Suffolk County Water Authority selling surplus property in Cutchogue
No wells pierce the soil, and there’s not a single building standing on a close to seven-acre field on Alvah’s Lane in Cutchogue. And as pretty as the property is, the Suffolk County Water Authority, which has owned it since 1995, has no use for it.
It could be yours, provided you make a minimum bid of $622,000.
The water authority will accept bids on the Cutchogue property, and five others declared surplus, until the morning of May 4.
The minimum bids range from $153,000 for a .8-acre parcel in Miller Place to $1.27 million for 8.35 acres on the Long Island Expressway’s north service road in Islandia.
The Cutchogue property covers 6.91 acres immediately south of the Long Island Rail Road tracks. It lies within the town’s AC-agricultural conservation zone, which allows homes on lots of at least two acres.
The SCWA gave Southold Town the first option to buy the land for preservation, but given it’s size and the fact that it has not be in agricultural use for decades, the town declined.
With limited preservation funding available, the town cannot that much money on a small property .
“If we spend our funding on every small parcel that comes on the market we’ll be out of money in no time,” said Supervisor Scott Russell. “We wish them well, but that price is not something the town could entertain at this point.”
