New Suffolk Waterfront
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
Property elevation: 3-to-5 feet above sea level
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 its revolving fund established by the Peter J. Sharp Foundation as well as other Trust assets. The Trust's assets essentially represent a "bridge loan" for the acquisition of the waterfront parcel with the expectation that the assets will be restored within three years of the purchase date (December 2010) through other funding sources and/or new conservation owners. The Trust is currently working closely with the New Suffolk Waterfront Fund (a local charitable organization and prospective owner) on this fund raising effort. Together, we have engaged the broader community to design a permanent, conservation-based plan for the parcel.
The Trust and the New Suffolk Waterfront Fund are currently fundraising to cover the cost of acquisition as well as carrying costs for the property. Please donate now. 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.
Project 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.
2008
Between February and April 2008 (Phase I), the Trust and the New Suffolk Waterfront Committee worked with the community to develop 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 worked to cultivate potential financial and/or management partners to realize/revise/refine the land uses based on research, economic feasibility studies and potential partners.
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.
2009 Update: As relates to the second part of Phase III, the plans are to formalize a purchase of agreement and memorandum of understanding between the Peconic Land Trust and the New Suffolk Waterfront Fund (NSWF), Inc. This will enable NSWF, with support of the local community, to get one-step closer to completing the community's vision for the property.
Although the Visioning phase formally ended in April 2008, the Trust and the New Suffolk Waterfront Fund plan 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.