The Sag Harbor Village Board held a public hearing on a proposed law that would require vacant storefront windows to feature a window display when it met on Jan. 13 and, hearing no comment from the public, closed the hearing and quickly adopted the law.
The intent is to prevent vacant storefronts from negatively impacting the aesthetic character of the village. Window displays, according to the resolution adopting the law, “contribute to the vitality and economic health of the village’s business districts by visually connecting interior activities with public space and pedestrians on the street.” Vacant or boarded storefronts have a negative impact on that aesthetic character, the law
A storefront window is deemed vacant if no licensed business is conducted there for at least one month, and includes seasonal closures. Fine art, sculpture, photography, or the village’s logo are suggested examples of a window display.
Under the new law, the aggregate area of window displays cannot exceed 50 percent of the storefront window. Adhesive materials used to affix the window display cannot be visible from the outside of the storefront window. A window display must face the exterior of the storefront window and cannot be farther than three feet from the interior of the window. It may be illuminated by shielded, direct, white light sources not exceeding 75 watts and so that no glare extends beyond the property lines or disturbs the vision of passing motorists or constitutes a hazard to traffic. Window screening such as blinds, draperies, curtains, or a covering made of cardstock or paper covering any portion of the window is not considered a window display.
The law includes penalties in the form of a fine of between $1,000 and $2,500 upon conviction.
