Slew of Hearings Await Sag Harbor Village Board

After a mid-winter’s lull, the Sag Harbor Village Board will hold hearings on three measures, ranging from the creation of a new village rental registry to a clarification of provisions in the Waterfront Overlay District, and the establishment of new clearing restrictions, when it meets on Tuesday, March 14.

Village officials have discussed beefing up the village’s regulations governing seasonal rentals ever since a house fire in Noyac killed two young women last summer. The homeowners did not have a town rental permit, and investigators charged them with several fire safety violations.

Mayor Jim Larocca said this week the village was seeking to establish a registry that would require landlords to provide safe accommodations, but not one that would be so complicated that property owners wouldn’t bother to sign up.

The key element of the measure, he said, is a provision that would require owners to sign an affidavit that they are aware of all village regulations affecting rentals. A homeowner wishing to rent their property would have “to sign a sworn statement, so you are susceptible to lying on a government form, which is a powerful tool,” Larocca said.

Another provision would require homeowners to get written certification from a licensed architect, engineer, or home inspector stating that the property was in complete compliance with the state building and fire code. Homeowners would also be allowed to ask the village Building Department to conduct the inspection.

The board will also move to tighten the language of the Waterfront Overlay District, which it adopted in 2021.

Among the changes is the elimination of a provision that would allow the owner of a property on a waterfront lot to build a third story or to a height of 35 feet if they were willing to grant a 10-foot-wide public access to the waterfront. All buildings will now be limited to two stories and a maximum height of 25 feet.

Another measure would clarify what qualifies as a “waterfront” lot. Under the amended law, the definition of a waterfront lot would include those that not only abut a body of water or park, but those that abut an easement, private road, or other access point.

Finally, the board will listen to comments on a proposal to place clearing restrictions on residential lots in the village. The code amendment would allow 100 percent of a property up to 10,000 square feet to be cleared. Up to 75 percent of lots ranging in size from 10,001 to 15,000 square feet could be cleared, and 65 percent of lots between 15,001 to 20,000 feet could be cleared. Only 60 percent of lots larger than 20,000 square feet could be cleared.

The board meets at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, March 14, in the Municipal Building. The meeting will also be available via Zoom with the link available on the village’s website, sagharborny.gov.