Peconic Jitney Making Headway in Greenport, Which Could Be a Step Forward for Ferry Return

After being scuttled last summer, the effort to launch the Peconic Jitney, a passenger ferry service connecting Sag Harbor and Greenport, has apparently found new life.

On October 20, Geoffrey Lynch, president of the Hampton Jitney, which would operate the ferry service, appeared before the Greenport Village Board to propose that the village and the transportation company share the costs of renovating the village’s visitors dock, so it could be used by the ferry.

The ferry service was operated as a pilot program in 2012, and the Jitney has been trying to reestablish it on a permanent basis for the past two years. An initial effort was stymied by the coronavirus pandemic in 2020. When the effort was renewed last spring, opposition arose in both Sag Harbor and Greenport.

In Greenport, the Jitney’s request to use the Mitchell Park Marina, where it had docked in 2012, was rejected by the village, so the Jitney signed an agreement to dock the ferry at Crabby Jerry’s dock to the east of the village marina. But village officials said that plan would require site-plan approval.

In Sag Harbor, there was opposition to the Jitney’s request to use Long Wharf, which it used in 2012, because the wharf had been extensively renovated in recent years, with its northern end reconfigured to accommodate more foot traffic, fishing and other activities. Opponents also said the seasonal service, which would run between the villages all day long, would increase traffic and gobble up already scarce parking spaces.

The proposal has been approved by the Suffolk County Legislature, which issued a charter for the service to operate last year.

Jitney officials did not return calls seeking comment this week, but Sag Harbor Mayor Jim Larocca said on Tuesday that the company had been keeping him informed of their plans. He said it was his understanding that the company had been discussing its docking arrangement with Greenport, but he said he had no details about those talks. He added that Jitney officials had yet to request permission to again discuss their proposal with the Village Board.

Speaking in Greenport earlier this month, Lynch suggested that the visitors dock be renovated, but he did not provide cost estimates. Village officials had earlier suggested the ferry use that dock, which is just west of the North Ferry terminal.

Greenport Village Clerk Sylvia Pirillo described the meeting as “purely informational,” adding that the Village Board had yet to set a date for a formal presentation on the dock renovation to be aired.