Strolling through Sag Harbor
in the past couple of years, James Henry felt increasingly anxious.
First, developers announced plans to build three condominium projects with more than 125 units. Then new owners
took over three buildings on Main Street, stoking fears that shopkeepers would lose their leases. And newspapers
reported about real estate brokers scouting sites for out-of-town coffee chains and clothing stores.
Henry -- a lawyer, author and free-speech activist who has lived in Sag Harbor for nearly 25 years -- decided to
run for Southampton Town supervisor this fall so that he could prevent Sag Harbor from becoming "just another
boring place with the same chains and big box stores as everywhere else."
Then, in May, in his second-floor office overlooking yachts in the harbor,
Henry opened a certified letter from his landlord's attorney. He and the other tenants learned that the landlord
planned to evict them to build a 17,000-square-foot CVS on Water Street just off Main.
Suddenly, a fight that had been about architecture and aesthetics had become more personal. Summer and full-time
residents are uniting to stop what many call "CVS by the sea." In May, they pressured the Sag Harbor
village to enact a six-month moratorium on large commercial projects while it revises zoning codes.
The CVS has become the symbol of what they see as the possible destruction of the village that has long prided
itself as the East End's "un-Hampton."
"Sag Harbor is still a place where you can afford to buy at the stores and eat at the restaurants," said
Stan Weiss, co-owner of the Sag Harbor Pharmacy, which has been in the same spot on Main Street since 1890. "Now
people are afraid they can no longer afford to live in their own town."
Weiss pointed out that the planned CVS is more than eight times as large as his 2,000-square-foot store. "If
they opened a small store," he said, "I wouldn't like it but at least it would be in keeping with the
town."
The CVS plans have united people who often disagree. Republicans who describe themselves as pro-growth have spoken
out against it. Mayor Gregory Ferraris said he has received about 120 letters opposing the CVS and none in favor.
"The question is whether a community has the right to have its own brand, its own identity," said Henry.
"We attract interesting people because we have interesting culture and interesting architecture."
Even as the chain and condo proposals loom, Sag Harbor retains the air of a slightly quirky town. "Obscure
regional questions answered to the best of our ability - $1," read a poster outside the Sag Harbor Express
newspaper office. Nearby, a flyer asked for help finding a lost dog -- a shih tzu-Lhasa mix "that looks like
an ewok from Star Wars."
Main Street is enlivened by small galleries, ice cream shops and independent bookstores -- institutions activists
fear are imperiled by threatened rent increases by new owners of downtown buildings.
Brian Boyhan, editor of the Express, says tourists and residents agree that they don't want Sag Harbor to turn
into another East Hampton. Here, "East Hampton" conjures not images of elegance, but a downtown with
stores too precious for the locals.
Today's tensions echo those from 20 years ago, when a 7-Eleven went up on Water Street. Now that it is on the site
of the proposed CVS, many see it as a local icon worth saving.
Residents are divided about other changes, including three proposed condominium developments. The smallest, with
20 units, would be on the site of a former night club on West Water Street. Nearby, the same developer wants to
build 22 condominiums by the bridge to North Haven.
The largest project, at the abandoned Bulova Watchcase Factory, would have 63 apartments and 18 units resembling
town houses.
The turnaround of the Bulova factory, which closed in 1981, reflects Sag Harbor's soaring real estate values. Contaminated
by metals and placed on the New York State Superfund list, the four-story brick building turned into a dilapidated
hulk.
"We're going to restore one of the most significant historical buildings in Sag Harbor to its glory,"
said David Kronman, a project developer for Cape Advisors, a Manhattan company that bought the building for $16
million.
Neighbors predict that the units will sell for more than $1 million each. But Kronman would say only that prices
will be "market-driven."
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