Let’s look at some pictures. This house…
used to be about the same size as this house
The next image shows the approximate size and location of the house before it was renovated and expanded.
Is bigger better?
At one time, many houses in the Harbor looked a lot like this next one.
Today, more and more of these traditional homes look like this…
Is newer, nicer?
And finally, this renovated single-family house used to be a multi-family dwelling with several apartments.
Is less more?
Here are a few of my thoughts on this subject:
- Bigger houses are more expensive to buy, maintain, heat and cool, putting them out of reach of all but wealthy second-home owners.
- Renovated historic buildings are certainly pretty, but an entire village of renovated structures doesn’t have the same charm as one that is a mixture of old and new, pristine and run down, neat and messy. And renovations such as those shown above also raise the price of a house to a point well beyond the means of all but the wealthy.
- When homes like the one shown above were converted to apartments they provided reasonably-priced housing for several moderate-income working families. Now, this house will provide a second home for one wealthy family.
Sag Harbor’s stock of existing housing has been going upscale for quite a few years now. Lately, the pace of change has accelerated. Are we heading in the right direction? If not, how can we apply the brakes before it’s too late? This is an emotional issue for me. I liked Sag Harbor fine just the way it was before everything was blown up and fixed up. As a result, perhaps I’m not thinking too clearly. Your ideas on this subject are needed. Feel free to share them here, especially if you see things differently than I do.
Here’s one more for good measure…a large house becoming a McMansion. You can’t actually see the full size of this one from this photo. There’s lots going on in the rear too.
You make good points. The issues you raise and more, are common to communities throughout the USA.
The difference between those who deal with them successfully and those who let chance and market forces rule, is the existance of a master plan for the community in question.
The one given is that there will be change – will a community control and shape or be its victim ?
Sag Harbor has no such master plan and only a glimmer that anyone even thinks it is needed. Yet each week, issues large and small are decided in a vacuum as if none of them relate to the other. All this aggravated by the nature of small town government, staffed by smart and well meaning citizens who are often technically deficient in the skill sets required for some of the decision making involved. In cases like Sag Harbor’s a detailed master plan that amateur officials and board members can follow to the letter is even more important than in larger communities where there may be a better chance of drawing on professionals to staff these posts.
If yoiu have attended any Sag Harbor board meetings, you know what I mean here. Lots of good people but an appaling lack of technical knowledge or even a consistent approach to the decisions at hand.