Letters

The landscape plan and renderings of the proposed development on the north side of Marsden Street portray flat land surrounded by a narrow border of green giant hedges [“Sag Harbor ARB Focuses on Marsden House Designs,” 27east.com, August 7].

In fact, the property is a bowl. Only one-eighth of a mile long, Marsden Street slopes steeply from Division Street before climbing back up to Madison Street.

Historical records show there was a depression, possibly a kettlehole, with small structures to the west and northeast. The depression was used as an unofficial dump — historical photographs show the property was surrounded by a thick border of trees even when it was an active dump.

Since then, we have witnessed the beauty of nature successfully reclaiming previously disturbed land.

There is a trench on the western and northern property boundaries, adjoining neighboring residential properties, all of which are higher than the flat, filled area of the Marsden property — those neighbors will see over the hedges. The trench captures stormwater that discharges into the ground over time. With its canopy of trees and unconsolidated earth, the property acts as a rain garden. A topographical low point, the area floods frequently, but the flood water is rapidly absorbed by the property.

The Marsden property was incorporated into the Sag Harbor Village Historic District, the expanded district, in 1994. The Board of Historic Preservation and Architectural Review is responsible for protecting the overall historic character of the district, as well as for architectural review.

The proposed suburban-style development with a central, common driveway is out of character, and the proposed structures, including large houses with 48-foot pools, roofed patios, garages, and vast lawns, are too large. There is no similar development in the historic district; developments cited as precedent are outside the district.

What will be the impact of large-scale development on stormwater management, especially as storm events become more frequent and more extreme? Flooding can be addressed by pumping, so long as there is somewhere to pump to. The proposal includes large, finished basements that will be the lowest point in the area.

Clear-cutting most of the property to make way for these oversized structures and lawns makes no sense. The objective should be to keep as much of the canopy in place to maximize the retained rain garden effect.

The renderings imply that the trench on the western and northern boundaries will be filled and do not show the 16-foot-high retaining wall structure around the corner of Marsden and Division streets, a significant structure that will be unique in the historic district and difficult to engineer. It will be visible from Marsden Street and surely presents a potential safety hazard, since it is right across the street from the main entrance to Pierson Middle-High School.

Douglas Newby

Sag Harbor