Downtown Bridgehampton may become a historic district

Southampton Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman is leading efforts to make Bridgehampton’s business district a registered historic district recognized by New York State, reports 27east. If the area is successfully placed on the State Register of Historic Places, it will be the first in Southampton Town that is not within an incorporated village.

When Schneiderman was the East Hampton Town Supervisor, he also helped to establish the Amagansett Historic District.

In order to be placed on the register and be considered historic, the area must have a good amount of historic houses or buildings. For a building alone to be considered historic, it has to be at least 50 years old, have a notable resident, or be architecturally unique or significant.

Recognizing the area as a historic district would help to preserve the history of the area, but it would also put more restrictions on the buildings that are already within the district limits. Businesses planning to expand might face more obstacles in making structural changes to their buildings—and even something as simple as paint color could be up for debate.

• Southampton Town Board Considering Historic District in Downtown Bridgehampton [27east]