MINUTES OF MEETING OF THE ARCHITECTURAL AND HISTORIC REVIEW BOARD OF THE VILLAGE OF SAGAPONACK IN THE TOWN OF SOUTHAMPTON, COUNTY OF SUFFOLK AND STATE OF NEW YORK A regular monthly meeting of the Architectural and Historic Review Board of the Village of Sagaponack was held at 3:30 p.m. on Friday, February 15, 2013 at 3175 Montauk Highway, Sagaponack, N.Y. The meeting was called to order by Chairperson Ann Sandford with a flag salute. Present were Board Members Vice Chairperson Tom White, Robert Barandes, Gideon Mendelson and alternate member Nick Martin. Also present were Pat Arancio-Remkus, secretary and Village Building Inspector John Woudsma. Absent were Barbara Slifka and Village Attorney Anthony Tohill. MONTHLY MEETING I. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Chairperson Sandford asked for a motion to approve the minutes from the January 18, 2013 AHRB meeting. A motion was offered by Gideon Mendelson and seconded by Nick Martin. It was unanimously approved. II. NEW BUSINESS A. Amendments 1 Curtis Lane 217 Hedges Lane 908-6-2-34 Applicant proposes amendment to P#00000384 installation of two sets of driveway gates Scott Olsen of Joe Tyree Landscape Architects presented the application. He noted that the property was a flag lot off of Hedges Lane. 1
He stated that there will be a manual gate that is meant to stay open at the Hedges Lane entrance to the property. He also noted that there will be a 2 nd gate further in on the property that will be automated. There will be no call boxes for this gate. Mr. Olsen stated that the automated gate has taller posts, 5 6 ½ posts than the manual gate, which has 5 4 posts. He stated that both gates are 4 at the center that will match up with the 4 high fence around the property. Chairperson Sandford asked for a motion to approve the installation of two sets of driveway gates. A motion was offered by Robert Barandes and seconded by Gideon Mendelson. It was unanimously approved. B. Additions/Renovations 1 Mark & Debra Landis 208 Parsonage Lane 908-4-2-36 Applicant proposes construction of a detached barn/pool house with attic storage Matthew Gagnon, architect, presented the application. He stated that the pool house will be towards the back of the property behind the pool and noted that the garage will be used for storage of cars during the winter months. Mr. Gagnon showed street views of the barn and stated that the barn will not be very visible to the street. Mr. Gagnon stated that there will be natural cedar shingles and roof and that there will be white trim. There will be two overhead barn doors one on the front and one on the back, picture windows and an outside entry door. Mr. Gagnon explained that there will be no driveway to the garage, they will drive on the lawn as it is mainly to be used as winter storage for cars. Chairperson Sandford asked what material the chimney will be to which Mr. Gagnon responded that it is weathered natural cedar. Chairperson Sandford asked for a motion to approve the construction of a detached barn/garage with attic storage. A motion was offered by Gideon Mendelson and seconded by Tom White. It was unanimously approved. C. Demolitions 1. Kouros Torkan 649 Hedges Lane 908-7-2-31 2
Applicant proposes demolition of a two story, single family dwelling, decks, pool, patios and driveway Brian Glasser of McDonough & Conroy Architects presented the application. Chairperson Sandford noted that the driveway had not been plowed and she was not able to view the house. Other AHRB members agreed. Gideon Mendelson asked for a history of the structure to which Zach Vichinsky, realtor responded that it is a 1984 upside down house with a southern facing pool and the owner desires to demolish it and construct a new home. He stated that the existing home has not been updated since it was built with the exception of the pool having been repaired. Chairperson Sandford asked how many bedrooms are there to which Mr. Vichinsky responded that there are four bedrooms. There is a master bedroom and a kitchen upstairs. There are two bathrooms, a common foyer and three bedrooms that lead to the pool area on the 1 st floor. He stated that the previous owner chose to build an upside down house because at the time of constructions all of the properties around him were vacant and he had an ocean view. Nick Martin asked who the architect was to which Mr. Vichinsky responded that he did not remember, but he had that information at his office and could forward to us later. He stated that everyone is all too familiar with this style house to which Chairperson Sandford responded that is it not too familiar, they are different scale and they are disappearing. Mr. Vichinsky stated that the windows and doors are dated and the materials are in rough shape. The exterior is white stucco. It was the former owner s weekend home for approximately 20 years. Chairperson Sandford asked if it had been the same owner to which Mr. Vichinsky responded yes. Chairperson Sandford asked how big the lot was to which Mr. Vichinsky responded that it was 1.52 acres. Gideon Mendelson stated that he was conflicted with the demo and that perhaps maybe there was some interesting history to the house maybe a noted architect. Chairperson Sandford asked if it were a Futterman house to which Mr. Vichinsky responded that he was certain that it was not a Futterman house. 3
Chairperson Sandford noted that she was troubled that they could not get closer to view the house to which Mr. Vichinsky responded that he can open the house up for viewing and that the snow was gone. Chairperson Sandford stated that she wanted to table this application. Mr. Vichinsky asked what concerns the AHRB had to which Chairperson Sandford responded that the AHRB always views the home in advance in great detail before making a decision. Michael Mainland, landscape architect, asked the AHRB to review the plans for the new construction to give insight on the plan. He noted that Mr. Torkan is very resistant to renovation of the existing house based on the style and desires the home before you. Nick Martin stated that the biggest concern with this project is the scale of the house and the property to which Mr. Glasser responded that the new house is similar in width and depth to the existing house. Nick Martin responded that the height is different. He asked that they do a drawing of the old house and the new house to see the difference. Chairperson Sandford asked for a motion to table the application for the demolition of a two story, single family dwelling, decks, pool, patios and driveway. A motion was offered by Tom White and seconded by Nick Martin. It was unanimously approved. D. New Construction 1. Kouros Torkan 649 Hedges Lane 908-7-2-31 Applicant proposes construction of a two story, single family residence with covered porches, blue stone patios, stone driveway, one story pool house with outdoor fireplace and a trellis Brian Glasser of McDonough & Conroy Architects showed renderings of the proposed house. He noted that there will be a cedar roof, cedar siding left natural, white trim and copper details throughout the exterior. He noted that there will be casement windows, new vegetation that the landscape architect will go over, and a new pool. Chairperson Sandford noted that the current driveway is on the right to which Mr. Glasser responded that they are changing it to the east. It is currently shared with a neighboring house and they want to make it more private. He stated that they are proposing a new pool house in the rear, which will have a bathroom and a lounge area. There will be a trellis, fireplace area and a sunken tennis court. 4
Mr. Glasser stated that the patios will be earth-tone travertine tile or marble. There will be ledge stone for the fireplace, chimneys and turret. Michael Mainland, the landscape architect stated that they have decided to shift the driveway over primarily because it works better architecturally with the view of the house coming in and it removes the alignment with Jacobs Way. He stated that they decided to move the driveway because currently there is a long tunnel vision down the road, which they thought was less than optimal. They have installed some landscape plantings along the property line to create a buffer and an open lawn area. They have transplanted some of the large red cedar into groupings. We defined the house very simple and traditionally to the style of architecture with hydrangea, hydrangea trees, boxwoods and cryptomeria at the ends for a vertical accent coming through the backyard. The driveway is a pea gravel and steel edge driveway Chairperson Sandford asked how tall they expect the plantings to get to which Mr. Mainland responded that the plantings on the buffer will be 8 Leland Cypress that will grow to a substantially more mature size. The hydrangea, which are more of a massing shrub, are going to be on the interior of the lot, not viewed as much from the street, so their size is a little less important to the front. Mr. Mainland reviewed the landscape plan in detail with the Board. Chairperson Sandford asked what the plantings at the property line are to which Mr. Mainland responded that there are Leland Cypress, Arborvites, Cedars to create a mixed hedgerow. Tom White noted that there is a gate on the survey to which Mr. Glasser responded that they took it off this application and they will come back for the gate at a later date. Gideon Mendelson asked how many square feet the house was to which Mr. Glasser responded that it is 6,200 sq. ft. and the footprint was 3,000 sq. ft. Robert Barandes stated that for information purposes, someone has come up with replaceable screening for tennis courts so you don t have to have fencing around the tennis court to which Mr. Mainland responded that the intention is to have 3-4 cedar lattice fence around the tennis court so have something charming. Robert Barandes asked if they would come back to the Board with some images of how the house would appear without any plantings on the rendition to which Mr. Mainland responded yes and asked if the Board wanted the images to show existing conditions to which Mr. Barandes responded yes. Nick Martin asked if the house is Herz rated to which Mr. Glasser responded that the Village of Sagaponack does not require a Herz rating, but he noted that they may do geo thermal. He noted that the RES check has been approved. 5
Mr. Glasser asked if the AHRB is okay with the design of the house to which Chairperson Sandford responded that in her opinion the new house design does not fit into the community. She noted that we do have a code that has to do with the harmony, environment and the character of Sagaponack. She also explained that the element of materials that the Board tries to avoid is a stone front façade or a stone chimney. Gideon Mendelson stated that his limited comments would be to simplify, simplify, simplify. His concern is massing and the different vocabularies all in one. He stated that he does a lot of interior work and if you have an interior designer on board, they will not be happy with the window treatments in the bedroom and the master bathroom. There are so many different elements the copper, the stone, the multitude of window concepts. The front of the house looks like a completely different house than the side of the house. To simplify the materials would be a good start. The turret to him is an affectation. Mr. Vichinsky asked if it would be better if the color of the windows was changed to an earth tone to which Gideon Mendelson responded that would help or a less bright white would be better. He noted that the rendering makes him feel better. He is usually more interested in looking at a cad drawing, but in actuality, the rendering gives him more of an idea. Nick Martin commented that the history of a gambrel is typically a barn building and to mix that in this scale makes it impossible to see the form of the gambrel in its entirety because it is all multi connected. A gambrel is a simple form that has to do with how to get a larger second floor and now to make it so you have connected four gambrels and then to add a tower, accents and the eyebrow, it seems like it is a dilution of two or three different things. The concept would be stronger to just select a certain vernacular and go with that. You would have a farm like building and you have a turret perhaps for grain. Obviously this is a very wealthy farm who has adorned himself in copper. It is more of a status thing. In general we are looking for honesty in materials, honesty of scale and honesty of volume. He believes that somehow it could be directed more cleanly. Mr. Vichinsky asked if the house on Daniels Lane that is merging that barn with the modern house is your vision of what belongs in Sagaponack to which Nick Martin responded that he believes Mr. Vichinski is speaking of his own project. He continued that the concept there is the original structure that was indigenous to this area, that has been picked up and rotated and then you have a modern structure that is disconnected from it with what is call an L. There is an honesty of different styles that are disconnected on purpose. The integrity and the scale of each of those structures are kept unique to their structures. He thinks the honesty of what they are talking about does not have to mean that it can not be interesting or dynamic. It doesn t have to be of a certain style, it just has to have allegiance or clarity. Robert Barandes stated that as a Board our responsibility is to our community. We try to have things fit in and that is the reason that we have asked for that picture within the community and what you have gotten in terms of what you have gotten for a presentation 6
for the Board idea-wise based on where you are clarity. We have objected to stone. It is not endemic. We do not really have it copper. We do not try to restrict the creativity of the homeowner, their architect or their designer. We ask them to pay respect to the community they are within, and we hope that view will help you with your presentation when you come back. Chairperson Sandford asked for a motion to table the application for the construction of a two story, single family residence with covered porches, blue stone patios, stone driveway, one story pool house with outdoor fireplace and a trellis. A motion was offered by Gideon Mendelson and seconded by Tom White. It was unanimously approved. III. MOTION TO ADJOURN MEETING Chairperson Sandford asked for a motion to adjourn the meeting. A motion was offered by Tom White and was seconded by Gideon Mendelson. It was unanimously approved. Time noted: 4:30 PM PATRICIA ARANCIO-REMKUS Secretary to Board 7