East Hampton Town is poised to make two important land deals in the coming weeks. These deals, $20 million for one, $16 million for the other, merit a closer look, if for their costs alone, but they also represent two very different approaches to preservation.
The more expensive of the two, $20 million is for five and a half acres on Cove Hollow Farm Road in East Hampton Village. The site spans two pieces of land on Georgica Pond and is adjacent to other preserved parcels. The immediate arm of the pond closest to the proposed acquisition, known as Georgica Cove, is choked with phragmites and other vegetation and is of dubious water quality; toxic bacteria strains are a regular occurrence there. Preventing development of the parcels would presumably benefit the cove, though the town has stringent water-protection requirements in place, should the land be built upon. If approved by the town board, money from the community preservation fund would pay for a conservation easement that will help the Peconic Land Trust — an independent nonprofit — cover the purchase price. But with the town holding only an easement, as opposed to outright ownership, it is less than assured that the public will ever be able to visit the land or get access to the pond there. A hearing on the plan has been set for next Thursday at about 6 p.m. in Town Hall.
A better deal for residents is at Northwest Harbor. In this one, $16 million would buy outright about nine acres with about 750 feet of beachfront for which permits are in place for more than 10,000 square feet of construction. This site is adjacent to a county park and other preserved land, has a pond, apparently man-made, and low dunes covered with beach grass and shrubs. It is just across the water from the lovely and historically important town-owned Grace Estate, as well. With this purchase, the last large, privately held acreage on the full length of Northwest Harbor would be saved.
Not all community preservation fund deals can provide the same level of recreational use. Some remain off limits because of their sensitive environmental conditions. But, generally, there is a sense that public value is one of the top-level purposes for which the preservation fund was established. In the case of the Cove Hollow Farm Road arrangement, the East Hampton Town Board should be sure that it is paying for more than a nice view for a handful of neighbors and actually buying something that benefits the environment — and townspeople — at a level commensurate with its cost.