Obituaries

Emanuel ‘Manny’ Kontokosta

Emanuel “Manny” Kontokosta, a developer whose company’s North Fork projects include condos, a waterfront hotel and a winery, died March 31 at his Manhattan home. He was 82.

Mr. Kontokosta, who maintained a residence in Greenport, also served as owner and publisher of the Southold-based Long Island Traveler-Watchman newspaper from 1994 to 2005, the year it was acquired by The Independent publishing company of East Hampton.

As much as Mr. Kontokosta was known for the projects completed by the KACE Group, a company he founded and now operated by sons Constantine and Michael, the Kontokostas made headlines through litigation filed on several building proposals the town declined to support.

The KACE Group unsuccessfully pursued federal actions to overturn the town’s disapproval of high-density developments on the Soundfront property in Greenport that is now Kontokosta Winery, and an effort to build 134 senior condos on Boisseau Avenue in Southold.

KACE was covering the cost of another legal challenge, Greenport Village’s suit against Southold Town over the town’s refusal to support annexation of the company’s 17 acres on North Road into the village to permit 128 condo units, but the village later withdrew from the case.

The son of Michael and Anna (Gregos) Kontokosta, immigrants from Kardamyla, Chios, Greece, Mr. Kontokosta was born in 1931 in New York. He became a professional engineer and started his own architectural and engineering firm, Kontokosta Associates, in Manhattan.

In addition to his sons, Mr. Kontokosta is survived by his wife, Patricia; a daughter, Anna; sisters Caliope and Alice Kontokosta; and six grandchildren.

A service was held Saturday, April 6, at the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox church in New York. Interment was at Sterling Cemetery in Greenport.