East Hampton Town will buy 32.6 acres of farmland in Amagansett from the Bistrian family using $28 million from the community preservation fund, the town announced on Tuesday. The acquisition, following years of discussion and negotiation, is the town's largest of farmland to date.
The land is adjacent to Amagansett's commercial core, north of Main Street and stretching to Town Lane. It has long been a target for acquisition, to ensure the preservation of its prime agricultural soils as well as the open vista extending north from the hamlet's municipal parking lot. The Bistrians had long planned for residential development there.
The property comprises nine separate lots. The town will purchase five of the lots outright, a total of 17.5 acres, and acquire an agricultural easement over the remaining 15.1 acres, preserving it in perpetuity for agriculture. The purchase, for $16 million, will be completed by year's end, according to a statement issued from Town Hall. The town will acquire the easements over the remaining parcels, for $12 million, before the end of 2022, ensuring that it remains in an open, undeveloped, and scenic state and available for agricultural and open-space purposes.
Terms of the easement restrict the placement of agricultural buildings, outlining two limited "development areas" where buildings or farm stands may be situated, and prohibit planting or fences that would block the vista. Terms also call for the planting of a cover crop, if any area of the land is to remain fallow, to prevent soil erosion.
The agreement resolves a conflict over ownership of a "paper road," a road that appears on maps but has never been built, by transferring it to the Bistrian family. It will be covered by the agricultural easement except for a small portion that can be used as access to the farmland from Windmill Lane. In exchange, the agreement between the Bistrians and the town also calls for the town to become the owner of a 1.25-acre area adjacent to the municipal parking lot.
"Preservation of this prime farmland in a core agricultural area, with a vista enjoyed by thousands of residents and visitors, is a key achievement, made possible by our community preservation fund, which lists farmland protection as the number-one priority to preserve community character," Supervisor Peter Van Scoyoc said in Tuesday's statement. "I cannot be more pleased that this land, and the ability to continue to farm it, will remain protected for generations to come, in perpetuity."
