Transportation issues are on everyone's mind again even though the worst of the summer season is over. (So, you're thinking, "what's that got to do with affordable housing? -- wait, I'll get there.) The much hyped South Fork Commuter Connection (SFCC), comprised of extra Long Island Railroad trains between Speonk and Montauk, and feeder buses to take commuters from the ...   more »

There's a new and very active group in our community calling itself Save Sag Harbor. Its primary mission is to preserve Main Street's traditional look and business mix -- mostly small locally-owned stores and restaurants -- by preventing national chains and big box stores like CVS from moving in and driving up commercial rents to the point where they are ...   more »

Sometime it feels like we're living in the Land of No. There are quite a few things in recent memory to which one or another Sag Hampton group has said (or tried to say) NO!

Many folks said no to the NYS Department of Transportation a few years ago when they proposed a roundabout at the wharf end of Main ...   more »

Last Tuesday, a little jet-lagged, yet clear of purpose, I attended a public meeting called by the Planning Board of the Village of Sag Harbor to hear public comments on the proposed condominium project at the old Bulova watchcase factory. I went to speak, or more accurately, to lobby for the inclusion of some affordable units among the 81 condominiums proposed for this site. I figured that I would be one of two or three speakers to bring up this issue, and that I already knew who else would speak on this topic. Never assume... ...   more »

Ordinarily, you wouldn't expect to find a lot of similarities between Sag Harbor and Brooklyn. But while reading an Op-Ed piece in Saturday's New York Times by Jennifer Egan (author of the novel The Keep), about the proposed Atlantic Yards development in Brooklyn, I was surprised at just how many parallels exist between Brooklyn's struggle with that project, and our own issues   more »

A couple of weeks ago I made a list of some positive developments here in Sag Hampton in an effort to cheer myself (and you, if you needed it) up. It worked. I had a very pleasant holiday, barely giving a thought to local issues. I hope your holidays were equally pleasant. I called that post "The Good" and promised "The Bad and the Ugly" would follow. With the holidays over, now is as good a time as any to explore the clouds whose silver lining I praised last time. ...   more »

OK, so it's the week before Christmas (Hanukkah's already underway) and I'm pretty grumpy about how slowly grind the wheels of progress around here. But grumpy is just not an appropriate way to be feeling at this time of year. So, I've made myself a deal. Today, I'll make a list of the positive developments in the Sag Hampton area in an attempt ...   more »

Today, we look at some pictures of the changing face of Sag Harbor, and ask some hard questions...Is bigger better? Is newer nicer? One family or two?   more »

Someone was quoted recently in a local paper as saying -- and I paraphrase -- "sure we need affordable housing in Sag Harbor, but it wouldn't be appropriate to put it in the new condos that are going up on the waterfront or in the Bulova building." And, this was not the developer speaking. Well, if not there, where?   more »

A few days ago a comment was posted here by an anonymous Saghampton reader, who felt he or she was being forced to leave the area due to the high cost of living here. I was going to reply directly to the comment, but thought the issue could use a bit more exposure, so I'm putting my response here in ...   more »