Government

Southold Town to preserve additional farmland, residential space

Southold land preservation coordinator Melissa Spiro thanked the Sinatra Family of East Marion for their donation during Tuesday's board meeting. (Credit: Carrie Miller)
Southold land preservation coordinator Melissa Spiro thanked the Sinatra Family of East Marion for their donation during Tuesday’s board meeting. (Credit: Carrie Miller)

The Southold Town Board voted unanimously to move forward with preserving two parcels as open space, one of which is being donated to the town for conservation.

Richard and Camille Sinatra of East Marion have offered the town a 10-acre property off Kayleigh’s Court that is currently zoned for residential housing.

While the town doesn’t ordinarily accept land donations, Southold land preservation coordinator Melissa Spiro said the parcel would be a good acquisition.

“It is a good piece to preserve and remove that development potential,” Ms. Spiro said. “We have done some very large preservations in the area … this will be an extension of those conservation efforts.”

Since the Sinatras’ property is a donation, acquiring it will be a minimal expense for the town, involving only the cost of a transfer of title fee, which will be funded through the Community Preservation Fund, according to the approved resolution.

The second parcel on which the board voted comprises 61.1 acres of farmland on Oregon Road in Mattituck, owned by the Sidor family. The town is already in contract to purchase development rights to that property for about $3.5 million, ensuring that it will remain in agriculture in perpetuity.

According to the resolution, 53.9 acres of the Sidor property will be preserved using CPF funds and a grant from U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service. The remaining 7.2 acres will become an open development area consisting of three lots, the smallest of which is 1.8 acres.

An open development area designation will allow the property owners, who include Planning Board member Martin Sidor, to set aside some land for future construction, while the rest is set aside conservation.

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