She paid taxes for years on pine barrens land she may not own, can't sell

Addie Mattei’s Westhampton property isn’t exactly prime Hamptons real estate. It fronts no roads, has no electric or water hookup and, on top of that, it’s in the Central Pine Barrens Core Preservation Area and can never be developed.

Still, Mattei paid her tax bill each year in the hopes that she could one day sell it to a developer who would have use for the fraction of a pine barrens credit tied to the property, which allows developers to build elsewhere at greater density than zoning permits.

Recently she learned from an attorney that she may not own the 1.1-acre expanse at all — a problem that arises when old tax maps conflict — and she wants a refund for the thousands of dollars in taxes she has paid over the past few decades. The land is part of a never-developed subdivision labeled Clover Tract on a Suffolk County Tax Map. Another map cuts up the land differently, and the county map notes "parcels on this sheet overlap with other parcels."

The Central Pine Barrens region spans about 105,000 acres in the towns of Brookhaven, Riverhead and Southampton.

"I knew it was not a million-dollar piece of property, but I just thought I had something of value," Mattei said. "I really feel upset about the whole thing."

Mattei said she was deeded the land by her late husband, Julius Mattei, a developer, in 1986 and estimates he owned it for at least a decade prior to that. The taxes are low; she paid only about $130 last year, about $100 of which went to the Riverhead School District, according to the tax bill. But she said she believes Southampton Town, which collects the taxes, should have been aware that someone else could have a claim to the property.

"It’s really disheartening to think that things like this happen," said Mattei, 82, a retired travel agent who lives in Lake Grove.

Southampton Town Attorney James Burke said the matter is under review by Suffolk County, which has confirmed that there are two maps filed more than 100 years ago with private parcels overlapping with those owned by the state and county. He said he has asked town staff to search and identify similar overlapping parcels in the town to assist others in Mattei’s position.

Mattei said a developer offered her $60,000 for the land in 2008, but the deal never materialized. She thought the value would have risen since then and contacted Quogue attorney Joseph Gazza, who specializes in what he calls "junk land," in 2019.

Gazza was the one who explained the land could be "double-assessed," meaning Mattei might not have ultimate claim to the parcel.

Gazza, who estimated the land is worth about $7,000 for its fraction of a development credit, said the property can’t be sold without a clean title. And to clear the issue often requires taking the case to court.

"The cost [of a court case] far exceeds the value of the land," Gazza said. "Only a judge can tell."

By Vera Chinese

vera.chinese@newsday.com@VeraChinese

Vera Chinese joined Newsday in 2017 after working as an editor for the East End lifestyle publication northforker and a general assignment reporter for the New York Daily News.