Dan's Papers - July 25, 2008

Every year the Bulova Watch Case building in Sag Harbor crumbles a little more. For years now, the old building has been in need of major restoration and a jolt of energy. Built in 1881, the Bulova Watch Case Factory was the center of Sag Harbor's industrial economy. But since Sag Harbor has been added to "The Hamptons," the Bulova building has been viewed by developers as an exciting piece of real estate. For well over 20 years, however, no developers have been able to go near it, primarily because it was the location of a superfund toxic waste site. One developer, Sag Development Partners LLC, has finally managed to get the okay from the Sag Harbor Village Zoning Board to rebuild and revamp the Bulova building. For more than two years, they've been trying to get the building renovated and turned into luxury townhouses, despite many obstacles thrown at them.

The deteriorating building has been considered a toxic waste site for years, because workers dumped toxic metals into the drainage systems while making watch cases. It has since been cleaned up, but the process was not easy. But when it was remedied, the Sag Harbor Zoning Board very much wanted the developers to include affordable housing units in their plans.

The affordable housing issue has been a sticking point between the board and Sag Development Partners because, when they ran the numbers, they realized that it wasn't going to be worth it for them to build the townhouses and sell so many at below market value.

Meeting after meeting ensued, and many thought that the Bulova Watch Case building was doomed to sit in perpetual deterioration, sort of as a reminder of how difficult it is to change anything in Sag Harbor. While some felt that in an odd way, this was a good thing, others stood by in shock as this completely useless and horrendously ugly building continued to stand right smack in the middle of one of the wealthiest communities in America.

A few months ago, Sag Development Partners canceled a meeting with the Sag Harbor Zoning Board, a signal to the board that the developers were thinking about no longer moving forward with the development. Some speculated that a weak real estate market caused them rethink their plans.

But just last Tuesday, the two entities reached an agreement, much to the delight of most people in the village. Instead of building affordable housing units, the Zoning Board has agreed to accept a sort of above board pay off: $2.5 million to be deposited in a local housing trust which will be used to support local families that need money for a down payment on a home. This solution, when approved, was welcomed with applause after a unanimous vote.

Something of great interest happened during the vote. Board member Kathleen Radziewicz asked of all in attendance: Who would prefer to live in a Bulova condo rather than get assistance for a down payment on a home? Nobody stepped forward, signaling to the room that nobody was opposed to the $2.5 million payment option. With so much battling over rejecting the payment and fighting instead for the affordable housing option, it was an odd moment when Radziewicz said, "Maybe we're fighting for nobody?"

With the affordable housing issue behind, it would seem that finally, everybody is in agreement that what's best for Sag Harbor in regard to the Bulova building has just taken place. Indeed, it seems that we're finally going to see the Bulova building turned into something useful. But until the ground is actually broken and the construction begins, there are many who have seen the Bulova building remain unchanged for the last two decades, and thus remain a little skeptical.