Riverhead Town Board backs preservation of Jamesport land

The Riverhead Town Board on Tuesday unanimously backed Suffolk County’s effort to preserve a nine-acre South Jamesport property as open space — but only if the land remains untouched and free of future development.

Town officials said they want the parcel at 1161 Peconic Bay Blvd. kept in its natural state, without trails, parking lots or expanded public access.

The vote followed heated debate between town and county officials over how the property could ultimately be used, with Riverhead board members raising concerns about future public access, recreational improvements and long-term maintenance costs. County officials and preservation advocates warned the town risked losing the opportunity altogether if negotiations stalled.

The roughly nine-acre parcel lies adjacent to the East Creek boat launch parking area. A portion of the property is within 300 feet of a New York State Department of Environmental Conservation wetlands buffer. Other sections fall within the New York State Coastal Barrier Resources System Area. The site is also known as the Peconic Farms Minor Subdivision, which received preliminary approval last September for four residential building lots.

“Preservation as natural unimproved open space would serve to protect the land’s ecological value, habitats, and the protection of our water areas,” Councilman Kenneth Rothwell said Tuesday, after the issue was brought up for vote without being on the original agenda. “Keeping the property natural will avoid the flow of stormwater into the East Creek and out of the Peconic Bay.” 

He added that open space preservation would avoid increased traffic, potential encroachment on town property and “serve the continued quiet enjoyment of the immediate surrounding community.” The Riverhead Town Board’s vote in support of the county’s open space preservation does not mean a management agreement is finalized.

Councilman Bob Kern urged residents to understand preservation needs to happen “in proper places,” as that land gets taken off the tax rolls. 

Ultimately, town board members said their concerns centered on how the county deal could affect quality of life in the small neighborhood around Peconic Bay Boulevard. They opposed the possibility of expanded public beach access for swimming, fishing and other recreational uses by out-of-town visitors.

“We have no defined recreational plan. I am hopeful, but I also need to be clear: I support open space of this property should that be what the owner would want, and I would like for it to remain in its natural state with zero of ‘what ifs’ could happen for this property,” said Councilwoman Joann Waski, who lives near the parcel.

Legislator Greg Doroski called the resolution is a “step in the right direction,” but warned town officials at Tuesday’s meeting to “be careful” in handling the acquisition, as any pushback could send the wrong signal. 

“If Riverhead pushes back on county-funded preservation, we risk telling the county, and also property owners, that we’re not a good partner,” he said. “With over 6,000 acres still in play, I sure hope there’s another deal at the table. Suffolk County is prepared to spend serious money to preserve this 10 acres of environmentally sensitive and scenic parcel on Peconic Bay Boulevard.” 

The debate over open space acquisition versus farmland preservation first surfaced at an April 30 Town Board work session, when Mr. Doroski urged Riverhead officials to reconsider partnering with the county.
In a press release shared Monday afternoon — signed by all Riverhead Town council members except Supervisor Jerry Halpin — board members outlined their hesitations about the proposed preservation plan and the county’s request that the town maintain this particular parcel.

Among those concerns were the county’s ability to dictate future improvements and uses of the land, along with potentially high maintenance costs for Riverhead taxpayers. In the release, council members said they feared agreeing to “a blank check in an unknown amount for an unknown project.”

Mr. Doroski stressed at the Tuesday meeting what he asked for at the work session was not a contract, but an agreement with the county — and he is not seeking “a blank check.” As of Tuesday, no other offers have been made, but the legislator said time is running out. This preservation opportunity could be “gone forever,” he emphasized. 

“The town negotiates the terms, which I’d also like to point out gives it more authority than if the county purchased and managed the property alone,” he said. “We got lucky this month with some other offers not coming back, so we have more time, but there’s steep competition for these funds, and there’s really a foot race against development across the East End — every second counts, we need to be ready to make these offers.” 

Mr. Doroski previously argued the deal offers a strong return on investment and strengthens environmental protection and quality of life — all at a potentially low cost for the town. As managers of the property, he stressed that Riverhead would be in control of how it approaches passive recreation and management.

Drawing on his experience as a former Southold councilman, he said Southold spends up to $28,000 annually managing 640 acres of preserved land — roughly $46 an acre. Those properties are primarily used for passive recreation, including walking paths and modest parking areas.

If Riverhead agreed to be the property managers, he suggested the town make minimal improvements, such as adding a looped walking trail and possibly up to three dirt parking spots. He estimated the management costs for these recreational additions would be less than $10,000.

“The idea that those parking spots are going to result in it becoming a hot spot, I just don’t see that,” Mr. Doroski said on Tuesday, after debate over public beach access. “There’s no access to the beach within a half a mile.” 

If Riverhead Town uses just 1% of its Community Preservation Fund money to partner with Suffolk County on the acquisition, these CPF funds can go toward stewarding the property — meaning no tax increase, according to Mr. Doroski.

Possible development of four new homes on the property puts “serious risk” of taxes in Riverhead, up to $19,000 a year for schools alone, the legislator said Tuesday. 

Ms. Waski, who previously worked on this preservation deal with Mr Doroski’s predecessor Catherine Stark, expressed fears of the property becoming a county park, which could attract overwhelming crowds of non-Riverhead residents to the small Jamesport area.

“This is prime farmland, this should be preserved as farmland — not open space, not a parking lot, not walking paths, not public access to everybody that lives in Suffolk County,” Ms. Waski said at the April 30 work session. “I would rather see this developed with five $1 million homes than see a parking lot and whatever else the intention could turn into down the road.”

Citing prior conversations with Ms. Stark, the councilwoman said farmland preservation was always the intention for the property. However, Mr. Doroski confirmed Ms. Stark submitted the deal presented at the work session as open space. The land is also not eligible as farmland since it is not in active production, the legislator said.

Ms. Stark authorized an appraisal of the Peconic Farms LLC property as open space under the Suffolk County Drinking Water Protection Program in September last year. The town originally slated the property for preservation by purchase of development rights in the 2021 Community Preservation Fund Project Plan to foster continued agricultural use.

“It is not that we do not want to maintain your property, it’s just that we do not want this property to be opened up to all the residents of Suffolk County,” Ms. Waski later clarified to Mr. Doroski on April 30.

The day before the Tuesday town board meeting, the legislator told the Riverhead News-Review he was surprised by the response to this preservation deal — which he called a “home run” for Riverhead.

“If we say too firmly that we can’t do any improvements, we run the risk of killing this whole project,” Mr. Doroski said at the town board meeting. “I really hope we can use this as a starting point to work together to negotiate what a management agreement would look like.” 

While the preference is farmland preservation, Mr. Halpin agreed the town needs to work with Suffolk County to come up with a path forward to an open space acquisition agreement. 

“I don’t think they’re going to hoodwink us,” the supervisor said Tuesday. “This is a good thing we’re wrestling through.” 

Community members who spoke in support of the open space preservation criticized the town board’s press release, as they believed it sent the wrong message. 

Joan Cear of the Greater Jamesport Civic Association feared the condition of not having any improvements on the open space may not be acceptable to Suffolk County, and said it would be “shameful” if the town missed out on preservation because of one “rigid requirement.” 

“Riverhead Town has repeatedly said we don’t have the money for land preservation. Now, here’s a gift that’s being offered to you, accept the gift,” Ms. Cear said. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to preserve environmentally sensitive land, please consider it may not be possible for the town to achieve its perfectly desired outcome.”