Government

More time added for property owners to weigh historic designation

A six-mile stretch of Main Road could be listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The corridor includes Aquebogue’s Old Steeple Church, built in 1862 and designed by a farmer with no architectural experience, as well as Aquebogue Cemetery, which dates back to 1755 and contains the graves of numerous Revolutionary War soldiers. (Credit: Andrew Lepre)
A six-mile stretch of Main Road could be listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The corridor includes Aquebogue’s Old Steeple Church, built in 1862 and designed by a farmer with no architectural experience, as well as Aquebogue Cemetery, which dates back to 1755 and contains the graves of numerous Revolutionary War soldiers. (Credit: Andrew Lepre)

The Riverhead and Southold landmarks preservation groups are more than two years into the process of filing an application to get a stretch of Main Road placed on the state Register of Historic Places — and eventually the national register.

And property owners are getting an extra two months to weigh in the proposal. 

The owners of the 42 historic Main Road properties being considered for the designation are being asked to comment on the proposal during an upcoming forum. The state recently mailed out information about the application, catching many of the owners off guard, Southold Town Supervisor Scott Russell said Tuesday morning.

The district would comprise 354 parcels — 312 in Riverhead and 42 in Southold — and include some of the farmland abutting Main Road.

Richard Wines, chairman of Riverhead Town’s Historic Landmarks Commission who has been leading the effort, said that if there were hesitation on Southold’s end, the proposal would be retracted and resubmitted to only include Riverhead’s properties.

“If we get a lot of people that are unhappy, I don’t want to push it forward,” he said.

He often explains the designation only affects people who are seeking state and/or federal tax credits to renovate their homes to historic standards.

The town has not set a date for the meeting for the Southold property owners. However, a public meeting for all those considered is scheduled at Jamesport Meeting House on Aug. 14 at 7 p.m. Property owners now have until the beginning of December, instead of the original deadline of Sept. 10, to object, Mr. Wines said.

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