Where We Stand

Open Space Acquisitions Enhance East Hampton

Land acquisitions in East Hampton for the year 2008 added important parcels through outright purchase or partnered purchases with Suffolk County and The Nature Conservancy.

The largest purchase was the 77 acre Cavett property in Montauk which was a joint purchase with the county. The 9.5 acre Filippelli property in Springs was purchased with the help of The Nature Conservancy. The town purchased the development rights on the 8.5 acre Farmers Market in Amagansett and, in the same hamlet, created a conservation easement on 24 acres in the Stony Hill woods. The historic Thomas Moran house in East Hampton Village was also covered by a facade easement.

All of these purchases enhance our quality of life, protect our aquifers and contribute to our heritage. Open space acquisitions help control the town budget by reducing the demand for municipal services. These critical purchases highlight the delicate balance of negotiations between the town, county, environmental groups and property owners, all of which contribute to maintaining our quality of life and sustaining our economic base.

Recent statements by pro-development politicians that the town should abandon its open space protection programs are of great concern to East Hampton Conservators and indicative of a major assault on the town’s environmental protection programs you can expect by pro-development forces in the upcoming fall campaign.