Pay Attention

As promised, Sag Harbor Village Mayor Jim Larocca this week shared a new draft plan for proposed changes in zoning along the village’s waterfront. For those who have anxiously been watching as real estate in downtown Sag Harbor has changed hands — with most of those sales connected to related groups of investors — now is the time to get involved and pay close attention.

The conversation about changes to the village’s waterfront zoning predate many of the real estate transfers that have occurred in the last year and a half. It was conceived by a village board led by former Mayor Kathleen Mulcahy as a way to protect against the overdevelopment of the village’s most precious resource: its waterfront.

The original plans for a waterfront overlay district had plenty of ideas worthy of support, especially bans on condominiums, and height restriction and setbacks aimed at preserving waterfront views for the public. Unfortunately, it was also bogged down by changes that were not compliant with the village’s own “Planning Strategies” document, which, along with its Local Waterfront Revitalization Plan, serves as the closest thing to a comprehensive plan in the village.

Proposed changes to increase retail uses in the office district zone were gratefully abandoned after the Chamber of Commerce and the Sag Harbor Partnership opposed them. Also, some properties were not included in the original discussion, even though they are clearly on the waterfront.

The mayor has retained many aspects of the original planning work while calling for the district’s boundaries to be extended to include the Cormaria Retreat House to the east and the Villa condominiums, WLNG radio station, and Ship Ashore and Redwood Anchorage marinas to the west.

Again, now is the time for residents and business owners to become active in this conversation going forward. There has been some fear and anxiety among residents about the future of Sag Harbor, specifically on the west side of the village, where several properties have been purchased by people connected to Friends of Bay Street. With news breaking that Rose Cheng — who recently sold 2 Main Street, which houses KPasa and Espresso, among other businesses — had purchased the Main Street building that houses People’s United Bank, conspiracy theories abound, primarily because Ms. Cheng has other investors working with her. The reality is, it is common practice for commercial property owners to sell one property and reinvest in another for tax purposes.

However, because of a veil of secrecy cloaking many details of what will be proposed by members of Friends of Bay Street — for a new theater, and for the properties along Bridge and Rose streets — tensions are running high. The fact that principals in those projects have yet to publicly reveal their names is also no help in tamping down concerns about what might be coming down the pike.

At the end of the day, who owns these properties or is controlling the finances behind them is not as important as the process the village is about to launch. For those concerned about development, the zoning code is what protects communities from having a future wrested from their control. When zoning is done properly, it presents a road map for development goals and helps regulatory boards succeed in protecting those goals by clearly and succinctly offering a vision for the future.

Sag Harbor has successfully tackled a large code revision in the past — the 2009 code went a long way toward protecting the size, scale and aesthetic of Main Street. It was done in an open and transparent process with scores of public meetings and much community involvement.

There is no reason this new process cannot achieve the same success if the focus becomes less about individuals and more about protecting our waterfront for decades to come.