8/26/2016 - Town Completes Purchase of Two Open Space Parcels
The Town of Huntington recently completed action on two parcels, one in Fort Salonga and the other in Cold Spring Harbor, that in one case will extend a passive park area and in the other will add to an existing nature preserve.
The Town took title earlier this month to a 3.75-acre tract at 1064 Fort Salonga Road, southeast of the intersection of Makamah Road, Fort Salonga, commonly referred to as the Tanenbaum property. The site formerly had a house and accessory amenities that were removed, and only a dirt driveway and small clearing remain. The property, which lies in the Crab Meadow Watershed Secondary Area, will be maintained as a passive park with trails; there is a trail on the steep wooded property that is frequently used by runners, often in connection with Suffolk County’s Makamah Nature Preserve to the north, across Fort Salonga Road (Route 25A). These trails lead to the LIPA right-of-way that connects further south to Meadowlark Park and the Veterans Park Complex. The property had been proposed for a subdivision and was nominated by neighbors for open space acquisition. The cost was $897,500.
The second parcel is three acres at 3 Mobray Lane North in Cold Spring Harbor, for which the Town obtained a conservation easement, permanently limiting its use to protect its conservation values. The project is a partnership with the North Shore Land Alliance, which acquired the title to the property and which will be responsible for all site maintenance. The Town and the Land Alliance each paid $700,000 for their respective interests. This parcel will be added to the Wawapek Preserve (part of the former DeForest Williams estate) purchased jointly by the Town, Suffolk County and the Land Alliance and will bring the total size of the preserve to 34 contiguous acres. This property contains some structures, including a residence on the north edge that faces the preserved acreage, a greenhouse and outbuildings, which will be renovated for educational programming and for use by the Land Alliance.
The acquisition was the 40th under the Town Environmental Open Space and Park Improvement (EOSPA) program, bringing the program total to 305.02 protected acres.
“The EOSPA program has helped preserve open space, create parkland and improve communities throughout the Town,” Supervisor Frank P. Petrone said. “These two parcels are good examples of how open space purchases improve our quality of life.”