PROJECTS
Sag Harbor Partnership works with community organizations and Sag Harbor Village government on projects that both preserve and enhance the character of this vibrant place.
downtown sag harbor intiative
Sag Harbor Partnership has launched a new initiative focused on preserving the unique character, diversity, and long-term vitality of Sag Harbor’s downtown business district.
For generations, downtown Sag Harbor has been defined by its independent shops, locally owned restaurants, historic architecture, walkable streets, and vibrant mix of year-round residents and visitors. Together, these qualities have created a village center that feels distinct from other commercial districts across the East End — a place shaped not by uniformity, but by local identity, small businesses, and community life.
In recent years, however, residents, business owners, and community leaders have expressed increasing concern about the pressures facing downtown Sag Harbor, including rising commercial rents, changing retail trends, and the increasing presence of formula retail in nearby communities. Many fear that without thoughtful long-term planning, Sag Harbor could gradually lose some of the very qualities that make the Village so special.
In response, SHP has convened discussions with local stakeholders, planning professionals, and community leaders to explore proactive strategies that could help preserve the character and economic diversity of downtown while continuing to support a healthy and thriving business environment.
SHP is currently coordinating the first phase of a professional planning and research effort that will help evaluate potential tools, policies, and economic strategies available to the Village and broader community. Phase 1 will include preliminary research, interviews with business owners and community leaders, and a site visit to help refine recommendations and determine the scope of future work.
This initiative is not about preventing change or limiting economic activity. Rather, it is about helping ensure that future growth strengthens — rather than diminishes — the qualities that make Sag Harbor one of the most unique and beloved villages on the East End.
Sag Harbor Partnership is currently raising funds to support Phase 1 of the initiative.
saving the sag harbor firehouse museum!
Efforts are now officially underway to restore a wonderful Sag Harbor Village asset, which served as a museum honoring the extraordinary history of the first volunteer Fire Department on the East End of Long Island, also acknowledged to be the first Volunteer Fire Department in New York State.
This handsome 1833 building was originally built by the Presbyterian Church as a lecture hall and community meeting space before the Old Whaler’s Church opened its doors. It was acquired by the village in 1856 and served a variety of functions over the years, including as a village hall and jail, with a bell which will toll again!
The Sag Harbor Firehouse Museum functioned as a dream-come-true museum for children, with firetrucks, both miniature and full-scale, to be enjoyed; old leather fire buckets used in fire brigades; a colorful 20-foot mural hailing from a renovation that took place in the 1970s; filigrees and old fonts on elegant ancient proclamations; and many other charming, mysterious and colorful objects that made its history a joy to experience for people of all ages.
The Partnership is honored to have been chosen to shepherd its renovation and reopening, so that it will remain in the Village in perpetuity as a monument to the extraordinary history and heroism of our Fire Department here in Sag Harbor. It will also stand as an acknowledgement that reflects our history of pulling together in good times and bad, to keep our Village strong, and its community safe. It is a project we can all celebrate together!
We cannot do this without you!
SAG HARBOR WATER QUALITY INITIATIVE
In 2018, Sag Harbor Partnership worked with the Sag Harbor Yacht Club, Sag Harbor Village, and East Hampton and Southampton Town Trustees to raise funds for a study of the water quality in Sag Harbor. The two-year study (April–October in 2018 and 2019) was undertaken by Dr. Christopher Gobler of Stony Brook University’s School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences in Southampton. We continue to support Dr. Gobler’s work, which is ongoing and essential to our health, environment, and prosperity