Sag Harbor OKs New Waterfront Development Rules

The Village of Sag Harbor passed new zoning rules restricting development on the community’s popular waterfront, bringing to a close a debate that has proven pivotal in its local politics. 

The village board voted on January 11 to approve new Waterfront Overlay District rules, capping most new buildings on the waterfront to two stories, with an option for a third story for structures with a public benefit and coastal access, among other regulations. 

The goal was to enact “standards that guide the relationship between building facades and the public realm and protect against over-development on the waterfront,” according to the text of the legislation.

The village had enacted a moratorium on its waterfront development that was lifted upon passage of the zoning ordinance’s passage. The debate of the village waterfront was the main issue in last year’s village elections, when new Mayor James Larocca unseated then-Mayor Kathleen Mulcahy by a 22-vote margin.