The East Hampton Town Board voted last Thursday to approve the purchase of a .46-acre property at 6 Oyster Shores Road near Three Mile Harbor in East Hampton using $1.4 million from the community preservation fund.
The board also approved the management plan that typically goes with a C.P.F. purchase. It calls for the removal of an existing house that is about 100 feet away from the water line. The management plan says the location features “limited tidal flushing” and that its surrounding properties “contribute to degraded water quality.”
“The parcel is recommended for conservation in the Peconic Estuary Program’s Critical Land Protection Strategy, is in a critical environmental area, and is within a significant coastal fish and wildlife habitat,” the management plan states.
The vote to buy the property from Alexandra and Timothy McAuliffe Jr. was ultimately 4-0 with one abstention, which came from a board member who expressed concerns that a potentially “affordable” property was being taken off the table for housing.
“I don’t think this property is the right move for a variety of reasons,” Councilman Tom Flight said. “The structure which eventually will be taken down is entirely tenable. Given we have such a housing crisis in the town . . . for me, this is not where we should be spending C.P.F. funds.”
His four colleagues on the board heard his concerns but ultimately disagreed. “At $1.4 million, I think it’s already out of the affordable housing stock,” Supervisor Kathee Burke-Gonzalez said.
“I do think this is a tough call,” said Councilman Ian Calder-Piedmonte. “It’s important to acknowledge these choices are difficult. It’s a worthy discussion but I support the purchase.”
