As it was expected to do, the East Hampton Town Board voted last Thursday to spend $10 million in community preservation fund money to acquire a conservation easement over approximately 5.5 acres of vacant land along the shore of Georgica Cove, at 41 and 47 Cove Hollow Farm Road in East Hampton Village.
The vote was 3 to 1 in favor of the acquisition. Supervisor Kathee Burke-Gonzalez, Councilwoman Cate Rogers, and Councilman Ian Calder-Piedmonte cast “aye” votes, while Councilman David Lys voted against it. Councilman Tom Flight did not attend the board’s meeting.
The vote followed a July 3 public hearing at which more than 10 people spoke in support of the proposal, with one speaking against it.
Acquisition of the two parcels, for preservation of open space and the improvement of water quality, will cost $55 million. The majority, $35 million, will come from the Peconic Land Trust, provided by unidentified donors. East Hampton Village has also dedicated $10 million.
The conservation easement will include the installation of a path and off-street parking up to 50 feet in width.
Last Thursday’s vote closely follows last year’s $56 million C.P.F. purchase of a 30-acre lot at 66 Main Street in Wainscott, the largest C.P.F. purchase in the town’s history.
As he did at the July 3 public hearing, David Buda, a Springs resident, voiced his opposition to the C.P.F. expenditure. “The town utterly failed to provide the essential documents in advance of the July 3 public hearing that was held concerning this matter,” he told the board by telephone. “The full text of the grant of conservation easement still, to this date, has not been made public.” That morning, he said, “a substantially redacted version of that document” had been posted to the town’s website. The public’s ability to use the land “has not yet been fleshed out,” he said. “It hasn’t been written and it certainly hasn’t been disclosed in advance to give the public an opportunity to comment.”
Richard Whalen, an Amagansett attorney and former chairman of the town’s nature preserve committee, offered another point of view. “We know basically what the easement is,” he said. “It’s a conservation easement that will prevent development on those two lots. It will allow them to be used as a maritime grassland. . . . The town has obviously indicated that there will be public access associated with this. I don’t think you need to know every single detail of that.”
Also at last Thursday’s meeting, the board voted to spend $16 million of C.P.F. money to acquire 9.35 acres of vacant land at 43 Mile Hill Road in East Hampton. This, too, followed a July 3 public hearing. The acquisition is for preservation of open space, recreation areas, and improvement of water quality.
