New Suffolk Waterfront
On December 19, 2007, the Peconic Land Trust acquired the New Suffolk Waterfront, a 5.5-acre waterfront property located on Peconic Bay in New Suffolk (Town of Southold) from the Love Lane Acquisition Corporation (press release). The bargain sale transaction secured the conservation of this historic property, which was home to the first United States submarine base and where the submarine, the U.S.S. Holland, was commissioned by the U.S. Navy.
Most recently, the New Suffolk Waterfront property has operated as a commercial marina. The Town of Southold has had the property on its list of conservation priorities for a number of years and the local community, including the New Suffolk Waterfront Committee, has been working to protect and conserve this special property for decades.
Most recently, the New Suffolk Waterfront property has operated as a commercial marina. The Town of Southold has had the property on its list of conservation priorities for a number of years and the local community, including the New Suffolk Waterfront Committee, has been working to protect and conserve this special property for decades.
Site Facts:
Acres: 5.567
Zoning: Marine Business II
Pre-existing, non-conforming uses: Restaurant, Marine Repair shed, Storage Barn
Other uses: Historical marker and flagpole commemorating the Holland Submarine Company
The Peconic Land Trust acquired the site using funding from its revolving fund established by the Peter J. Sharp Foundation. The Trust's funds essentially represent a "bridge loan" for the acquisition of the waterfront parcel with the expectation that the funds will be repaid once other funding sources or new conservation owners are found. The Trust is currently working with the Town of Southold, the New Suffolk Waterfront Committee (a community coalition), and the broader community to design a permanent, conservation-based plan for the parcel.
The Trust is currently fundraising to cover the cost of acquisition as well as carrying costs for the property. Please donate now. On the online donation form, please indicate the New Suffolk Waterfront project in the "additional information" box. Checks may also be sent directly to the Peconic Land Trust, PO Box 1776, Southampton, NY 11969. Please indicate in the memo line: New Suffolk Waterfront Project.
2008 Timeline: Please note that the timeline is only a guideline. The Trust anticipates that there will be overlaps between visioning, planning, and implementation as the process moves forward.
Between February and April 2008 (Phase I), the Trust and the New Suffolk Waterfront Committee worked with the community to develope a vision and to determine the ownership and land use preferences. On February 16th and April 26th, the Trust held community outreach meetings at the New Suffolk School. During the second visioning session, participants indicated the preference of potential land uses for the site and they provided input on a draft vision statement and set of goals (PDF) for the project. The land use results (PDF), in order of preference, were: Open Space and Park (combined), Restaurant, Post Office, Coffee Shop/Newspaper Stand, Open Space (only), Youth Sailing Center, Community Center, Park (only), Pier, Historical Museum/Submarine Memorial, Club House. Please note: these uses may be combined and will continually be refined to conform to regulatory and financial constraints.
April through July 2008 (Phase II), the Trust and the New Suffolk Waterfront Committee will work to rcultivate potential financial and/or management partners to realize/revise/refine the land uses based on research, economic feasibility studies and potential partners. If you know of a person or an entity who may be interested in being a partner, please contact Stephen Searl, Project Manager at the Peconic Land Trust: 631.283.3195 or email to ssearl@peconiclandtrust.org.
Potential partners for this site include, in addition to the Peconic Land Trust: New Suffolk Waterfront Fund, Old Cove Yacht Club, Town of Southold, United States Postal Service, Cutchogue-New Suffolk Park District, Membership clubs, Restaurant owners and operators, Marina owners and operators. For more information, see the Partner Worksheet (PDF).
Potential ownership/management options: Public ownership; Private, non-profit ownership; Quasi-public ownership; Private, for-profit ownership; Combination of any of the previous types.
Post July (Phase III), the Trust will begin project implementation. The first part will include legal and regulatory paperwork to finalize property ownership and management terms. The second part will be to put into place the various uses identified for the site.
Although the Visioning phase formally ended in April, the Trust plans to continue to revisit the vision statement, goals and preferred land uses as we reach out to partners and determine feasibility and regulatory/financial constraints.