tell me what variance size lot you would be agreeable to and then after that I have to go to the Planning Board to actually finalize the subdivision. So rather than me redrawing and drawing again based on whatever the Planning Board comes up with, just tell me what hopefully you will approve. We will draw it and then submit it to the Planning Board for final approval. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Let me just suggest something to you. MRS. MOORE: Yes. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: If you are intending not to put a tax map nurser no the right of way -- MRS. MOORE: Not, no. That's a misstatement. I'm sorry if I said that. It actually gets a tax map number from the PuglieseCourtRepo~ingand Transcription Service (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 2O 21 22 23 24 25 288 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 property, but it doesn't get assessed. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: No, no. What you do is you load the assessment onto lot 1 -- MRS. MOORE: Exactly 1 or 2, whichever -- MEMBER GOEHRINGER: -- whichever, yeah. MRS. MOORE: Yeah, however the Assessor's -- exactly. You and I are on the same page. Yes. So that the county doesn't assign a tax bill that we then have to pay separately. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Or that you forget to pay. MRS. exactly. MOORE: Or that they forget to pay, I've done that before with other parcels and it works out very well. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Right. MRS. MOORE: I agree. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: You did previously testify that on the 50-foot right of way you are quite prepared to file C&Rs to indicate that the maintenance of that right of way will be taken care of by the applicant as it is currently. MRS. MOORE: (inaudible) -- CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: It will be kept open and unobstructed. PuglieseCourtRepo~ingandTranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 2O 21 22 23 24 25 289 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 Of MRS. MOORE: Yes, open and unobstructed. course. Maintenance is -- CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: -- for use as it is now. MRS. MOORE: Yes. clients as the owners That's fine. My can certainly covenant that. My concern is other people using it, what they might with authorization or without authorization do in the future. We would all like to keep it just as it is. So yes, in fact, why don't I go over some of the things that we talked about and then I'll have Eileen confirm it, but what we talked about was that we would take out the language on the map that Nate Corwin had written with respect to that what he had identified it at one point as a 7.5 wide private right of way. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Yeah, it's on here that way. MRS. MOORE: Yeah, I actually have that language taken out because the right of way is actually the 50 feet. So I don't know where the 7.5 came from and I'm not going to research it because it's irrelevant. So -- MEMBER SCHNEIDER: It says the edge of PuglieseCourtRepo~ingandTranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 290 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 path. MRS. MOORE: It's the -- exactly, it's actually the edge of clearing a long dirt path should stay. I mean that's actually good that kind of establishes how the road is actually improved now and we want to try to keep it that way. With a caveat that I can't control the Planning Board and what they tell us to do with this pathway because it is our access for lot 2, so given -- remember it's our driveway out to Victoria Drive. So the Planning Board I guess technically would have the right to tell us to clear the pathway a little more, but we have to kind of leave it up to them. I'm hoping -- it's a driveway. For us, for lot 2, it still remains a driveway. So I'm hoping that that's sufficient for them. My concern is covenanting what we can -- what may be out of my control with the Planning Board's review. So I leave that to your discretion how you address that. You can certainly put in a decision that your recommendation is to keep it -- C~AIRPERSON WEISMAN: (Inaudible) conditions (inaudible) -- PuglieseCou~ Repo~ingandTranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 291 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 MRS. MOORE: Yeah, to keep it, because the Planning Board always requires us to file covenants on whatever conditions that the subdivision are imposed. So ultimately we'll come into a covenant, but I just don't know what they're going to say or require, so I just alert you to that issue. That was the first thing we talked about and we have no problem with that, with the community. Keep the right of way separate as a separate piece and we talked about that first so again we all are in agreement with that and at the first hearing, the 280A issues man. be applicable because Jerry, you always are I don't think 280A would I -- as long as the Planning Board approves the subdivision would be a road in the subdivision. So I think we're okay there. So I off the cuff -- MEMBER GOEHRINGER: stand corrected on my Except for the possible access into lot 2. MRS. MOORE: No, no, that's what I'm saying that 280A is applicable except if it appears on a subdivision map. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Right. Pugliese Court Reporting and Transcription Service (631) 878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 292 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 MRS. MOORE: So in a way, so this access will appear on a subdivision map so I think we need the 280 -- we don't need 280A. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: You actually need 280A because it's outside the subdivision map, okay, on -- MRS. MOORE: No, no, it's still in the subdivision map. We own -- the right of way is still, I think it's to be looked at by the MEMBER GOEHRINGER: it's a matter of -- still part of our land Planning Board. Okay. Ail right, so MRS. MOORE: It's going to show up on my map. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Okay. BOARD SECRETARY: You may have a point though, actually. MRS. MOORE: Tell me how you want me to do it. BOARD SECRETARY: Cause you're keeping it a separate tax lot it's still going to be included in the lot area for subdivision -- MRS. MOORE: No, actually that's not true. The -- maps on subdivision maps, Howie Young does this all the time. You've probably Pugliese Cou~ RepoSing and TranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 293 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 seen it with Howie's map. He calls them parcel A or parcel B, which are areas that are designated on a map, but aren't lots, what he calls lot 1, lot 2, but if you call it a parcel A or B it's not a development lot. It could be a drainage area, it could be a sump. It could be any part of the overall subdivision. I don't want to have to come back to you for 280A, so I will do it however you'd like. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Well, it's only the one lot anyway. It's only lot 2 anyway. MRS. MOORE: As far as what? MEMBER GOEHRINGER: The 280A off of Liberty Lane. MRS. MOORE: Yes, but -- yeah, to Victoria Drive. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Yeah. MRS. MOORE: But I don't want to have to come back for a variance for 280A for lot 2 when we are dealing with it today and -- MEMBER GOEHRINGER: We can (inaudible) that he Planning Board could do it too. MRS. MOORE: Fine. As long as we address it, however you want it. PuglieseCou~ Repo~ingandTranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 294 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 MEMBER GOEHRINGER: regarding that, but -- MRS. MOORE: Yeah. about it, that's all. I mean (inaudible) Let's not forget The option is CHAIRPERSON WEISM3tN: always to condition based upon C&Rs. MRS. MOORE: Yeah, that's right. That's right. All right, as long as it's addressed we're good. Finally the last comment that I had received from the community was that if we as the developer impose private covenant on lot 1 -- excuse me, lot 2 as a smaller parcel, it could, on the first draft it would be obvious, but lot 2 as the smaller parcel would be 30,000 square feet. So it would be under the one acre and the nonconforming size of the parcels would be applicable in the Code and that allows a 40-foot front yard setback. So what the community asked of us was to place a private covenant on that lot that whoever purchases or if my client develops that property that they will not -- they will agree that there will be no structures closer than PuglieseCou~ Repo~ingand Transcription Se~ice (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 295 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 40 feet to the road, the front yard setback. So maintaining a minimum, which is what the Code would require, 40 feet, my clients have no problem with that, that's certainly reasonable and regardless of which setbacks would be applicable we would agree that no less than 40 feet would be provided and that was it. CHAIRPERSON WEISM~N: This is the survey that -- the most current survey proposing that lot to be 39,291 square feet? MRS. MOORE: (Inaudible) what? CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: 39,2917 MRS. MOORE: Well, no, we have two maps, remember? CHAIRPERSON WEISM_A_N: Right and lot 1 is 40,000. MRS. MOORE: The first map has lot 2 at 30,063. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: We don't have that map. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Yeah, we do. MRS. MOORE: Yeah, you do. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: No, we have it. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Wait a minute, let me Pugliese CourtRepo~ingand Transcription Se~ice (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 296 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 take it out of the file. MRS. MOORE: That's the June map. 30, 2010 CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: I have it. MRS. MOORE: It looks like this. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Let me see that map, bring it right over here. MRS. MOORE: Okay. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Oh, you see what it is, they reduced the size. Wait a minute, where you getting 30,000? CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Because they removed the right of way. MRS. MOORE: We're excluding -- MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Oh, excluding that. CHAIRPERSON WEISM3~N: So now we have one lot, we have -- MRS. MOORE: I'm sorry -- CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Lot 1 at 61,0007 MRS. MOORE: No. Yes, yes. Yes. Lot 1 is showing -- CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Look at it, lot 1 is not including parcel A is 49 -- MRS. MOORE: -- not including it's 49,292. Pugliese Cou~ Reposing and Transcription Service (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 297 MRS. MOORE: No, no. was this. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: The first proposal Well, included the parcel, it included the right of way. MRS. MOORE: No, no. Remember that it always included the parcel, but the community wants us to keep it as separate so -- CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: MRS. MOORE: Yes. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: I understand that. But why one at 49 and the other 30, when you could make 40,000 conforming and the other one 39 and conforming, almost? Pugliese Court Reporting and Transcription Service (631) 878-8355 CHAIRPERSON WEISMAI~: So you're talking about two lots at this point neither one of which include, now you're calling it parcel A and B and that's the right of way and lot 1 is 49,292, lot 2 is proposed at 30,063. MRS. MOORE: Yes. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: And what is the reason for having them -- MRS. MOORE: Differing in size? CHAIRPERSON WEISMAI~: -- so different in size when the first proposal was to make them both as conforming as possible? 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 298 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 MRS. MOORE: Are you looking at the second map? The reason -- we had talked about this all in the prior hearing, so I didn't go over it, but our reason was that the homes on Victoria Drive are all half acre, quarter acre. That whole community I'd given you a whole presentation last time as to the size of the lots in that community and they were all anywhere from 10,000 to 25,000 square feet. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: I remember that. MRS. MOORE: You remember that, all right so that when I created the lot that is already double even though nonconforming in respect to meeting the one-acre requirement, they are still almost double the size of the surrounding community -- CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: So 30,000. MRS. MOORE: 30,000, exactly. So it made more sense to keep that as the smaller parcel. Also keeping in mind that the other piece is already developed with a full house. It faces North Bayview Road and the homes along North Bay~iew Road have larger parcels, larger pieces. So the house that's there and faces North Bayview Road fits in the community of PuglieseCourtReportingandTranscriptionSe~ice (631)878-83S5 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 299 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 the North Balrview Road homes and the lot 2, which faces or is closer to Victoria Drive fits the community of the Victoria Drive area. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Okay, I got it. I remember now. MRS. MOORE: So that was the reason they CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: I remember it now. MRS. MOORE: Okay, good. MEMBER DINIZIO: Can I just say something? MRS. MOORE: Go ahead. MEMBER DINIZIO: You had mentioned a 40- foot front yard setback and the building envelope indicates a 50-foot. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Yeah, it does. MRS. MOORE: Yeah. No, that was -- Nate provided that based on he was using the 41,551 with the right of way area, that's why he looked at it as 50, but if you actually create the property line ending at the road then you become, under the nonconforming sized lot requirements, it allows a 40-foot front yard. So we didn't want to have a misunderstanding or a misrepresentation that again this was the PuglieseCou~ Repo~ingandTranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 300 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 map that the Planning Board had first looked at and they were using the area from the road into the lot calculation, which requires a 50- foot front yard. MEMBER DINIZIO: Right, which is what you have on this map. So we need to -- MRS. MOORE: I can give you another map. MEMBER DINIZIO: Right, let's clarify the whole thing. C}{AIRPERSON WEISMAN: We're getting rid of that dirt (inaudible) -- MRS. MOORE: I can give you a map revision that has all of these changes on it, but my only concern was the expense of changing, and the time, of changing maps that when I've been to you and I still have to go to the Planning Board and who knows what other little tweaks the Planning Board is going to require. So if you would like, I can certainly file with you what the Planning Board's version of the map -- MEMBER DINIZIO: We could make that a condition. MRS. MOORE: Yeah. I will submit to you the final version so it'll be part of your PuglieseCourtReportingand Transcription Service (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 301 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 record. Yeah. MEMBER DINIZIO: Okay. CFLAIRPERSON WEISMJkN: That's what we would have to send over to Building Department. In other words, the final approved -- MRS. MOORE: (Inaudible) stamped one map, yes. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: If we condition it that way, we'll have to wait until we get it and that's what we'll send over to the Building Department. That's the way we're doing it now so that -- MRS. MOORE: That'll be in the file. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: -- it goes with the decision. You know, the final drawing with the decision. MRS. MOORE: prefers. I was this process. I will do whatever the Board just trying to be efficient in CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Okay. Well, sure there are lots of comments others audience want to make. MRS. MOORE: others to use. in the I'll leave the maps here for Pugliese Court Reporting and Transcription Service (631) 878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 302 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 CMAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Vicki's going to we're -- MS. POWERS: Just one second, change the tape and then (CHANGE, TAPE #3) You won't see my face I'll be down there doing this. At any rate, we're relying on their representation that they'll remove the language of the 7-1/2-foot dirt path or whatever and reflect that it is actually a 50-foot wide right of way because that has been the concern of the neighbors from the beginning. Right. And again we don't object to the smaller lot, but since it -- and in either plan it would be a nonconforming lot and would be entitled to the reduced setback of 40 feet from our right of way and so we would just ask that they be required to covenant that they won't seek a further variance of that setback so that the integrity of the road is maintained and that the house can't be any closer than the 40 feet to the road. With respect to there was some discussion earlier about how the right of way should be maintained and whether there should be a C&R Pugliese Court Reporting and Transcription Service (631) 878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 303 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 and I think that our suggestion, and I didn't really discuss this at length with my neighbors, but would be there is reference in their application and Ms. Moore's letter that the only clearing would be that which was required by the Southold Town Building Department or Fire Department to maintain adequate fire and emergency access and I think simply language to that extent would be acceptable and my neighbors would be happy with language like that, but they would be required to maintain that, but that would be it. So I don't think know how the Board feels about that. I think it's something that keeps the roadway the way it is which is what everybody wants. Over the years get bigger and shrink, bigger and shrink depending on how faithfully it was maintained. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: What you might do is you might go to the Planning Board meeting to tell them that. MS. POWERS: Oh, we will. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: During the period of time that the County owned the property, you know, we have it proprietarily; we didn't do PuglieseCou~ Repo~ingandTranscriptionSe~ice (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 304 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 anything to it, then we sold it to the feller (inaudible) and that was his old assumption to extend it at one point and leading into his own personal property and so forth. MS. POWERS: Right. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: That's what caused most of the problem. MS. POWERS: Right and I think now that we've worked it out sort of a lot of this is sort of a by the way, but there is a lot of reference in the application of it being a paper road and, you know, I did some research because I had a different opinion of what a paper road is and there's really not a lot of authority on it. My opinion of what a paper road is a road that's never been opened. A lot of subdivisions in the County, particularly out on the east end and in the Pine Barrens, etc. where there are a lot of paper roads where these roads appear on paper. There are also neighborhoods and I'm more familiar with the south fork, that's where I worked primarily, but where the roads were never opened and they were used as part of the neighbors' property for years and years and PuglieseCourtRepo~ingandTranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 305 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 years and that's a paper road and that's the kind of road that's abandoned. This road was opened, it shows up on all the Google maps. It shows up on Map Quest. You can get directions in through there, everywhere. It's a road that's been open and used and so just to clarify I don't agree with that that it's a paper road, but since we've reached this agreement we're going to keep the road a 50-foot right of way and it's going to maintain its individual character with a separate tax number and they're going to get their two lots. I think it's sort of a by the way. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Thank you. MS. POWERS: I'm not sure, some of the neighbors may want to speak. I'm not sure, but essentially I did speak to everybody in Reydon Heights that's here and that has reached out to me and everybody is in agreement that we would support the application the way we've just laid it out. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Thank you. MS. POWERS: Thank you for your time. MR. GRIGONIS: William Grigonis, 470 Pugliese Cou~ RepoSing and Transcription Service (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 306 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 Columbia Road, Reydon Heights, Southold. I got a letter that pretty much says exactly what Eileen had put forward and it kind of delineates that, you know, keeping it in 50-foot just so it's in writing so you have something -- and also I've got a map which actually, it's got the Suttons' property. It shows Victoria Drive and, with what transpired outside before we came in today, I know my wife and I, we concur that the smaller lot size of 30,000-foot lot size is more conducive with our neighborhood. As far as the Suttons, they're really not part of our neighborhood, they're the North Bayview Extension neighborhood, which are larger lots. I mean those are over acre to two acre lots all of those. So I think it works out in the best interests from my point of view and I concur with Eileen. I'll give these for the record. CHAIRPERSON WEISM3LN: Thank you. That'd be great. We'll make copies for our Board members. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Other comments? MR. HELGERSON: Yeah. C}{AIRPERSON WEISM3LN: State your name, PuglieseCourtReportingandTranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 2O 21 22 23 24 25 307 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 please. MR. HELGESEN: I just wanted to take -- John Helgesen. I live on Summit Road in Reydon Heights, 28205. I've been there on the property there for the last 50 years and I want to thank Eileen and I want to thank Pat and the Suttons for coming up with a reasonable agreement on how to protect the Suttons' interest and protect the property owners' interests and I believe that it's going to be best with the smaller lot size and a covenant on the right of way. Thank you. CHAIRPERSON WEISMJ~N: Great. Thank you for your comments. It's been a pleasure to see some agreement. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: We'd like to applaud you. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Yeah. Really. MR. KENNEDY: Tom and Claire Kennedy, 900 Victoria Drive. Again, just to tack on what was already said, in the works of a compromise, we do have some documentation that was provided to us by neighbors who couldn't be here today that PuglieseCou~ Repo~ingandTranscriptionSe~ice (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 308 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 asked us to submit, as well as some comments we made on the application as we saw it. We'll put that in the record, but also, you know, taking note the conversations that took place this afternoon beforehand, we're in agreement that, yes, the smaller lot size conforms to our neighborhood and also the addition of having the 50-foot roadway intact for our right of way is really where our interests lie. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Thank you. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Thank you very much. We'll again put this as part of our file and we'll have copies, Vicki will make copies for all the Board members. Are there other comments? MS. GUARRIELLO: Jean Guarriello, 75 Columbia Road, Reydon Heights. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Would you spell your name, please? MS. GUARRIELLO: G-U-A-R-R-I-E-L-L-O. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Thank you. MS. GUARRIELLO: There was a reference made to the maintaining of the road, of the dirt road and the maintenance. In the past, Pugliese Court Reporting and Transcription Service (631) 878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 309 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 I've lived in Reydon Heights for 16 years, and in the past the community members of Reydon Heights had maintained that road because it was not purchased at that time by anybody else. So now that all this has transpired, the County sold the parcel to the Suttons, to the corporation. As far as maintenance of the road, we have seen it over the last two years not being maintained, but I'm assuming that's going to be addressed with the Planning Board. If this variance is approved, they will make sure that that's maintained. If the Suttons do not have an issue with it, I run a daycare and we certainly have cleaned up litter. I'm trying to teach the children about the community and maintaining the community and we have on occasion taken garbage bags and picked up litter along that dirt road. I'd like to continue to do that if they don't have a problem with it. So again I'm in accordance with all the other agreements that have been made today. Thanks for your time. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Thank you. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Thank you. PuglieseCou~ Repo~ingandTranscriptionSe~ice (631)878-8355 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 310 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Jim, did you have questions or comments? MEMBER DINIZIO: Well, considering the time, I've listened to everything and it sounds really nice, but I honestly am still unclear as to just exactly what the specs in that right of way and maintenance and I just wondered if you could clarify that for me. I suppose -- who exactly is going to be responsible for that because I hear 50 feet on one side, so I'm wondering if there are expectations of a 50-foot wide swath through this -- MRS. MOORE: No, that's precisely what we want to avoid. MEMBER DINIZIO: Yeah, well again that's what I hear. I hear oh, 50 feet, 50 feet. MRS. MOORE: No, no. I think, Eileen you can correct me if I'm wrong, but I think what their concern is to show the 50 feet as a right of way, technically, legally as a right of way, but for purposes of the condition of the road, there doesn't seem to be any intention by anyone, including my clients, correct, to do anything more than what is PuglieseCourtReportingandTranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 2O 21 22 23 24 25 311 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 presently there, you know, only to the extent I want to -- again, if the Planning Board or the Building Department when you to go build a house on lot 2 says we just want to make sure you have a cleared path cause the ground is clear. It's just the arbor, the trees, clearing a path of 15 feet we may have to do that. It's our property, we own the property. We are subject to the it and use it, but clients' property. rights of others to cross it's still underlying my So they would have the ability to go and put some -- if the Planning Board said we want you to put crushed stone for the access point to lot 2, we may have to do that. If the Building Department says we want you to cut back the branches and make a 15-foot cleared path on the ground as well as the air, we would have to do that for lot 2. I think that you pointed out the kids might come there and pick up litter and we can't stop anybody that has a right to use this right of way to come onto the right of way, the 50-feet of the right of way, but what we don't want is to suggest to the community or Pugliese Court Reporting and Transcription Service (631) 878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 312 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 my clients -- they want to keep everything looking like it is. They don't want to have a 50-foot wide opening that looks like a lawn from one end to the other. I don't believe that's ever been discussed or expressed as a desire here. When the driveway goes in for parcel B and the house has to go in for parcel B you have trucks and you have some equipment that has to get in there to build the house, but that's within the rights that they have, they own that right of way. To have somebody, to express my opinion, but I have to, you know, you get a crazy person in the neighborhood who has some hatred of trees and gets -- hires a bulldozer cause he has the money and just clear cuts, we do not want that. We do not want to see that. So as far as maintenance, I don't know what -- people have a right to use it. Maintain it, my clients don't have an obligation to create a roadway for the community. That was never, I don't think the community wants that either. They want to keep it a nice country road. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Country road. PuglieseCou~ Repo~ingandTranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 313 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 Country path. MRS. MOORE: Thank you. Country path and we would like to keep it the same way. MEMBER DINIZIO: During the course of time we get potholes or we get whatever; whose responsibility is it to keep it passable? MRS. MOORE: I mean, yeah -- MEMBER DINIZIO: Or maintain that it's passable? Evidently it's passable now. MRS. MOORE: I think both sides would have a right to do it. MEMBER DINIZIO: Now, that's a good answer, but I want to know who has -- who's going to have the responsibility? MRS. MOORE: Who has the obligation? Our legal obligation would be to have lot 2 have a safe and passable access to Victoria Drive, that's what they legally would be required to have and that would be their -- the obligation and most likely the Planning Board would impose that obligation on the owner of lot 2. MEMBER DINIZIO: All right, what about the rest of it to Bayview? MRS. MOORE: Yeah, 400 feet, I don't know that anybody would want to maintain it. PuglieseCou~ Repo~ingandTranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 314 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Can I just mention something? MRS. MOORE: Yeah? MEMBER GOEHRINGER: The County of Suffolk has owned this piece of property for like 12 or 15 years. It is by far one of the most unique rights of way that I have ever seen in the respect that it has a substantial amount of sand base to it and the water runoff from Victoria down just becomes encapsulated into it, then it dries out and it's never really every gotten bad. I have transversed that property probably 500 times over the 12-14 years that the County of Suffolk owned it, I was a -- I was in charge of 2000 private roads and this was one of them. I don't do that anymore and the unique part of that situation is that we never improved anything, but this road seemed to always exist. It never became blocked, oh sure in a snowstorm sometimes once in a while, but it was so unique, it -- I don't know if it's the encapsulation of what you're saying with the trees or whatever it does, it's never been -- I've never not been able to go through PuglieseCou~ Repo~ingandTranscriptionSe~ice (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 315 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 it and that's not with a four-wheel drive vehicle, that's with my two-wheel drive vehicle and I'm just using that as an example here. MEMBER DINIZIO: My, honestly, my fear is that we don't have the discussion and we have expectations and that's my concern. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Well, let's wait and see what the Planning Board says. I mean we can't make that determination. MEMBER DINIZIO: Okay, that might be good, too. MS. POWERS: Obviously, traditionally when there's a subdivision and there's a right of way created or whatever, it's addressed by, nowadays, by the Planning Board, etc. and they file a grievance, who's going to maintain it and how it's going to be maintained and who's going to have responsibilities there. Obviously this happened, the developer gave us the right of way and then because he never did anything with hit the property was lost to taxes and the Suttons ended up with it so it was never addressed, but as long as there's some kind of -- I think everybody's in PuglieseCourtRepo~ingand Transcription Service (631)878-835S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 316 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 agreement that it is going to continue the way it is. You could put a covenant on it that says just what we said that it has to be maintained to allow emergency access and that would be probably slightly wider than it is right now, but not much. MEMBER DINIZIO: Whose responsibility is that? MRS. MOORE: My client just said she wants to be -- she doesn't want to have open- ended who's going to do this, they're going to be responsible for the maintenance of this right of way and just keep it in its current condition. Whatever the condition right now is, which is sand and cleared. MEMBER DINIZIO: hurricane and trees responsible to pull Okay, so there's a fall down, you're them out, right? MRS. MOORE: You asked a question and it's going to get them all going again. MEMBER DINIZIO: I'm sorry, but I have to know this. MR. HELGESEN: You asked a question about what happens if a hurricane or anything else PuglieseCou~ RepoSing and Transcription Service (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 317 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 like that, that right of way has been in existence for 50 years in its current condition and I don't know the exact number of hurricanes that have passed in the last 50 years, there's been many more than one. Okay and right of way stayed essentially the same. Let's not make an issue out of something that MEMBER DINIZIO: It's not an issue, sir, it's not a question of an issue it's a question of expectation, okay, and if a tree falls down in the right of way and it's not passable, whose responsibility is it to take the tree out? That's all I want to know. Now, if this lady is saying that it's her responsibility, she'll get the chainsaws out there and cut it down, fine. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: She has it. MEMBER DINIZIO: That's all I want to know. MRS. MOORE: Right. As a matter of just the Planning Board's procedures they're going to make us covenant to maintain it. So we're -- it's going to be ours -- PuglieseCou~ Repo~ingand Transcription Service (631)878-8355 free title to 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 318 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: No, that you have to -- they're going to make sure that you have a flag. You're going to have ingress to your lot. MRS. MOORE: Right, well yes. MEMBER DINIZIO: Yeah, but that's only a small amount of that -- CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Yes, but there must be I don't know how many ways that people have said on both the applicant and those who are here in the audience that there is an agreement that this right of way will be owned and maintained by the Suttons and that it will be maintained for emergency access but it will be maintained as essentially a country path. MRS. MOORE: Right. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Okay, with the same character as exists. I believe your letter, Mr. kennedy -- MR. KENNEDY: Yes, ma'am, I was just going to say that paragraph 2 is requesting exactly that just for emergency, police and fire ingress/egress, which we've seen in the past month we had a tree on Main Bayview and - Pugliese Court Reporting and Transcription Service (631) 878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 319 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: I remember that, I was down there and got stuck. MR. KENNEDY: -- that's where they were sending the traffic and my sister built a house there about 35 years ago right across the street from my house and I've used that for -- I'm 47, so I've used it for 35 out of 47 years. That road has not changed. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: So and you want to keep it that way. MR. KENNEDY: is. Keep it exactly the way it CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: I think it's kind of clear in your letter, which is just why I was just kind of scanning it. The Board will get copies of that and we will make sure that the decision reflects the wishes that both parties have agreed to. Pat, you're going to make sure we get a survey that clears up the notion of a 40-foot building envelope and we're going to put a C&R on that referencing maintenance at minimum 40- foot setback from that right of way. MRS. MOORE: Yes. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: You're going get Pugliese Court Reporting and Transcription Service (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 320 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 rid of the language that not describe this as a 50-foot right of way and you will continue to describe the dirt path that runs through the 50-foot right of way. We're going to see the proposed access to lot 2 on there right now it's described and we're -- MRS. MOORE: It's there, right? Yes. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Well, yeah, I have some crossed out proposed -- MRS. MOORE: All right, because it had been proposed as a 25-foot right of way for the Planning Board cause that's what they required, but we're going take that off. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Yeah, but that's something that you're going to have to take out and the sizes we discussed. So if you provide that to us, we have letters. If you want to submit something summarizing it as far as -- MRS. MOORE: It's on the record. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Yeah, it's in the transcript, it's on the record. MRS. MOORE: Did you want me to give you a map now or do you want to write the decision with all of these as the conditions working PuglieseCou~ Repo~ingandTranscriptionSe~ice (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 off of the maps the map that ultimately -- CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: MRS. MOORE: submission. I have and then have us file 321 -- gets Planning Board MEMBER DINIZIO: Your map is going to have to reflect our decision, because you're not going to get the decision until we get the map. So -- MRS. MOORE: That's what I'm checking to see if you can work off the map that I have for the decision and advise -- C~AIRPERSON WEISMAN: Just submit a revised survey, it's not that big a deal to revise this (inaudible) mostly, you know what I mean. MRS. MOORE: I would do (inaudible). That's fine. MEMBER DINIZIO: I mean we have to reference that in the decision. MRS. MOORE: I don't disagree with you, I was just trying to be efficient, but -- I'm -- CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: You're going to need that for Planning Board anyway. PuglieseCou~ Reposing and Transcription Service (631)878-8355 Gets Planning Board 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 322 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 MRS. MOORE: That's where I'm going to start with the Planning Board, yes. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: So give us the map we can write our decision, that gets forwarded. They're going to want a comment from us anyway. They'll get the decision with the map that they're going to be reviewing, the survey. MRS. MOORE: Ail right, that's fine. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Any other comments or questions from anyone? MRS. MOORE: Giving me time to get -- the surveyor is extremely slow. will order it up immediately, that -- CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: hearing subject to receipt It's not -- I but understand We can close the and the clock will start when we receive the survey, the Board will have 62 days for deliberation. MRS. MOORE: That's fine. Good. That's fine. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Can we do it that way. MRS. MOORE: Yes. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Sound good? Okay. PuglieseCou~ Repo~ingandTranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 323 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 MR. BREITWEG: I was going to say we live MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Your name? MR. BREITWEG: Tom Breitweg, B-R-E-I-T-W- E-G, and Mary. We live on 95 Highwind. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Could you just say the name again? MR. BREITWEG: B-R-E-I-T-W-E-G. We live in 95 Highwood right next to the Suttons and we've enjoyed them as neighbors very fine people. We kind of think back to the first Christmas we were here and the kids were lovely kids, brought over cookies and we were embarrassed we didn't have anything to give them and we, every holiday, we try to give their kids something for Easter we gave them chocolate bunnies and they gave us nice notes. So they're lovely neighbors and the reason why we moved out here was because the people are great and the community is terrific. I just wanted to say, you know, cause we haven't talked about this but we view this as a compromise because honestly nobody wants to put a house there in the community. Nobody likes the idea. It's beautiful the way is it PuglieseCourtReportingandTranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 324 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 right now. To us it's a negative on the community, but at the same time I think the meeting here kind of underscores how great the people are in the north fork, everybody is willing to compromise. So we view that -- we were here for the previous discussion, it was kind of embarrassing, but I'm glad I don't live in that neighborhood, but we're supportive of it generally speaking, but we're a little disappointed that obviously this upset the neighborhood and some of the beauty of the neighborhood and some of the beauty that we recognize in the north fork, but lovely people, lovely people that we -- the one good thing about this is we got to meet more of our neighbors and so it is what it is. CHAIRPERSON WEISMAN: Okay, I'm going to make the motion to close this hearing subject to receipt of an amended survey by Ms. Moore for the Suttons reflecting the variety of things we've already described 12 times and the clock will start on our decision at that time. MEMBER GOEHRINGER: Second. (See Minutes for Resolution. PuglieseCou~ ReportingandTranscriptionService (631)878-8355 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 325 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 (OFF THE RECORD) Pugliese Court Reporting and Transcription Service (631) 878-8355 ZBA Town of Southold - August 26, 2010 326 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 I, Denise Gasowski, certify that the foregoing transcript of tape recorded Public Hearings was prepared using the required electronic transcription equipment and is a true and accurate record of the Hearings. Signature~ ~' Denise Gasowski Agency Name: Address of Agency: Pugliese's Court Reporting and Transcription Service 4 Saddlebrook Lane Manorville, New York 11949 Date: September 15, 2010 Pugliese Cou~ Reporting and Transcription Service (631)878-8355