House Size Limit Proposal in East Hampton

Mar 15

Ditch Plains houses on beach — *East End Beacon photo*

East Hampton’s historically modest neighborhoods have not been immune to the threats of overdevelopment. As more land is cleared and wildlife is displaced to make room for oversized homes, East Hampton’s community character has been devastated, excess use of resources has increased, and additional undue stress has been placed on the area’s environmental quality.

The issue of house size has been something the town has grappled with since it updated its Town Comprehensive Plan in 2005, which called for: House size restrictions — Develop and adopt maximum house size restrictions relating house size to size of property rather than zoning district. Explanation — The construction of very large “monster” homes has begun to threaten the character of the community. Regulating the residential gross floor area according to lot size would help to assure that new construction is more compatible with the scale and character of existing development.

In 2024, recognizing the ongoing disparity between the Town Comprehensive Plan and residential zoning codes, the Town of East Hampton appointed the Zoning Code Working Group to examine the town code and propose changes that would support its goals in sustainability, coastal resiliency, climate change, and community character preservation. After months of examining housing trends and data, the group proposed a solution – amend the Town code’s formula used to determine permitted house size on a single lot.

At a public hearing in March 2025, the Group joined civic associations, concerned community members, and other environmental organizations to support a new local law that would limit the house size allowed on residential lots, amending the formula known as the Gross Floor Area (GFA).

The proposed amendments call for the GFA formula to be reduced from 10% of the lot area plus 1,600-square-feet to 7% of lot area plus 1,500-square-feet. For instance, under the existing code, a one-acre lot could accommodate a house no larger than 5,600-square-feet. The new code would permit a 4,300-square-foot house on the same one-acre lot.

Oversized homes consume more resources to build and maintain. Additional water use, impervious surfaces, reduced natural areas, and increased energy consumption all place additional strain on the environment and community infrastructure. Implementing this new law would help combat these concerns and preserve the character of this community.

On Thursday, March 20, the East Hampton Town Board passed the law!