South Fork: Hey Airbnb, Cuomo may be your new archenemy but we’re not your friend either
Airbnb may be suing New York state over a new law that levies fines on New York City hosts with illegal listings, but penalties are even more severe in the South Fork, according to 27East. The law passed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo — which only applies to New York City apartments in multifamily buildings — subjects hosts to fines as high as $7,500 and prohibits rentals from being listed for fewer than 30 days. Southampton and East Hampton towns, on the other hand, can fine single-family homeowners up to $30,000 for rental violations and then seek additional damages. Repeat violators in Southampton, for example, have been fined upwards of $100,000. [27east]
Jackson Pollock’s go-to local dive has been priced out of East Hampton
There’s nothing abstract or expressionist about paying the landlord, but rent was precisely the impetus behind the demise of Wolfie’s Tavern, the East End watering hole that once hosted the likes of Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning. Back in their day, the tavern was called Jungle Pete’s, the New York Times reported, and would become Jungle Johnnie’s, Vinnie’s Place, the Boatswain, the Frigate, the Birches, Harry’s Hideaway and eventually Wolfie’s in 1988. Before shuttering last weekend, it was the only bar in the working- and middle-class neighborhood of Springs. “It’s hard for a local guy to Find A Decent Place where he feels comfortable — someplace where we blend in,” Springs native and taxi driver Harry Stevenson told the Times. “Everything gets very high end and marketed to the ‘Hamptons’ crowd and not to the local crowd.” [NYT]
Southampton buys 86 acres of land through the Community Preservation Fund
Land ahoy! Local officials struck a deal to allocate $5 million to acquire the 86-acre East Quogue tract with the express purpose of protecting and conserving groundwater and other natural resources. The deal was the East End’s largest land buy in more than 10 years, Curbed reported. The seller was Lar Sal Realty Corporation, who are “happy that they can be part of something that will have a positive impact on future generations,” Compass broker Christian Lipp, told the publication. [Curbed]
Anonymous artists protest cottage demolition through “guerrilla art”
Banksy would be proud — or perhaps amused. Two Long Island artists hosted a “guerrilla” art installation — possibly illegally — at a vacant beachside cottage last week without the permission of its owner, Cambridge Investments CEO John Tozzi. The anonymous demonstrators wanted to rally against its planned destruction, they told 27East, though they realize their actions were “not particularly legal.” The property at 77 Dune Road is currently listed for just under $9 million by Sotheby’s International Realty [TRDataCustom]. Plans for a new, 4,000-squaret-foot residence accompany a prospective sale of the property, according to marketing materials, and a zoning variance has already been filed. “A completely new house, with an expanded architectural footprint into an extremely ecologically sensitive area, is dangerous and unnecessary,” the artists wrote. Their installation featured textile and ceramic pieces, including a stitched tapestry that tallies the number of storms the house has survived throughout the years. “Save this house and keep its gentle footprint,” the tapestry read. [27East]
Hamptons’ luxury market keeps up with the Joneses in Q3: report
Unlike last week’s cloudy forecast, Douglas Elliman had some good news for the Hamptons’ luxury market. The median sales price for the top 10 percent of properties rose to $6.2 million in the third quarter of 2016, Elliman’s latest report found. That reflects a year-over-year increase of 17 percent, The Real Deal reported. In terms of sales volume, houses over $5 million increased 29 percent year-over-year and those under $1 million also saw an increase: 22 percent year-over-year. But properties in the middle — priced between $1 million and $5 million — didn’t fare so well, posting a year-over-year decrease of 24 percent. This may be due to some Wall Street road bumps, according to Jonathan Miller, CEO of appraisal firm Miller Samuel. “Hedge funds aren’t having a good year and maybe there’s a little bit of a pull-back, at least for now,” he said. [TRD]
Vanity Fair’s Marie Brenner and financier husband buy East Hampton home for $4.25M
If journalism were well and alive anywhere, it’d definitely be the South Fork. Marie Brenner is the latest media bigwig to set up camp on the East End with her $4.25 million new house on Mill Hill Lane, 27East reported. The 3,900-square-foot residence contains five bedrooms, seven bathrooms, a media room, gym and saltwater pool. Brenner’s husband, Ernest Pomerantz, is chairman of Stonewater Capital LLC in Manhattan. [27East]
“Eyesore” Morpurgo house on Union Street finally sells
The drawn-out saga at 6 Union Street in Southampton finally ended last week, with the closing of its $1.3 million sale. The new owners, a group including Mitch Winston of Amagansett and Mark Egerman of Beverly Hills, California, can now begin restoring the derelict 210-year-old house. It last traded hands in 2008, according to East Hampton Star, but soon went into foreclosure in a larger mortgage scheme that landed former Suffolk lawmaker George Guldi in prison. Winston and Egerman won the 4,000-square-foot property in an auction this June, but they too were curtailed — this time by a woman who claimed in a lawsuit that she had a financial interest in the house. The case was dismissed late August. [EHS]