Dear members of the Zoning Board of Appeals, We write with regard to the application presently before you concerning Hen Island, Cottage # 27. We are presently stockholders and one of us has been a member of the Board of Directors for Kuder Island Colony Inc., owner of Hen Island. As such, we have personal knowledge of the facts recited below. We regret that the Board of Directors for Hen Island and/or Mr. Gary Ederer failed to notify any of the other thirty-three homeowners on Hen Island. Had that been done, we believe you may have had the input of more residents on Hen Island. Please note, we object to the Zoning Board of Appeals granting any variances for this site for the following reasons. Cottage # 27 has been used for at least the past twenty-four years as a storage shed. Mr. Ederer's representation that this structure has been used as a summer cottage is false and very misleading. Mr. Ederer is well aware of this fact as his father is currently a member of the Board of Directors and he has grown up on Hen Island. Mr. Ederer's plan shows the installation of a waterless incinerating toilet. Will he be required to install a sprinkler system in his house since he will have a incinerator installed? What does he plan on doing with the wastewater from the kitchen, bathroom sink, and the shower, all of which would not enter the incinerator system? I raise these questions now because previous boards have not when faced with similar zoning applications for construction on Hen Island. Specifically, I refer for example to the 1993 Volpe application. In that application, they promised to use an environmentally friendly toilet, however the toilet was never installed. They simply dug a hole in the ground under the cottage and that is where their waste has been going ever since. Our additional objection relates to the lawsuit pending in the New York State Supreme Court against Kuder Island Colony and the very serious accusations involved. Kuder Island is involved in litigation for failing to comply with the health, safety and building codes of the State of New York including polluting the waters of the Long Island Sound. It is my belief that regardless of the fact that The City of Rye has not enforced the applicable laws in the past, Kuder Island Colony Inc. is responsible to adhere to them. This proposed structure fails to comply with the present building, health, and safety codes in place in New York State. For years the City of Rye has not held Hen Island to the same standards as all other residences in Rye or anywhere else in Westchester County, for that matter. We are concerned that if such practice continues and the Board grant this application, we will not have to wait long until a child gets sick from drinking roof water with bird droppings or worse in it. The natural values of the Long Island Sound are being diminished by the lack of enforcement and responsibility with regards to Hen Island. Don't let this grave injustice continue. Please, please be diligent in your decisions. Respectfully Yours, Barbara and Claudio Iodice P.S. I am presently out of the country, and hope to be returning in time to attend the December meeting. If I am not able to return in time I would request that the Chair please read aloud our concerns. |