Good Ground Can Be Great

It was 100 years ago when the hamlet of Good Ground saw a name change to Hampton Bays, hoping to join the growing caché of neighborhoods to the east, a milestone celebrated over the weekend. (A century later, it seems an error not to have gone with an alternative, “Bay Hampton,” but let’s not quibble.)

Image has always been an issue in Hampton Bays: The last downtown before crossing the Shinnecock Canal into loftier real estate has always had an inferiority complex. Despite its moniker, it’s really a “Hampton” only by extension, along with Westhampton Beach.

But that’s not all bad. The New York Times, a few years back, favorably labeled the west-of-the-canal communities “The Plain-Jane Hamptons” and, more recently, quoted a local real estate spokesman calling Hampton Bays itself “the Brooklyn of the Hamptons.” Brenda Sinclair Berntson, president of the Hampton Bays Historical Society, recently embraced the hamlet’s not-quite-as-good-ground status, despite the grasp at grandeur a century ago with the name change: “We are not the cool kids.”

Hampton Bays in 2022 is many things: Southampton Town’s largest individual community, with more people than any of its villages; soaring in property value, as more and more people are priced out of points east and find better value there anyway; a diverse collection of year-round and part-time, English- and Spanish-speaking, wealthy and blue collar.

And despite sprouts of promising new features — including a beautiful park and a redevelopment of the nearby canal to accommodate more transient visitors — its downtown is dated and, frankly, homely. There are wonderful shops and restaurants, but the mishmash of planning failures have created a business district that’s schizophrenic, part strip mall and part storefront. It’s hard to imagine Hampton Bays as a destination in the same way as East Hampton, Sag Harbor — or, now, Westhampton Beach. It’s a drive-through.

The recent unpleasantness around the Hampton Bays Downtown Overlay District debate, which need not be rehashed since it’s fresh on everyone’s minds, overshadows a simple fact: Hampton Bays definitely needs the attention from Town Hall, and a redevelopment is an opportunity for the former Good Ground to become a truly 21st century community, with a healthy mix of commercial and residential.

The town bungled the conversation so far, but Hampton Bays residents shouldn’t respond by walking away from it. They have demanded to be heard — 500 strong at the recent Civic Association event, which is a remarkable turnout — and should keep up that demand. The conversation must take place.

Hampton Bays can’t just keep treading water. Like the proverbial shark, it’s dying without forward movement. Mistakes of the past are ensconced in the present, everywhere you look, but the future holds opportunities. It’s time to think about what Good Ground really could be, with some investment and a real plan.

A local developer, Alfred Caiola, clearly has interest in transforming the downtown after buying up much of the north side of Main Street, and town officials are willing to listen. This is a combination that comes rarely. It’s a risky endeavor, and it’s transactional by nature: All sides must get something out of the final deal.

Residents are right to be skeptical and wary. Too much of the conversation so far has taken place behind closed doors, and then was being pitched to the community, rather than involving local voices from the start. But there’s a second chance to do it right, and nobody should be in a snit and miss it. The hamlet needs this conversation, badly.

A worthwhile vision for Hampton Bays creates a more lively mix of businesses that makes a visit to the downtown worth the trip. Having a major artery running through the center of town is an obstacle, but it’s not insurmountable. Creating a link with Good Ground Park, perhaps by expanding the business district north with new streets as proposed, is ambitious, but it could be transformational. A new sewage treatment plant is essential to both the business district and the rest of Hampton Bays.

The knee-jerk reaction from some residents is against adding housing to the mix — Hampton Bays, indeed, has created more than its share of affordable housing over the years. But that narrative is wrong: The local school district has seen falling enrollment in recent years, with expectations of further decline, as so much of the taxpaying base evolves into part-time housing. There is room for apartments in a downtown revitalization. In fact, it’s essential to bring life to the moribund street scene.

There is so much to discuss, and so many opinions to hear, before anything is decided. But, Hampton Bays, embrace the moment. A hundred years ago, aspiration led to a name change. Today, with a little creativity and a lot of patience, Good Ground can become truly great.