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Sag Harbor Express / Editorials / 2227988

No Bargaining Chip

Editorial Board on Jan 24, 2024

As tempting as it is — as beneficial as it would be to protect a cluster of public parking spaces in crammed-up Sag Harbor — village officials have to resist the temptation to view the tussle over a piece of ground known colloquially as the gas ball lot as a bargaining chip.

Adam Potter holds the long-term lease on 5 Bridge Street, and the Public Service Commission has sided with him in determining who gets to use the property owned by National Grid. It’s a significant holding — 95 parking spaces — and the loss of those spaces will create even more congestion this summer, and in future summers.

If ongoing efforts to try to find a legal loophole that gets the village back in the game fall short, there is going to be a likely outcome: Potter will come to the table to talk about his new development proposal for retail space and apartments, and he’ll bring the gas ball lot under his arm. He said as much recently: “If the village wants to come to me, I’m more than willing to listen.”

Providing enough parking for his proposal is going to be a challenge, and it could well be that Potter will throw the gas ball lot into the mix, perhaps suggesting that the village gets to use the lot in exchange for zoning variances or other allowances that clears a path for his development proposal.

That would be poor planning. Regulatory boards are empowered with reviewing such proposals, and constantly moving the goal posts in order to solve other village issues leads to inconsistent, scattershot development that can be disastrous. Parking is valuable, but it cannot be swapped for something even more precious.

That’s not to say there’s no conversation to be had between the village and Potter — he deserves compensation for the property if it’s used as public parking, and there’s no reason not to try to find a price that’s reasonable. But it must be a stand-alone deal, not a wedge to something otherwise unpalatable for years to come.

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