Getting Serious About Sag Harbor

Faced with residents who have become more vocal about unwanted changes, the Sag Harbor Village Board is getting serious about how land-use decisions are made, and by whom. It is about time. The charm and sense of place that have characterized the village since its time as a thriving port is being threatened by overblown Hamptons-style construction, a good proportion of which, it is safe to say, is driven by speculators and investors.

The law does not allow building projects to be reviewed more strictly if they are for-profit ventures. Rather, the boards that oversee development, both in Sag Harbor and elsewhere, must apply the law and community common sense to each application, regardless of its backers’ motives. Noticing a spate of out-of-character projects and heeding protests from citizens, the Sag Harbor board recently shuffled its zoning and other appointed boards, bringing back some experienced hands to steady the ship. This includes appointing Anthony Brandt and Christopher Leonard to the board of historic preservation and architectural review and hiring an architectural historian, Zachary N. Studenroth, as a consultant.

Meanwhile, the board this week approved a construction moratorium on most new projects to buy time to study the staffing of the Building Department and possible zoning code changes. These moves strongly signal the village board’s interest in keeping Sag Harbor Sag Harbor — a place its residents and visitors know and love. They are to be commended.