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Sag Harbor Express / Editorials / 2071284

So Many Questions

Editorial Board on Jan 17, 2023

As with so much happening in Sag Harbor these days, last week’s abrupt news — that the Water Street Shops property, once envisioned as a permanent new home, wrapped in soaring architecture, for Bay Street Theater, is going back on the market — is a head-scratcher.

Friends of Bay Street’s ambitious purchase appeared to back up what theater officials have maintained for years: that its current leased home on Long Wharf, where it’s been for 30 years, is simply not adequate — that an extended lease there, no matter how generous, would not solve deeper issues with fundraising for a sustainable regional operation that can afford to house actors and production staff.

Thursday’s announcement suggests a reversal of that stance. Was it only a narrative floated to justify ambitions? Had the Friends of Bay Street hoped that pretty pictures and a sizable investment in parkfront property would rally community support and blow past objections? Or is it simply a case where Bay Street’s reach exceeded its grasp?

There are so many related transactions, it’s hard not to recall the whispering that greeted the purchases: that the 22 Long Island Avenue acquisition was less about a new theater, despite the slideshow, and more about a larger development plan that has never come into clear focus. Adam Potter’s subsequent proposal for a housing and commercial complex nearby looms large. And there’s also the neighboring 2 Main Street parcel, owned by a limited liability corporation believed to be linked to the other purchases: Mayor Jim Larocca has made no secret about his desire to obtain it for the John Steinbeck Waterfront Park, which could make it a valuable bargaining chip.

Setting aside all the moving parts, and the larger questions about the village’s development, Bay Street Theater really owes the community some transparency about its vision for the future. It’s a cultural icon and an important part of Sag Harbor Village, and its need to carve out a sustainable future has put it squarely in the middle of this morass. The new lease on its current home is only good through 2027. If the organization has a strategy — or needs to find one to survive — it needs to begin a conversation with the larger community. Deal-making in private will only get you so far.

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