City presents access plan for John Steinbeck property

SOUTHAMPTON, NY — With the public hearing continuing on the proposed access plan for the John Steinbeck property located at 2 Bluff Lane in Sag Harbor, the city council has provided public access to the plan.

The public hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, February 14 at 1:00 p.m., both in person at the Southampton City Hall conference room, located at 116 Hampton Road in Southampton, and via video conference.

Having the Access Plan before the public hearing will give interested parties an opportunity to review it and offer comments on the record, city officials said.

If participating via video conference, the public can watch the meeting live online either from Southampton Town's website on the Town Clerk's Meeting Portal or via the Zoom app. You can get feedback during the meeting via Zoom. Comments may also be sent up to one hour before the meeting begins to the Town Clerk at townclerk@southamptontownny.gov.

The 1.8-acre parcel at the end of Bluff Point Lane was purchased by John and Elaine Steinbeck in 1955 and nearly 50 years later is still in the family, city officials said. In 1938 the area was developed as Beach Haven, also known as Nunna Koma Park, and promoted with the slogan “Get back to a simple life”.

West of the village of Sag Harbor and at the end of a peninsula, the Steinbeck Cottage at 2 Bluff Point Lane fronts Morris and Upper Sag Harbor coves. The wooded property includes the pre-WWII main house, a cottage, a two-car garage, a swimming pool, a 60-foot pier and the pinnacle, the circa-1958 writing studio designed by the Nobel laureate himself to it resembles a small lighthouse. He called it Joyous Garde, after Sir Lancelot's castle, the town said.

The Steinbecks bought the property shortly after their first summer visit in 1953. They immediately joined the Sag Harbor Yacht Club and subscribed to the local newspaper, the Sag Harbor Express. What developed was a historic relationship with the Village of Sag Harbor as the couple fell in love with its seaside character and its people, who reciprocated in the best way they knew how, leaving him alone to live quietly and it says, city. the officials said.

Steinbeck got so confused there that people used to joke that one of the village's favorite pastimes was counting how many times “Sag Harbor” was mentioned in 1962's “Travels with Charley,” officials added.

And then there were the efforts to identify “local” neighbors in our “Winter of Discontent,” a way to help get through the winter months, officials said.

The aim and objective of the proposed public access agreement is to provide a balance between public access and use as a writer's residence so that both the public and the new managers of the property understand the same, officials. he said.

Holiday Open Houses are available to the public by reservation on the following weekends:

1. Memorial Day Weekend (Saturday, Sunday, Monday)
2. Labor weekend (Saturday, Sunday, Monday)
3. Columbus Day Weekend (Saturday, Sunday, Monday)

• Holiday weekends will allow visitors between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m
• Holiday weekends will allow a maximum of 20 people per hour.
• Visitors must be accompanied by a Steinbeck House representative.

During these open houses, the general public will have access to the buildings of the property, but not to the bedrooms of the house if there is an author in residence, without appointment or restrictions. There will be a simple online booking system available to the general public.

By appointment Property visits:

Summer (June, July and August)

• Access to the property will be open to the public from noon to 4pm on two Saturdays a month during the summer season. (by appointment only)

Off season (September to May)

1. Access will be available to the public every Saturday from noon to 4pm. (by appointment only)

Thanksgiving and winter holiday restrictions

1. Access will be restricted during: November 15 to December 1 and December 15 to January 3 (due to limited volunteer staff)

All appointment groups will be limited to groups of 10, in addition to the 10 groups arriving by boat.

Access by boat:

1. Boat access is limited to weekends and Bank Holiday Saturdays, according to the itineraries above.
2. Each boat group will be limited to 10 passengers/guests.
3. One boat group per hour will access the property, with a maximum of 4 boat groups per day.
4. Boat teams will have access to the author's pavilion, although there will be no access to the interior of the main house or other outbuildings during these appointments.

Parking is limited when visiting the property due to limited spaces, although at least five parking spaces must be available to the public, including one designated ADA compliant parking lot, overflow parking spaces are expected on busy weekends as well as shuttle service. bus to provide adequate parking accommodation at the particular property. Vehicles with a capacity of more than 15 seats are not allowed on this property. Bus access is encouraged due to limited parking spaces

Additional public interaction:

An annual one-day sponsored writing course will be sponsored by Steinbeck in the subject capacity for middle school students attending high schools for students residing in the city of Southampton. Each such high school may, at its option, provide a maximum of two high school students to take the writing course. The class will allow local students to work directly with writers in residence. This is intended to allow aspiring writers to be inspired and interact with writers in residence.

Outreach programs will be led by the Michener Center, focusing on the specific writer-in-residence in any era, depending on the writer-in-residence.

“The property must be managed with respect so that the environment is not negatively affected
residential neighborhoods and will be managed and operated in accordance with general property maintenance and noise regulations in accordance with all local, county, state and federal regulations,” officials said.