Letters

A good public meeting of the Sag Harbor Board of Trustees was held on Tuesday evening, November 9, but I’d like to speak in defense of Randy Croxton’s presentation, which received a somewhat sour reaction from some board members and a few attendees [“Questions Raised Over Sag Harbor Waterfront Zoning Proposal,” sagharborexpress.com, November 10].

It’s now clear that the majority of the local public disapproves of the structures called “The Three Cubes” going up now on the waterfront on Long Island Avenue, and so efforts are underway to amend the zoning so that this can’t happen again on the waterfront. I see this as a good move — but, let’s face it, it’s coming after the fact.

Zoning after the fact does not make the best planning for Sag Harbor, although it’s certainly necessary at times to prevent further structures seen as “out of character” to the village. The current zoning allows for some structures on the south side of Bay Street to expand to three stories tall, and I felt that Mr. Croxton’s presentation clearly illustrated what it could look like if that zoning code were allowed to stand.

Mr. Croxton was told that he had “ambushed” the meeting with his presentation. I disagree. The Three Cubes now stand because of the lack of foresight in the zoning.

Mr. Croxton was performing a civic duty by alerting us ahead of time as to what could appear if our current zoning once again fails to protect the character of Sag Harbor. It’s easy to want to shoot the messenger; however, our zoning regulations must be proactive, not reactive.

Howard Mitchell

Sag Harbor