Hamptons Cheat Sheet: Marc Rowan calls bluff on inspector, fawn leads cops to alleged illegal conversion … & more

Marc Rowan is calling bluff on East Hampton building inspector

Private equity magnate Marc Rowan plans to transform four tiny shacks in Montauk into three larger resort cottages. But first, he must win a game of poker with the town planning board. His property at 80 Firestone Road is located just east of a bluff crest on Ford Pond Bay, according to the East Hampton Star, and the town building inspector determined in August that any construction would be close enough to the bluff to require variances from the zoning board of appeals. The Apollo Global Management co-founder’s representatives, however, are arguing that the bluff crest isn’t in fact a bluff and that the construction of the nearly 6,800-square-foot complex would not violate the town code. The three new cottages, to be designed by Stelle Lomont Rouhani Architects, would be made of glass and steel, and have flat roofs. The board will likely decide whether Rowan needs the variances at its next working session on Nov. 15. [EHS]

Southampton Hospital wants to build ER next to Little League fields

Southampton Hospital CEO Robert Chaloner told the East Hampton Town Board Tuesday that he wants to build the 54,000-square-foot satellite emergency facility on a 4.5-acre lot off Pantigo Road. The site currently houses the East Hampton Little League ballfields, 27East reported, and is already preferred by town planners to the alternate location in Wainscott, next to the Child Development Center of the Hamptons. The new emergency facility site would be fully operational and host new radiology facilities and physicians’ offices as well. New construction is expected to cost between $35 million to $45 million, according to Chaloner. [27East]

Springs resident arrested for allegedly adding four illegal bedrooms in home

The owner of a house in Springs was charged Tuesday with illegally converting a three-bedroom house into a seven-unit residence, according to the East Hampton Town police. But the tip that led the authorities to Angel Otavalo had nothing to do with the bedrooms — it was the deer that was being kept in his backyard. His neighbor called 911 to complain about the deer, which donned a dog collar tied to a stake in the ground. In addition to the hoofed creature, however, the cops were suspicious of the eight cars parked in the driveway. It turned out that Otavalo, who purchased the house in 2006 for $800,000, had unlawfully subdivided the residence to encompass four additional bedrooms, some of which lacked smoke or carbon monoxide detectors. The two-bedrooms in the basement had no safe egress in case of emergency, police said. As for the deer, it was turned over to the State Department of Environmental Conservation. Reportedly, the Bambi incarnate did not appear to be afraid of humans. [EHS]

Knicks broadcaster buys Southampton home for $3.7M

Jill Martin just pulled off a slam-dunk deal. The sportscaster and TV personality recently doled out $3.7 million for a 5,400-square-foot pad on Corrigan Street, 27East reported. The six-bedroom abode sits on a third of an acre and has 5.5 bathrooms, a library, home theater, large fireplace, chef’s kitchen, wine cellar, salt water pool and sauna. Martin, a Long Island native, is working on a TV show based on her bestselling book, “I Have Nothing to Wear.” [27East]

Developer Robert Morrow faces major traffic woes in Suffolk County

The Southampton Village Board doesn’t seem to be budging on its opposition to Robert Morrow’s proposed shopping center in Tuckahoe, citing traffic as its primary concern. The development at the corner of County Road 39 and Magee Street would intensity the existing traffic at the intersection, they argue. “Cars will back up all the way into the turning lane on County Road 39, obstructing traffic heading east,” board member Nancy McGann said at a meeting Thursday. Morrow has submitted multiple versions of the development plan since late 2015, 27East reported, but each time, traffic came up as the major roadblock. Currently under review by the planning commission, the latest revised application calls for the rezoning of three adjoining properties along the southeastern side of County Road 39. The development would span 7.3 acres. [27East]