Summer Arrives with Mixed Feelings in Hampton
As summer kicks off, seasonal residents flock to Hampton, ready to enjoy the sun and sea. Yet, there’s a darker side to this joy. Thanks to concerns raised by year-round residents, some towns in Long Island’s East End are enforcing stricter laws, which adds some tension to the lively summer atmosphere.
One prominent example is Duryea. Reports indicate that this popular Montauk restaurant could only open this summer after a ruling from the New York Supreme Court intervened.
Previously, the East Hampton town officials demanded upgrades to Duryea’s cleanup system and effectively blocked it from securing essential permits. As recent news suggested, this restaurant seemed on the brink of a closed summer season.
Fortunately, the state Supreme Court made a decision that permitted the installation of advanced cleanup technologies at the restaurant.
The issues facing Duryea reflect a broader pattern of challenges. Local town boards are evaluating various regulations, from how leaf blowers can be used to the wattage of landscape lighting, and even whether there should be spontaneous dancing in taverns.
Pickleball courts have also become a contentious issue for residents. New legislation has surfaced regarding residential courts and the controls on noise, much to the frustration of local businesses and residents alike, who are seeing some establishments leave to more accommodating summer spots.
Last fall, East Hampton and Southampton implemented stricter rules concerning pickleball courts at homes, largely due to noise complaints. The newly established law mandates that pickleball courts must be fenced with an eight-foot sound barrier made from a minimum of 3/4-inch planks, positioned no less than 10 feet from the edge of the court. The cost of such soundproofing can exceed $100,000 for homeowners.
Furthermore, towns like North Haven have put a six-month halt on building new pickleball courts at residential properties and are converting certain tennis courts into pickleball spaces.
In December, East Hampton moved forward with a law designed to restrict new constructions, capping the size of homes at a maximum of 10,000 square feet. That means many residents can only expand their homes by a mere 10% of their lot’s total area, aiming to preserve the town’s “country character.” For instance, a quarter-acre lot can accommodate just 2,000 square feet in homes, while a half-acre can allow a maximum of 3,600 square feet, complicating efforts for renovations.
The town of East Hampton also finds itself entangled in ongoing legal battles regarding the main airport, spending upwards of $5 million over three years to control flight frequency and related noise, a conflict that traces back a decade.
Local business owners know this pressure all too well. One recalls the infamous case of advertising executive Jerry Dele Femina, who famously got arrested in 1997 for putting up Thanksgiving decorations outside his store. Local authorities deemed it a violation of rules against outdoor advertising.
While such stories continue to resonate, it feels as if not much has fundamentally changed over the years in terms of these tensions in the community.
