Four Seasons to open Hamptons pop-up?
Don’t cry for the Four Seasons just yet. The esteemed restaurant may have ended its run at the Seagram Building in Manhattan, but its owners — Julian Niccolini and Alex von Bidder — are exploring their options in Southampton. On Thursday, the duo will host a one-night event at Oreya, the Southampton restaurant and lounge. If all goes well, they say the pop-up concept could become a regular affair. The Seagram Building location shuttered in mid-July after landlord Aby Rosen decided not to renew the restaurant’s lease. Niccolini and von Bidder said they plan to reopen at SL Green Realty and Vornado Realty Trust’s 280 Park Avenue. So, those who don’t make it to the Hamptons can still get their fill of Four Seasons dining. [TRD]
Stella McCartney’s Amagansett cottage could get makeover
English designer Stella McCartney — a fashion powerhouse and the daughter of former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney — recently bought a modest $1.5 million beachfront pad in Amagansett. But the younger McCartney is likely to expand or demolish the 1,350-square-foot, three bedroom, according to the New York Post. The house, which sits on less than an acre, is barely big enough for McCartney, her husband and their four children. Nonetheless, it’s a prime piece of real estate on Napeague Bay. The designer will also get to hang out with her dad, who owns a vacation home in Amagansett and can often be spotted around town. [LLNYC]
Clinton preps for East End fundraising blitz
Looking to raise $100 million in August, presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton is tapping real estate bigwigs and other players in the Hamptons. The Democrat is going on a three-day Hamptons fundraising blitz starting on Aug. 28 that includes nine bashes, including one hosted by singer Jimmy Buffett at his Montauk home, according to Politico. Real estate moguls Jonathan Tisch and Bill Rudin, meanwhile, are co-hosting a dinner where tickets are going for $33,400 a head. Tickets for a Sag Harbor fundraiser hosted by preservationist Barbaralee Diamonstein-Spielvogel and her husband Carl are reportedly going for $2,700 a pop — and up to $100,000 for lunch with Clinton, according to the New York Post. And, as TRD reported last week, GOP nominee Donald Trump is mining the Hamptons for cash as well with fundraisers hosted by Douglas Elliman Chairman Howard Lorber and others. [Politico] and [NYP]
Goodbye, Hamptons. Hello, Berkshires.
Pining for peace, quiet and cheaper digs, more New Yorkers are opting out of summers in the Hamptons. Instead, they’re turning to the Berkshires in Massachusetts and Bucks County in Pennsylvania to buy second homes, the New York Post reported. These alternative destinations are not only cheaper, but possibly more bucolic. They come with less traffic-choked commutes and restaurants that you can actually get into without calling weeks in advance. Now, rising values seem to reflect their increased popularity. Prices in the Berkshires, for example, jumped 17.2 percent in June compared to the same period last year, according to the Massachusetts Association of Realtors. [NYP]
Southampton considers new fines for rental violations
The crackdown on rental houses continues. Officials in Southampton recently proposed new legislation that would slap property owners with an extra $100 fine if they’ve already been convicted of violating rental laws, 27East reported. The funds from the new surcharge would go toward affordable housing. “We have a lot of violations of our rental law,” Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman said. Still, $100 may seem like a slap on the wrist compared to the cash homeowners can generate from renting out their properties. [27East]
East Hampton mulls curbing super-sized houses
Is it time to say goodbye to super-sized East End homes? The town of East Hampton is mulling stricter limits on how big houses can be built. That move comes after two other local municipalities — East Hampton Village (which covers a subsection of the town) and Sag Harbor — did the same last year. The town currently allows a home’s “gross floor area” to be 12 percent of the total property’s lot, plus 1,600 square feet. A suggested reduction would bring it down to 10 percent, plus 1,000 square feet. Beware East End homebuilders. [East Hampton Star]
Sag Harbor eatery to open new East Hampton outpost
Buon appetito! Sag Habor’s Dopo La Spiaggia (“After the Beach”) is expanding to Race Lane in East Hampton this October. The move comes just months after the eatery replaced Tutto il Giorno in Sag Harbor. The new, 3,000-square-foot outpost will seat more than 130 people and have outdoor dining. Meanwhile, in other Sag Harbor restaurant real estate news, LDV Hospitality — which owns the space that once housed B. Smith’s and is currently home to Decker’s — is in talks with an upscale seafood spot, according to Eater NY. [Curbed]
Howard Lorber, Chris Martin and other A-listers hit up the Hamptons
The Hamptons party circuit can’t stop, won’t stop. The latest soirée, Southampton Hospital’s 58th annual Summer Gala, drew more than 600 guests. The Douglas Elliman chairman was joined by the likes of billionaire hedge funder John Paulson — who serves with him on Trump’s economic advisory committee — designer Victor de Souza, and a slew of other boldfaced names. The benefit, chaired by Hollis and Jim Forbes, raised over $1.3 million for the South Fork medical emergency department. Meanwhile, another batch of A-listers showed up at Stephen Talkhouse in Amagansett where mega-band Coldplay performed to a celebrity-filled crowd. It may not have been a charity event, but it turned the quaint retail strip of Main Street into its own see-and-be-seen venue. [LLNYC] and [WSJ]