Riverhead officials debate plan to save 10 acres of North Fork land

As Suffolk County attempts to preserve nearly 10 undeveloped acres in South Jamesport, Riverhead officials are debating the benefits of environmental protection over costs to taxpayers, beach access and impacts on the surrounding neighborhood.

The county is considering buying vacant land on the south side of Peconic Bay Boulevard just west of the Riverhead Town-owned East Creek Marina. Preservation would block development at the 9.6-acre flood-prone site, which has approvals for a four-lot residential subdivision.

County officials have asked Riverhead to partner on the project by agreeing to manage the site for passive recreation, which Legis. Greg Doroski (D-Mattituck) suggested could include a small gravel parking area and walking path. Riverhead Town Board members agreed to back the preservation effort. But some expressed reservations about the long-term cost of managing the property and non-Riverhead residents using the site to reach nearby town beaches.

“This is a piece of property that we very much want to protect from development,” Councilman Ken Rothwell said at Tuesday’s meeting. But he said there could be impacts for Jamesport residents if the preserved land is open to all county residents.

“Then you have fishermen, picnic goers. … How does that affect the surrounding neighborhood? Are people parking on Peconic Bay Boulevard? Those are the concerns that we’ve been looking into.”

The town board approved a resolution Tuesday expressing support for the county’s preservation bid. It includes a caveat that the town wants the property protected “as open space without improvement,” according to town documents. Town board members said they plan to continue negotiating a potential management agreement with county officials.

Former Suffolk Legis. Catherine Stark (R-Riverhead) introduced a resolution last September to authorize an appraisal of the property, according to county records. The acquisition would be funded by the county’s Drinking Water Protection Program, a 0.25-percent sales tax that funds environmental initiatives including land preservation.

Councilwoman Joann Waski said she would have preferred the property be preserved as farmland.

Her top concern, she said, is expanding public access in a quaint residential area.

“I would rather see this developed with five, $1 million homes than see a parking lot … that would mean that people from all over Suffolk County would be coming here,” she said during an April 30 work session after Doroski first pitched a management plan.

Doroski disagreed that the property would become a “hot spot” and said any public access to the site should be the “lightest touch.”

The legislator said the clock is ticking on a rare opportunity to preserve property near the wetlands and warned that delays could jeopardize the effort. He said the landowner, Peconic Farms LLC, is pursuing plans to build houses at the site while waiting for the county to make an offer. The company could not be reached for comment.

“Suffolk County is prepared to spend serious money to preserve this 10 acres of environmentally sensitive and scenic parcel. … There’s really a footrace against development across the East End,” Doroski told town board members on Tuesday. “Every second counts.”

Other town board members raised concerns over annual maintenance costs for which Riverhead taxpayers would be responsible.

Councilman Bob Kern said if preserved, the land would come off the tax rolls. "Every piece of land that we preserve, we get zero taxes," he said on Tuesday. "You really need to be cognizant of that when you're screaming for preservation."

Several residents advocated for preservation at Tuesday’s meeting, urging board members to temper their fears and seize the opportunity.

“Any time the town has a chance … to preserve any property near the bay or on the bay, I think you should grab at it,” said Virginia Lammers, of South Jamesport. “Don’t knock a gift horse in the mouth.”