It takes a Village! Save Sag Harbor Newsletter | Volume 24 | August 8, 2022
Highlights in this issue
POTTER'S PROPOSAL FOR A 100,000 SQ.FT.
RETAIL AND HOUSING COMPLEX
A LETTER FROM SAVE SAG HARBOR
A LETTER FROM LEE SKOLNICK
SIGN THE PETITION
VILLAGE NOTICES & EVENTS
NOTE: If you plan to attend meetings, call 725-0222 to check location. Some are at Village Hall, others at firehouse on Brickiln Rd. For information, go to sagharborny.gov
Sag Harbor is confronting multiple development pressures, at the forefront of which is developer Adam Potter’s proposal for a 100,000-plus square foot retail and apartment complex to cover nearly a full block of Sag Harbor’s central village [https://www.27east.com/sag-harbor-express/adam-potter-announces-proposal-for-79-unit-afordable-housing-development-with-retail-on-ground-floor-in-sag-harbor-village-1980921/]. This project has, not surprisingly, generated intense public discussion. We want to highlight essential issues for our members, for the village government and boards, and for the public at large as we all consider this massive project, which would be the largest change to Sag Harbor’s downtown in decades.
We hope all of you will pay close attention as this project moves forward, attend meetings of our Trustees and regulatory bodies, and read coverage in the Sag Harbor Express and East Hampton Star and in this newsletter which will keep you up to date. And we want to hear from you: please share your thoughts with us by email [info@savesagharbor.com] at any time.
For now, Save Sag Harbor wants to raise two key issues for consideration.
1) The need to view all major developments in the context of a comprehensive plan for the Village, and to create such a plan before green-lighting any large scale interventions.
We have repeatedly raised with the Village the need for a comprehensive plan to guide development in Sag Harbor, which Mayor Larocca himself pointed out while running for his office. Sag Harbor’s last plan was written in 2008, light years ago in relation to the pace of development here.
The mayor has said he intends to move forward soon on a master plan but that he doesn’t want to delay the process by gathering more data; he intends to “pull forward” the 2008 plan. We commend his desire for speed, but we urge him and the Planning Board to assemble some up-to-date information on what Sag Harbor’s real needs are, as of 2022.
To take one critical topic, affordable housing, there’s universal agreement Sag Harbor has a housing crisis, yet little study has been done to determine how many residences, of what kind, are called for to solve it. One critical question about Potter’s proposed complex, which contains overwhelmingly one-bedroom units with a handful of two-bedrooms, is whether it will meet the needs of young families and others who seek to make a life in the village over the long term--the stakeholders who have spoken out often on the housing issue.
2) The critical importance of historic preservation to Sag Harbor’s character, and the threat posed by the proposed demolition of historic buildings.
Sag Harbor is a community with three centuries of history embodied in our built environment. Thanks to the diligent efforts of residents and our village government going back five decades now, much of Sag is recognized as a National Historic District. The scale and character of our buildings and streets are part of what makes Sag Harbor a special place to live, work, and visit.
Buildings of historic value within a designated historic district are called Contributing Structures. The Potter retail/apartment proposal would involve removing no less than four Contributing Structures—which includes three houses and a one-story shop, all more than 100 years old. These are not grand, landmark homes, but they are typical of the human-scale architecture of this longtime working-class community. To wipe them from the face of downtown Sag Harbor would be an unprecedented blow to our village streetscape.
A historic district is a precious, living thing—once a historic structure is gone, it cannot be replaced. Even if a building is moved elsewhere, rather than razed, a historic blockfront of five houses that now contains just one, has irreparably lost its historic character.
As we have said since before the current proposal came forward, Save Sag Harbor strongly supports affordable housing. Our mission is to preserve the character of the village, and our working people, our lifelong residents, and our multi-generational families are essential to that character. We applaud our Village Board's efforts on affordable housing and the new code it has written to encourage it. But if our village needs affordable housing, it should not have to barter for it at the price of our irreplaceable historic fabric.
Again, members, we invite your comments on this project. Meanwhile, our organization must mobilize to engage with all tools available to address Potter’s proposal and other developments. This will likely involve hiring legal or planning expertise, which may be expensive. To support our efforts with a financial donation, please click here or send a check to Save Sag Harbor, P.O. Box 775, Sag Harbor, NY 11963.
Yours,
The Board of Save Sag Harbor
As mentioned above, other members of the community have also spoken out about current development proposals. Architect Lee Skolnick, who led a group of local architects that met with Adam Potter to express grave concerns about the design of his project, has written an eloquent open letter on the challenges facing the Village and the need for comprehensive planning. (The architects’ meeting with Mr. Potter is was covered in last week’s Express.) See link here
Here is Mr. Skolnick’s letter:
We who share a love and passion for Sag Harbor are a diverse group, with individual perspectives and priorities, but we all care deeply about our community. We acknowledge that Sag Harbor has always evolved and will continue to develop in the future. All of us who call Sag Harbor home want to see that future development be of the highest caliber and fit into the scale and character of this special place.
The Village has struggled to keep pace with the changes and growth that have taken place in recent years. Much energy and thought have been devoted to updating zoning and planning regulations in an attempt to preserve the integrity that is Sag Harbor. Many have weighed in on this process in order to help ensure that future development is pursued in a responsible manner. However, recent development proposals have been accelerating more quickly than the Village’s ability to thoroughly analyze them within a comprehensive plan for growth with which the community can feel comfortable.
Last year’s large-scale plans for Bay Street Theater and the new proposal for an affordable housing and retail complex behind Main Street have the potential to radically transform the Business District and waterfront. Whatever one may think about either of these initiatives (and there are many who have major problems on many levels with both projects), what is most troubling is that they are not informed and regulated by a comprehensive vision and plan for the long-term development of the Village.
While we have great respect for the efforts and sensitivities of our Village officials and the safeguards embodied in the various planning, zoning and design boards, we believe that it would be prudent to conduct a program of wide stakeholder engagement and a comprehensive master plan for these extremely sensitive and vulnerable parts of our hometown. Only after having crafted a vision that represents our shared values, including our fervent support for the creation of workforce housing for our fellow citizens, can we move forward confidently to preserve what is unique and true to Sag Harbor.
Let us move forward in a unified and democratic fashion as befits the community that we cherish.
Lee Skolnick
Also this week, a group called Concerned Members of Our Community has begun circulating an open letter and petition requesting the Village government establish “a transparent, public process in addition to the required regulatory reviews” of large-scale development projects including both the Potter retail/housing complex, the proposed new Bay Street Theater on the waterfront, and a rumored tiered parking garage. The group, led by April Gornik, Susan Mead, Maziar Behrooz, and Kathryn Levy, raises concern over “significant potential changes to the Village of Sag Harbor that, in totality, could dramatically reshape our Village.” The letter and petition can be found here. News articles about the petition effort appeared in the Express and Star.
CALENDAR OF UPCOMING EVENTS
NOTE: If you plan to attend a village board meeting, best to call 725-0222 to double-check its location. Some boards are meeting at Village Hall, others at the firehouse on Brickiln Road. For agendas, participating, and other information, go tosagharborny.gov
TUESDAY, AUGUST 9 • 6:00 PM MAYOR & BOARD OF TRUSTEES Regular meeting at Bricklin Road Firehouse ___________________________________________________________________________
THURSDAY, AUGUST 11 • 5:00 PM HISTORIC PRESERVATION & ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW BOARD
Regular meeting at Village Hall ___________________________________________________________________________
TUESDAY, AUGUST 16 • 5:30 PM ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS
Regular meeting at Village Hall ___________________________________________________________________________
TUESDAY, AUGUST 23 • 5:00 PM PLANNING BOARD
Regular meeting at Village Hall ___________________________________________________________________________
NOT YET A MEMBER?
Please join the many people who have already shown their enthusiastic support by becoming an active member today. Together we can protect the character, scale and quality of life of our unique village.
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If you prefer not to use PayPal, please mail your check to: Save Sag Harbor
PO Box 775
Sag Harbor, NY 11963
Thank you for your generosity! As an all-volunteer 501(c)4 organization with almost no overhead, we can assure you that your contribution, while not tax-deductible, goes entirely towards our efforts and will be put to the best use possible. THANK YOU!
