In an unusual turn of events, neighbors surrounding a 40 acre plot of farmland in Wainscott are supporting the idea of creating a subdivision. Developer Jeffrey Collé purchased the land for $26 million in 2006 with hopes to build a 14,000 square foot mansion on the property, which would be one of the largest in East Hampton Town. Oddly enough, neighbors were concerned with the thought of just one home being built, citing the 'size of the proposed house, and that its construction would harm some of the property’s prime agricultural soil and possibly alter or destroy the historic 1802 Edwards farmhouse that sits on the property [next door]'. Concerns that the first mansion would 'serve as a template' for other houses on the lot were are the forefront of the neighbors' protests as well.
David Eagan, the neighbors' representative and a resident of Wainscott Hollow Road, worried that the area would begin to take on the feel of the potato fields in Sagaponack, and their sprawling houses. The Planning Board had no proof of this hidden agenda, however, until Eagan presented a listing from Collé's website for 'a subdivided property of two lots, with one side described as "a 27.9-acre gentleman’s farm" even though there had been no such subdivision'. The smoking gun! And the end of the debate, as Collé's reps conceded to neighbors' complaintsand agreed to send their client back to the subdividing drawing board.
· Subdivision Imminent for 40 Acres of Wainscott Farmland [EH Press]
· Jeffrey Collé Estates [Official Site]
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