The site informally came to be called the Ranch probably because the nearest road skirts Deep Hollow Ranch, which itself is but a small remnant of more than two centuries during which thousands of sheep, cattle, and a few horses from as far away as Bridgehampton were pastured on Montauk during the summer. It is more or less contiguous with about 2,400 protected acres that include Amsterdam Beach, Montauk County Park, Montauk Point State Park, Camp Hero State Park, and the Nature Conservancy’s Andy Warhol Preserve.
Wildlife abounds; a town planner recently described the land as a “mosaic of habitats,” with swamps, seasonal streams, marsh, and ponds amid a woodland of trees dwarfed by the nearly constant wind off the ocean. Several rare plant and animal species can be spotted there.
Because of zoning and sensitive-area conservation requirements, the 40 acres could be cut into just two large house lots, with as much as 70 percent of the land undisturbed. This might seem at first glance to be an acceptable outcome, but the loss to the community at large would be immeasurable.
One of the East Coast’s better surf breaks is just off the base of its plunging cliff. And it is part of an almost-mythic stretch of rocky beach beloved by surfcasters. A path to the shoreline exists, but any vehicle parked along the road risks a costly ticket courtesy of the East Hampton Town police. Because of its location on a portion of coast that is difficult to reach, private development would all but eliminate access to anyone other than the eventual homeowners.
The Ranch landowners have submitted an application for a subdivision but are said to be also interested in a deal that would place the property in public hands. Earlier this month town planning board members agreed to support acquisition.
It is important that East Hampton not repeat mistakes of the past, when previous town boards let irreplaceable properties slip through their fingers. One that immediately comes to mind is the former East Deck motel site at Ditch Plain. Back when the motel owner was ready to move on, a preservation-unfriendly Republican-majority town board passed on a deal in the $10 million range. The result turned out to be how-could-this-happen ghastly, with ostentatiously giant houses on a site that could have been a public beachfront park.
A separate positive outcome came later, at Amsterdam Beach. In a joint arrangement, East Hampton Town, Suffolk County, and the State of New York, helped by an unusual federal grant of nearly $1 million, were able to buy two parcels totaling about 190 acres. It would be worth it to once again seek help from the county and state if a deal to buy the Ranch is struck.
Not all preservation fund deals are going to be great. But in general, the prices have seemed fair in retrospect and the benefits have been priceless.