Brookhaven Town to preserve 7.5 acres

Brookhaven will preserve 7.5 acres of Middle Island land as open space with money from the Long Island Power Authority, the town board decided last week.

The acquisition, approved unanimously, is the first land purchase to be made by the town with a $2 million grant from LIPA.

The property, on the east side of Middle Island-Yaphank Road, north of Longwood Road, will not cost more than $567,000, town officials said. The current owner, Holy Trinity Church, will continue to operate on 2.5 acres adjacent to the property, town officials said.

“This piece of property is in the most sensitive area of the Carmans River watershed and will now be forever protected from the development,” Supervisor Mark Lesko said in a statement.

The LIPA grant, approved in June, is to offset the clearing of wooded lands for the Long Island Solar Farm in Upton.