Hamptons Cheat Sheet: Big firms team up on new MLS, “Erin Brockovich” contaminant found in Suffolk water … & more

Five brokerage giants team up on new East End listing platform

Think fast, OREX — there’s a new contender in town. The five biggest brokerages in the South Fork — Saunders & Associates, the Corcoran Group, Douglas Elliman, Brown Harris Stevens and Sotheby’s International Realty — are teaming up on a new listing exchange they say will boast richer data at lower prices than the current local go-to, Open RealNet Exchange, or OREX. Dubbed the East End Listing Exchange, the new platform will charge a four-tiered fee that starts at $25,000 for a company of 10 or fewer agents and caps at $55,000 for companies with more than 100, according to 27East. Each agent must also pay an annual fee of $800. [27E]

Southampton goes full “Inspector Gadget” with new e-documents system

Welcome to the modern world, Southampton: The town now has two electronic stations to access property records such as rental permits and site plan approvals, which locals can access without having to file a Freedom of Information Law request. Dubbed “eDocs,” the system allows users to look up property information using an address or clicking on a map, Michael Baldwin, the manager of the town’s Geographic Information Systems Department, told 27East. 

“Time will tell in terms of the public’s use of this, but I think it’s our responsibility to try to make information as accessible as possible to people and I think this does it—it’s free and easy,” Southampton Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman said at a work session Thursday, according to the website.  [27E]

New proposal for Greystone’s Sag Harbor condo project includes a waterfront park

Rendering of condos at 2 West Water Street (Credit: Robert A.M. Stern Architects via East Hampton Star)

All hands seem to be on deck for Sag Harbor’s plans to build a park south of the North Haven Bridge. The desired site of the park is owned by Manhattan-based Greystone Development, which is planning a 11-condo complex on the adjacent West Water Street property. Greystone was initially reluctant to sell the village the land in question, but in the latest meeting with the Sag Harbor planning board, its design firm Robert A.M. Stern Architects unveiled drawings that depict the park, East Hampton Star reported. RAMSA’s Gary Brewer told the board that the condo buildings would complement the prospective park. Although size and details of the park remain uncertain, the sale is well into negotiations. [EHS]

Historical artist residence will likely be demolished

Tough luck for William Merritt Chase. One of the remaining structures that comprised his Shinnecock School of Art in the late 19th century, the Laffalot property at 11 Ochre Lane was in talks to be salvaged after its sale in 2013. The new owner, which tax records indicate is former diplomat John Danilovich, wants to tear down the historic structure because it would be too expensive to restore. Subsequently, the Southampton Town Landmarks and Historic Districts Board began preservation talks with its across-the-street neighbors, who initially agreed to take on the endeavor if the town split the cost of transportation and restoration. But they declined that proposal this week, 27East reported, saying it wouldn’t be enough. [27E]

“Erin Brockovich” contaminant found in nearly every Suffolk County Water Authority well

Suffolk County’s got carcinogens comin’ outta its ears, as Julia Roberts’ “Erin Brockovich” might say. Varying levels of Chromium-6, a toxic element linked to cancer that was the focus of the hit film, have been found in 751 of 808 water samples from water authority wells across the county. Ranging from .033 parts per billion in a Montauk well to 0.54 parts per billion from one in Wainscott, the samples are far from the maximum-contaminant-level, or MCL, according to Kevin Durk, a director at the water authority. There are no national standards for Chromium-6 in drinking water, according to the East Hampton Star, but in California — where the real-life Erin Brockovich trial took place — scientists pegged the safe level at under 0.02 parts per billion. [EHS]