New Suffolk Waterfront
Update:December 17, 2010: The Peconic Land Trust and the New Suffolk Waterfront Fund (NSWF) announced today the completion of a three-year agreement in which the NSWF has assumed ownership of a 3.4-acre property on Peconic Bay National Estuary in the Hamlet of New Suffolk. Click here to read the press release.
History
The Town of Southold has had the property on its list of conservation priorities for a number of years and the Peconic Land Trust has been working with members of the local community for over 15 years to conserve this paracel. Funding for the 2007 acquisition came from the Trust's Peter J. Sharp Revolving Fund as well as other Trust assets. The Trust's Revolving Fund is restricted to priority conservation projects with a requirement that these monies be re-paid within three years.
Acres: 5.567
Zoning: Marine Business II
Property elevation: 3-to-5 feet above sea level
Pre-existing, non-conforming uses: Marina, Restaurant, Marine Repair shed, Storage Barn
Other uses: Historical marker and flagpole commemorating the Holland Submarine Company
From the initial purchase through the end of 2008, the Trust worked closely with the New Suffolk Waterfront Committee and other members of the community to fundraise for the acquisition and carrying costs of the site ($2.6 million). Between February and April of 2008, the Trust and the Committee held community outreach meetings to help develop a vision statement and to determine ownership and land use preferences for the property. Participants provided input on a draft vision statement and a set of goals (PDF) and land use results (PDF) for the project. (Please note: these preferences are continually discussed and refined in the context of regulatory and financial constraints.) At the same time, the Trust was actively cultivating potential financial and/or management partners to realize these preferred uses and implement a permanent, conservation-based plan for the parcel.
During 2008, the Peconic Land Trust identified the New Suffolk Waterfront Fund, a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation, formed by members of the New Suffolk Waterfront Committee, as a potential partner. Members of the Fund Board had worked closely with the Trust to raise funds for the project, to engage with the community to design a feasible conservation plan for the property, and to help manage the site. In June 2009, the Peconic Land Trust entered into a contract and memorandum of understanding with the New Suffolk Waterfront Fund to purchase the 5.5-acre property subject to a permanent conservation easement. The Fund has until December of 2010 to close on the property. As of March 2010, the Fund still needs to raise $1.6 million to complete the purchase.
To learn more about the New Suffolk Waterfront Fund's plans for the site, to donate to the project, and/or learn more about upcoming events, please visit them at: www.newsuffolkwaterfront.org or
Mailing address:
New Suffolk Waterfront Fund, Inc.
PO Box 146
New Suffolk, NY 11956
Email: newsuffolkfund@gmail.com