Southampton Town Board votes to buy oceanfront mansion for $25.8 million to make public beach

The Southampton Town Board on Tuesday approved the $25.8 million purchase of an oceanfront mansion, which the town plans to demolish to create a beach access point.

The three-story, 11-bedroom home on Meadow Lane — a stretch of multimillion-dollar oceanfront estates in Southampton Village — will be acquired by the town, razed and ultimately replaced with a small public parking lot, officials said.

Town officials have framed the purchase as a rare opportunity to secure prime beachfront land for passive recreational use and protect the area's maritime dune habitat. The removal of the home and its pool meets the state's goal of moving people and structures away from the shoreline, which are at risk of flooding during an extreme storm, said Jacqueline Fenlon, the director of the town's Community Preservation Fund, during a hearing earlier this month.

The unanimous vote by the board authorizes Supervisor Maria Moore to sign the town’s contract with the seller, Frances Katz, to buy the 2.2-acre property.

"It's going to be used for generations," Councilman Bill Pell told Newsday. He called the purchase a "good investment" and said the town is pursuing more waterfront properties for acquisition.

Some town residents have said they were elated at the prospect of expanded beach access in Southampton Village. Town residents who live outside of the village are subject to exorbitant beach fees.

Moore, in an interview with Newsday, noted most town beaches are west of the Shinnecock Canal, the town's geographic midpoint. Residents who live further east will now have a closer beach to enjoy.

"This would allow town residents, instead of having to drive to Ponquogue Beach, they'll have something closer to where they live and be able to access the ocean," she said.

Money for the purchase comes from the Community Preservation Fund, which generates revenue for land preservation and water quality projects through a 2% real estate tax. The fund can be used to purchase properties for a variety of reasons, including open-space and parkland preservation.

The planned purchase of 1950 Meadow Lane would be the town's second-largest CPF acquisition. It would be the most valuable purchase by acre through the fund, according to Southampton Town records.

Plans to demolish the home and create a parking lot there are expected to take months to finalize, due to the lengthy bidding and environmental review process required, Fenlon told Newsday earlier this month.

According to town property records, the property has a “full value” of $27.5 million. The town received two appraisals that "supported" the tentative sale price, Fenlon has said.

Meadow Lane is one of the Hamptons' most expensive neighborhoods. At the west end of the road is Southampton Village’s public heliport, a hot spot for Manhattanites.

"That's a beautiful spot there," James Burke, the town attorney, said during the meeting. "Our grandchildren will thank us."