Save Sag Harbor has worked in partnership with government officials to strengthen local zoning codes and to protect the character and scale of our village. Our accomplishments include:

Residential

GFA

In 2015, residential areas inside and outside of Sag Harbor’s historic district received an increased number of requests for, and approvals of, new construction and additions that were out of keeping with the architectural scale and authentic character of our Village.

To raise awareness, promote discussion, and generate useful feedback, Save Sag Harbor launched a media campaign. We purchased a series of full-page ad spreads in the Sag Harbor Express to delineate the specific challenges to existing codes that were occurring and to explain the potential overall impact seemingly isolated approvals of variances might have on the community.

We spearheaded a petition-signing campaign in which more than 1,200 respondents demanded protective action. Their voices were heard. The effort resulted in a strengthening of the code and of the oversight process. It also resulted in the institution of a new Gross Floor Area Ratio that sharply reduced the allowable size of development relative to the size of the property.

National Registered Historic District

Sag Harbor is listed as a National Registered Historic District. It is protected on a local and state level by code and by recommended guidelines aimed at maintaining architectural character and historic authenticity. Our work helps the village maintain the prized designation. Our work also helps residents, architects, realtors, town planners, and elected and appointed official interpret best standards and practices.

We have educated and re-educated our board members through educational seminars in partnership with the Sag Harbor Historical Society. We’ve underwritten the reproduction and dissemination of important documents to board members, the Village Hall, and John Jermain Library. These include the “LWRP” and the “Cultural Resources Information System Guide,” which outlines the 840 “contributing structures” deemed worthy of protecting in Sag Harbor Village.

2 West Water

In 2019, we worked to educate the community on the impact that the proposed development at 2 West Water Street would have on the village. Because this project was tied to plans for the proposed John Steinbeck Memorial Park; allowances were made for zoning that might not otherwise have been made. Nine zoning variances were awarded.

Our concerns related not only to the scale of the project but to how it was being represented to the public and to the approval process problems it revealed. We commissioned a video rendering that expanded the number of views seen and that increased the accuracy of those views. This allowed the viewer to grasp the impact of the proposed buildings on the streetscape and view-shed from the water. Because of our efforts, the developers agreed to reduce the massing of one of the three buildings.

6 Union Street, The “Murporgo House”

Save Sag Harbor led the charge in convincing the Village Board of Trustees to follow the code and allow an engineer and preservationist to determine the fate of 6 Union Street, also known as the Murpurgo House, thus preventing demolition. Considered for many years to be a safety hazard due to its neglected state, we arranged for the head of Preservation Long Island to speak on behalf of its condition, provenance, and importance. When eventually the house was renovated, it was found to have been older than originally expected, dating from the Pre-Revolutionary War era.

125 Main Street

Save Sag Harbor spoke out against the proposed renovation of 125 Main Street, one of the oldest structures in the commercial district. The owner wanted to replace the original side-by-side windows, which are a hallmark of the Greek Revival Style, with a single large picture window, and furthermore to do so with vinyl rather than wood. This came at an important time as this conversation opened up decisions being made that were out of keeping with best practices of preservation, and ultimately led to the addition of a preservation consultant to the Board of Historic Preservation and Architectural Review.

258 Main Street, The L’Hommedieu House

In 2017, Save Sag Harbor was dismayed to hear about a proposed change to the L’Hommedieu House on Main Street, a pristine and unusual example of a brick Greek Revival townhouse of the kind commonly found in Manhattan. The new owners wanted to raise the roof and add a pitch so as to create extra height for a third story. Save Sag Harbor sent out alerts to our membership for their voices to be heard at public meetings, and a letter to the editor urging the Board of Historic Preservation and Architectural Review to deny the variance request. We are happy to report that our efforts paid off and the proposal was abandoned.

Commercial

Zoning Code

We supported the passage of Sag Harbor Village's Commercial District Zoning Code by conducting research, community outreach, petitions, and fundraising events. The Zoning Code is the most effective tool we have in controlling overdevelopment and maintaining the vibrancy of our business/retail environment. 

Harbor Heights

Since 2012, Save Sag Harbor has led the fight to reduce the number of variances requested on the building application for the Harbor Heights gas station on Route 114. The location of the property is at the gateway to the village, adjacent to its historic district, and the impact its expansion would have on the neighborhood would be significant. In September, 2016, we hired lawyer Jeffrey Bragman to write to the Planning Board and request a SEQRA Type 1 action on the proposed filling station and auto body expansion.

The Planning Board held a hearing as required under SEQRA and determined that a full EIS was mandated. We were ultimately successful in reducing the number of variances from 17 to one.

Sag Harbor Cinema

Save Sag Harbor financed a study in 2009 to examine the feasibility of purchasing the Sag Harbor Cinema from its then owner and to create a Cinema Arts Center intended to serve the community and the East End of Long Island in myriad ways. Many of the original participants in this study sponsored by Save Sag Harbor are now involved in the creation of the Sag Harbor Cinema Arts Center.

Environmental

Wetlands

We worked with the Village Board of Trustees on the creation of an accurate, high-definition Village Wetlands Map to replace the DEC Suffolk County Wetlands Map in order to better serve the needs of those working to protect the wetlands as an environmental treasure, a habitat for wildlife, and a critical component to the water drainage system.

Village

We have utilized the power of our newsletter with its 1,700 readers to notify the community of environmental threats, stressors, and actions taken in response to the same in districts beyond the village boundaries, such as water contamination resulting from chemical pollution beneath the Sand Land Mine in Noyac, the proposed burying of cables on Long Beach, the remediation of Haven’s Beach after disruptive dredging, and the environmental impact of the impound yard adjacent to the Long Pond Greenbelt.