With Little Fanfare, Sag Harbor Village Board Adopts Affordable Housing Laws

With little discussion other than an acknowledgment that further amendments would probably be necessary, the Sag Harbor Village Board on Tuesday, June 14, passed three local laws intended to make it easier to develop affordable housing in the village.

The move, greeted by applause by many in the audience, capped a whirlwind effort that began with a challenge from Trustee Thomas Gardella to solve the affordable housing crisis at the first meeting of Mayor Jim Larocca’s administration last July.

Earlier this year, Trustees Ed Haye and Bob Plumb, working with Village Attorney Elizabeth Vail, proposed the three laws that were adopted Tuesday.

One measure makes it easier for property owners to build accessory apartments on residential properties by making it matter of right handled by the Building Department as opposed to a use requiring a special exception permit approved by the Planning Board. The second allows the construction of three-story, mixed-use buildings with commercial uses on the ground floor and affordable apartments on the upper floors in the office district and village business zones. A third measure would set up a program to administer affordable housing programs in the village — a task that would be outsourced to East Hampton and Southampton towns, which already have their own housing offices.

“We have endeavored to get this right,” said Haye. “We have a good set of amendments to implement, but I want to stress there is still work to be done.”

He said the Village Board would continue to monitor state legislation that would allow tax breaks, forgivable loans, and other measures for those who provide affordable housing, as well as the actions of East Hampton and Southampton towns, which are creating housing plans that are required so they can hold referendums to institute the Community Housing Fund, which will be funded by a half-percent real estate transfer tax to be earmarked for affordable housing.

“This represents a lot of work, and we have listened to a lot people, and we have covered it well as far as I’m concerned,” added Plumb.

The board also zipped through a half dozen other hearings, agreeing to a ban on releasing helium balloons, adopting a rental registry for summer rentals that will allow participants to collect rent up front, and allowing members of public bodies to participate in meetings via teleconferencing.

The board also heard from attorney Denise Vista of the Amato Law Group in Garden City, who informed the board that Verizon would be filing an application in the coming days to replace the existing 155-foot-tall lattice broadcasting antenna at WLNG with a monopole that would both house the station’s antenna plus an assortment of cellular antennas that would be concealed from view.

The effort, which requires a special exception permit from the Village Board, has been widely expected, for more than a year, and has encountered strong opposition from neighbors, who say it will devalue their property.

Plumb asked Vista if the company could build the tower at the Verizon building on the Bridgehampton-Sag Harbor Turnpike, just south of the village, but she said the location would not be suitable.

Gardella asked WLNG owners Sandra Foschi and Bill Evans, who were in the audience, if it was true that the station’s survival depended upon replacing the tower. Foschi replied that the station could not afford to dismantle its aging tower and erect a new one without Verizon’s aid.

Although some in the audience sought to challenge the proposal, Larocca put an end to the discussion, saying the matter could be more fully vetted once a formal application is filed.

In other action, the board approved the request of the Sag Harbor Community Band to hold its summertime concerts from 7 to 9 p.m. on Tuesday nights from July 5 through August 30 at the American Legion Hall, with village police being enlisted to close Bay Street to traffic during the performances so spectators can set up folding chairs and listen to the shows.

In the past, Police Chief Austin McGuire said it was not safe to allow spectators to sit in the street during the summer season, adding that he did not have enough officers to staff the weekly shows.

Larocca said band representatives and village officials would work on a permanent solution that could move the band’s concerts to John Steinbeck Waterfront Park, starting next year.