Sand City is an asset to the community

Roughly three hours from now, the future of Sand City will be debated before the Village of Northport Zoning Board. I write this piece as a native Northporter who graduated from Northport High School and spent my youth frequenting Harbor Trading, the Sweet Shop and the Village Park. My friends and family still live in Northport. I love this town, this community and this brewery.

Establishments like Sand City underpin some of the most vibrant and wholesome communities in our nation, offering a place for people to converse, feel a sense of community, and enjoy a variety of creative and delicious craft beers. Furthermore, establishments where people go to have a drink and share ideas have long played an important role in American history and culture, right from our very founding as a nation through the Stonewall riots of the 60s and beyond. Their cultural significance cannot be understated.

Beyond the community and cultural significance of establishments like Sand City, there are economic implications to consider when discussing shuttering Sand City. In 2012, legislation was passed at the state level to help grow and expand the craft beer industry in New York, a nod by state lawmakers of the important role that craft breweries play in their local economies. Furthermore, according to the Brewers Association, while overall beer volume sales were static in 2016, craft brewery sales grew by 6.2% to comprise a total of 12.3% of the beer market by volume. This production grew most amongst microbreweries. All told, retail sales of craft beer increased 10% to $23.5 billion of the $107.6 billion U.S. beer market. With Sand City, Northport plays a part in that intensely popular and growing market.

Friends and co-workers of mine have made trips to Northport from other places on Long Island for the specific purpose of visiting Sand City. On any given day walking around downtown, my family and I have directed numerous enthusiastic and excited people to their location. In short, Sand City is an attraction and a valuable, marketable asset to the Village of Northport.

One needs look no further than Bay Shore, Greenpoint, Montauk and Port Jefferson to see a few examples of how popular these sort of establishments are and how important they are to their communities. With Sand City, Northport is in that conversation, without it, Northport loses an important draw to the community.

Sand City is a business that has breathed a new and different kind of life into the culture of Northport Village. A culture that in and of itself is already admirable and desirable, but one that is made more so by the diversification of its retail and social options offered by the brewery. I feel it would behoove both the Village and the brewery if both sides were to work together diligently and with an open mind to address the issues that have arisen.

After researching the issues at hand, I feel it is shortsighted and irresponsible for a small town government to take such an aggressive stance towards businesses of any kind, especially those with such a huge upside. The Village needs to maintain its vitality, its quirky character and charm that we all love so much about it. Establishments like Sand City are part of that quirky character, and they should be fostered and worked with, not run out of town like a band of pirates. It is my hope that the board, and the community at large, takes into consideration the breadth of the potential unintended social and economic consequences of permanently shuttering the brewery and watching their success move elsewhere. #savesandcity