Suffolk lawmakers mull preservation of land unsuitable for building in Head of the Harbor
Suffolk County legislators are weighing preservation of 15 acres of undeveloped land near Stony Brook Harbor in Head of the Harbor Village and could vote as early as Sept. 9 on whether to move forward with an appraisal.
Two waterfront parcels are mostly marsh grass and wetlands, making them unsuitable for building; a larger upland parcel is hilly and would need a road connection to nearby Harbor Road. Village trustees in a June 22 resolution agreed that if the purchase moves forward, they would build and maintain trails on the land as municipal resources become available and would also provide village police coverage.
Dahlgard said trustees acted after getting a call from staffers for Legis. Robert Trotta (R-Ft. Salonga), who represents the area and in a survey of his district earlier this year found dozens of properties eligible for preservation.
"They said, ‘Would you be interested?’ and I said we certainly would," Dahlgard said.
How county officials feel may be a different matter. "This will be competing with lots of other projects" for limited funds for purchase through the county’s Drinking Water Protection Program for Environmental Protection open space acquisition fund, Trotta said.
That program uses a quarter-percent sales tax to fund purchase of open space, environmentally sensitive lands, parks and farmland development rights. Purchases are prioritized by a rating system that takes into account factors like size, location and whether the site is a habitat for vulnerable wildlife.
County spokeswoman Marykate Guilfoyle said there were 32 acquisitions awaiting appraisal and 20 at some stage of the acquisition process. The fund has $7.7 million available, though legislators will consider adding $10.5 million at their next meeting.
According to property records, St. James-based R & CN Menez Inc. bought the Head of the Harbor land for $2.1 million in 2017.
Dahlgard said the land might once have been part of the Wetherill Estate, built in 1895 by the architect Stanford White, which once encompassed much of the land from the harbor south to Moriches Road. The estate’s 8,000-square-foot mansion sold for $1 million last year. White designed the arch in Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village, Bronx Community College, Penn Station and the Tiffany & Co. building in Manhattan.
Trotta said the land was one of a number of pockets of greenspace in his district, including some near Short and Long beaches off the Long Island Sound, he hoped county legislators would consider for preservation.
"Open space and preserved land is the reason we live here," he said.
Nicholas Spangler is a general assignment reporter and has worked at Newsday since 2010.
Sarra Sounds Off, Ep. 37: Long Island championships On the latest episode of "Sarra Sounds Off," Gregg has a roundup of the Long Island championships played this weekend, and Jared Valuzzi has the plays of the week.
Sarra Sounds Off, Ep. 37: Long Island championships On the latest episode of "Sarra Sounds Off," Gregg has a roundup of the Long Island championships played this weekend, and Jared Valuzzi has the plays of the week.
