Mega house gets okay with restrictions
Town Board members agreed there needs to be a thorough discussion of house sizes and their impact on water resources and neighbors’ concerns. But that won’t happen now as they voted 4-1 Tuesday to approve the application for a special permit allowing Seth and Bonnie Harris to demolish structures on two lots and build one major house and a second accessory structure that will together provide 11,000 square feet of living space on Bootleggers Alley and Nostrand Parkway.
Only Councilman Albert Dickson voted against the resolution, turning to the camera at one point to address residents and appeal to them to make their voices heard if they agree with his view. Now is the time to stop and assess how super large houses affect water supply and quality, other environmental issues and the nature of Shelter Island.
What most concerned him, Mr. Dickson said, was testimony from Julie Karpeh, a neighbor, who said the nitrate level in her newly dug well measures 9.5 mg. per liter. A reading of 10 is considered the limit.
Mr. Dickson warned that infants and pregnant women and probably senior residents in that area shouldn’t drink the water.
It’s long been known that water is a problem in the Bootleggers Alley area where in some hot months, residents turn on the faucet, but nothing flows.
Mr. Dickson’s colleagues agreed that those issues need to be discussed, but said the Harrises had acquiesced to every demand the Town Board had made and to turn down their special permit would open the way for the couple to file an Article 78 that could result in a court reversing a disapproval.
The approval comes with a long list of requirements, all of which must be met before a permit for the new structures could be obtained. Among the requirements are:
• Installation of a 600- to 800-gallon water storage tank
• Installation of a cistern capable of holding at least 15,000 gallons of water
•A restrictor on the well pump that would limit the flow rate of water to 5 gallons per minute
• Installation of a metering system to enable the town to assess water use once a year in order to gain real data on how a large house might or might not use more water
• Installation of a nitrogen-reducing septic system
• Agreement that the property could never be rented for 14 days or less and never converted to an airbnb or similar use
• Installation of an automatic pool cover
Councilman Paul Shepherd, in casting his vote of approval, noted that issuance of a special permit is not the same as a process that needs a variance from the Zoning Board of Appeals. The requirement for the Town Board is to work to mitigate issues that arise and there needs to be a time to discuss with real data, some of which will be obtained from the experience of the Harrises, about whether in fact a larger house might still be reasonable in its water use and provide cleaner water because of the installation of the nitrogen-reducing septic system.
He also noted the Harrises could have subdivided the lots and built four separate houses that likely would have pulled on water resources more than the current plans will.
Supervisor Gary Gerth applauded the inclusion of water restrictions incorporated into the terms of the special permit.
