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Four contiguous lots totaling 3.37 acres on the north side of Marsden Street in Sag Harbor are in contract, sold for an undisclosed sum, after being listed for $9 million by Saunders and Associates.
Cailin Riley reports on 27east.com that the lots — which have been owned by the Trunzo family for 50 years, and vacant for as long — were the subject of much controversy last year, as the Sag Harbor School District, with Pierson High School just across the street from the lots, had sought to buy them and expand the school district’s comparatively small footprint, for potential development into athletic fields or other school use that would have been determined with community input.
That opportunity slipped away on May 16, 2023, when a proposition on the school budget vote to purchase the four Marsden Street lots — as well as a smaller fifth lot across the street, also owned by the Trunzo family — with a combination of a $6 million bond and $3.425 million from capital reserves was voted down by district residents by a narrow margin, 1,156-1,081. Earlier this week, Pat Trunzo III when asked what the new owners might do with the property he said, “they’re building lots, so I’m sure they’re going to build houses on them.”
Proponents of the district’s proposal to purchase the lots were eager to see the land provide more opportunities for student-athletes because Sag Harbor School District lacks enough space to build a sufficient number of athletic fields for its interscholastic sports teams. As a result, teams have been forced to practice and play at Mashashimuet Park, located 1.1 miles away from the school.
The district pays a six-figure sum to the park annually to use its facilities, and much needed capital improvements at the park would likely need to be funded by the district.
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The MTA is set to vote tomorrow on finalizing its congestion pricing plan, which now includes a few more exemptions, such as one for a popular east end bus company. Alfonso A. Castillo reports on Newsday.com that Metropolitan Transportation Authority officials confirmed Monday that the agency’s full board will vote Wednesday on the toll rates for its Central Business District Tolling Program, which will charge most vehicles $15 for driving below 60th Street in Manhattan during peak hours.
MTA officials hope to begin charging the new tolls in June, but have acknowledged that several pending lawsuits could delay the plan.
Juliette Michaelson, MTA deputy chief of police and external relations, said in a statement that the plan being considered by the board will be “closely tied” to the version recommended by an MTA advisory panel in October, but “with certain clarifications that include items raised by the City of New York and others.”
Those clarifications include granting exemptions to school buses contracted with the New York City Department of Education, commuter vans licenses by the NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission, and bus companies providing scheduled commuter services, like Hampton Jitney…a private bus company which has sought to be granted an exemption, just as MTA buses will receive, because it too will help reduce automobile traffic coming into the city. The congestion pricing guidelines previously offered exemptions only to buses operating under government contracts.
Hampton Jitney runs an express deluxe motor coach service between Manhattan and eastern Long Island.
Patrick Condren, of BUS4NYC, a private bus operator advocacy group, said the previous plan had unfairly disqualified bus operators like Hampton Jitney, which, like public operators, run on fixed routes, and offer frequent, published schedules.
“All buses carrying the public, regardless of where they go, are part of the solution, not part of the problem,” he said at a public hearing last month.
