Island house will stay, but pool, gazebo, patio, sidewalks must go

Little Island owner Daryl Wagner can keep his home on the Magothy River - lighthouse and all. But the swimming pool has to go.

After 90 minutes of deliberation last night, the county Board of Appeals board voted 5-2 for Mr. Wagner on two separate issues tied to the house he built without permits more than four years ago.

It ruled that Mr. Wagner's home doesn't have a significantly greater environmental footprint than an earlier house on the island, noting that it's not even 400 square feet bigger. It also found that county mapping errors overstated the size of a critical waterfront buffer.

"Variances were put into the...