Letters

With the forthcoming redevelopment of Rose and Bridge streets, the former 7-Eleven site and the National Grid lot, we have an urgent opportunity to solve infrastructure and affordable housing problems in Sag Harbor.

Attention to flooding, underlying pollution and the chance to have successful, innovative and well-integrated solutions cannot be wasted in this moment. And by combining the State Environmental Quality Review of these proposed projects, the village may be eligible for larger federal and state grants.

Sag Harbor is a special place, but we are at a crossroads. We can accommodate change and still retain our unique character, or we can become a new and unfamiliar place, losing the reason this village is so loved.

As a lawyer who represented developers for over 35 years and helped build successful teams with backgrounds in urban planning, architecture and art, I was part of many projects that used consensus-focused planning. So how does this work?

First, you must have a willing developer and government representatives who agree to expand the process beyond the usual public hearings, and beyond one proposed project. Then, concerned representative groups in the village would select representatives who will be part of a team.

Once the total working group is identified, regular meetings can be scheduled, with the general public being invited to attend along with village consultants. Outside experts should be invited.

This kind of approach can generate many facets: creative new ideas, solutions to potential and existing problems, and, above all, transparency that garners public support. It becomes, in essence, a mini comprehensive planning process that includes actual development proposals. The result, hopefully, will be a smoother, less contentious, public hearing process.

What we have currently is planning happening with little community involvement or comment. A lack of transparency feels like a game of Monopoly where only the developer and a few government officials are at the table.

In the last two weeks, a number of us have heard that the National Grid lot may become a parking garage. Kudos to our mayor for working so hard to get it back in the village’s hands, but how does this affect the full plan by the village and developers?

The legacy our village officials leave will be determined by the way the public is included and the way planning occurs over time. And, on a very positive note, a groundswell of support from public inclusion could result in successful applications for public infrastructure funding and affordable housing tax credits, benefiting all concerned.

Granted, not everyone is going to get exactly what they want. But moving forward by building consensus with trust, shared information and creativity will help us arrive at a positive, intact future.

Susan Mead

Sag Harbor