Letter: Dear Friends of Sag Harbor
Pictured Above: Sag Harbor’s 7-Eleven is slated to close this month as part of a massive redevelopment proposed for the village’s waterfront.
Editor’s Note: The Village of Sag Harbor is holding a public meeting Friday afternoon, April 23 at 3 p.m. to “discuss Sag Harbor’s Waterfront Development Plans and hear the comments and concerns of the community” at the John Steinbeck Waterfront Park at the foot of the bridge. Here’s more info.
Dear Friends of Sag Harbor,
Our village is looking at a crisis of mammoth proportions.
We suggest that people flood Village Hall with phone calls tomorrow during the Municipal Building’s hours of operation. The Mayor is in on Thursdays, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 631.725.0222.
Issues of importance and contention for ourselves and many people are:
• The use of Bay Street Theater as a Trojan horse for developers, under the name Friends of Bay Street (formerly Friends of Bay Street and Sag Harbor Re-Development) to gain a foothold in the Village
• The scale and height of the new Bay Street Theater will create a wall at the end of the village that will largely remove the view of the harbor and the new Steinbeck Park from the public.
• The purchase or attempted purchase by the developer’s representative, Adam Potter, of all of the buildings on Rose Street, the one freestanding building on Bridge Street, the Dodds and Eder building, the Laundromat, White’s Pharmacy, People’s Bank (formerly Suffolk County National Bank), Apple Bank, and the old Railroad building on the Sag Harbor Garden Center Property. In addition, the “blue ball” parking lot has been leased by the developers, in spite of the Village’s need for parking for employees of Main Street shops. Your taxes will make up the shortfall if we lose these businesses.
• The change of use of what had been an Office District by the waterfront to a retail area, which would allow more luxury goods stores to be established. The Village may have the will to stop this, but it is not a done deal.
• Finally, the need for an eternal lack of a Comprehensive Master Plan on the part of the Village that could help control development and protect the Village from such gross overdevelopment. Our suggested text for your call is: Hello, my name is ________ and I’m calling about the developers behind “Friends of Bay Street” buying up our village under our noses. Their representative, Adam Potter, needs to be discouraged from this plan of action and the Village needs a Comprehensive Master Plan in place to prevent this now and from ever happening again. We need our elected officials to stop this rapaciousness before we lose the place we love forever.
Thank you for taking the time to stand up for our Village. Feel free to forward.
April Gornik, Dee Hart, and Lorraine Dusky
How are all these projects going to impact our already over-worked waste management system. Those new three story monsters across from the parking area and Post Office are already blocking a lovely view and will cause major traffic and parking headaches once completed, not to mention their impact on the environment. One wonders where it will end – obviously higher taxes for most of us and lack of access to those soon to be polluted beaches.
could not agree more! Let me know how to fight!!!! This is beyond sad and will ruin Sag Harbor for ever
100 Percent agree. We need this properties on the tax payroll and we need this great local businesses – 7-11 etc. Why in the world does a small town theater need so much land? And i love the Roger Ferris building, but i do not want it in this location.
Couldn’t agree more. We need to fight to keep Sag Harbor “An American Beauty.” Developers will destroy it. Let’s work on a master plan.
I would like to invite everyone to our town hall meeting on May 1 at Bay Street theater, which will also be shown via zoom. We are able to safely accommodate 85 people and you can sign up in the next few days at http://www.baystreet.org.
At the meeting we will provide details, take questions and dispel the rumors in this letter.
Thanks.
The Mayor and Village board of Trustees is inviting everyone to attend an open-air meeting this Friday, April 23, at 3PM in Steinbeck Park at which they will speak and answer questions about the proposed new building code for the overlay portion of the Waterfront District.
Also, as one of the authors of the email quoted above, not published and sent out only to friends, please note that Dee, Lorraine and I, and everyone I know, have no ill intent towards Bay Street Theater itself. We ardently hope it can remain a part of Sag Harbor. Our worries are about overdevelopment and losing the character, scale and integrity of our unique Village.
there are NO rumors you are ruining the town of Sag Harbor and we are not going quietly! We do not need this size construction and you will block all views with it! SHAME ON YOU! move it to south or east hampton then… We have NO ROOM for this size of a project here in town ..