Chequit owners win construction extension, but no word on sale
More than a year after owners of the Chequit received Zoning Board of Appeals approval to install a swimming pool and patio in advance of an expected sale, the property remains unchanged and the owners have secured another year to complete the project.
The original approval that came in January 2012 required completion by May 15, 2013, to ensure construction wouldn’t interfere with spring and summer activities in Shelter Island Heights. But on February 27, owners James and Linda Eklund won a ZBA extension to complete the work by January 25, 2014.
Neither of the Eklunds were at the ZBA meeting but in their written request, they cited “circumstances beyond our control” as a reason for their request for an extension.
During public hearings in the fall of 2011 and winter of 2012, representatives of the prospective buyers, Cape Advisors of New York City and Cape May, New Jersey, led the drive to have the pool installed, Cape Advisors claimed it was critical to their planned purchase of the Chequit. An expected sale was slated to take place last spring.
Since then, the Reporter learned that the sale to Cape Advisors won’t take place, although neither the Eklunds nor representatives of Cape Advisors would offer any explanation for the change of mind.
The Eklunds have indicated through their planned spring advertising that they will be reopening the Chequit in time for Easter at the end of this month. But they’ve remained silent about their long-term plans.
After receiving permission for the pool and patio, James Eklund returned to the ZBA in March 2012 to report that original plans that called for moving the historic Summer Cottage, built around 1890, from its Washington Street site to another part of the property needed to be abandoned. He said moving the cottage would involve lifting it from its current foundation and placing it temporarily in the parking lot. That would result in cars parked on the street in the heavily trafficked area, he said.
“I have a very deep passion for historical buildings,” Mr. Eklund told the ZBA at the time. “I will go to the ends of the earth to save buildings when it makes sense; it just doesn’t make sense in this case,” he said.
Board member Phil DiOrio worried that neighbors might file an Article 78 that could force the issue to be decided in court. He asked Town Attorney Laury Dowd about amending the original approval of the pool, patio and cottage move, something she said couldn’t be done.
Nonetheless, ZBA chairman Doug Matz assured members that the original approval was enough and without a vote and against Ms. Dowd’s advice, ZBA members nodded their agreement for demolition of the cottage and plans to rebuild a replica.
Today, the original cottage is still standing on Washington Street.
The ZBA also granted extensions to owners of two other properties:
• Peter and Barbara Lane got the okay to extend their project at 84 Peconic Avenue until April 25, 2014, because of a “change in personal circumstances.” They had originally received approval in April 2012 to build an addition to their non-conforming house. The Lanes can add two bedrooms in the second story and a stairwell that would lead to those rooms. The rooms and stairwell would be in dormer formation so from the front of the house, the structure would still appear to be a single story, according to their architect, Russell Glover. The approval carried a restriction that would prohibit the Lanes from creating any living quarters above their garage.
• Thomas and Suzannah Carrier were granted an extension until March 28, 2014, to complete a planned alteration to their house at 17 Spring Garden Avenue, altering the non-conforming house to accommodate a second-story living area. A change in builders and finances prompted the request, according the application for an extension.
