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East Hampton's Open Space:
Planning for the Future

Note: Since this newsletter was published, the town of East Hampton did adopt an Open Space Plan and agree to float a bond to finance it.

What do we have? This is the question the East Hampton Town Planning Department answered with its comprehensive analysis the town's open space. The study, which was completed in late 1995, takes an inventory of East Hampton's remaining vacant lands. It outlines a strategy for long-term protection of the town's unique natural and cultural resources - woodlands, wetlands, dunelands, farmlands, trails, buildings, archeological sites and scenic vistas.

The study provides the framework for the town's Open Space Plan, whose goals are:

1. to preserve and protect unique natural features and endangered species;
2. to conserve and protect groundwater supplies;
3. to protect and improve surface water quality and coastal resources;
4. to retain attractive rural qualities, including scenic, historic and archeological sites;
5. to protect and create opportunities for recreation;
6. to protect and create high quality trail systems;
7. to provide as much public access as possible to the water for fishing and recreational purposes; and
8. to conserve and protect prime agricultural soils, farmland and the traditional agricultural industry.

The Open Space Plan lists more than 700 parcels, and has specific recommendations for each. The recommendations include: 1) rezonings, 2) open space subdivisions, 3) easements, 4) reduced density subdivisions, 5) private conservation through land trusts, and 6) acquisition by the town, county or state. Open space priorities for each school district are:

Wainscott

• important groundwater recharge areas, forest habitat and trails along the groundwater divide
• the "setting" of historic structures, farmland and vistas
• access to Wainscott Pond and Georgica Pond and protection of pond surface water quality

  East Hampton

  • Three Mile Harbor woodlands, wetlands, access and archeological sites
  • woodland habitat and trails in the Northwest area
  • Northwest Harbor and Northwest Creek wetlands
  • farmland in the Long Lane and Further Lane areas
  Springs
  • Accabonac Harbor water quality, wetlands and wildlife habitat
  • forest habitat, groundwater quality and trails on remaining large undeveloped parcels
  • historic settings and vistas

  Amagansett

  • Stony Hill forest habitat, groundwater supply, and trails
  • farmland
  • Fresh Pond and Devon area wetlands and woodland habitat
  • Napeague dunelands and wetlands outside of state parklands

  Montauk

  • Lake Montauk and associated wetlands and water access
  • historic and archeological resources
  • groundwater resources
  • farmland settings and soils
  • areas adjacent to Montauk County Park
  • addition of the "Sanctuary" parcel to Montauk Point State Park
  • expansion of the Hither Woods Preserve and a greenbelt connection to the

  Montauk Mountain Preserve

  In order to implement this plan, much work remains to be done. First of all, The East Hampton Comprehensive Plan must be amended to include the Open Space Plan. In addition, an Open Space Advisory Committee needs to be appointed to implement the 700 parcel-specific recommendations in this plan, and to work to preserve land regardless of development pressure. A transfer of development rights ordinance will have to be passed as well. The Town Board will have to allocate funds for open space purchases. Although the plan does not rely heavily on outright acquisition, 20 percent of the targeted parcels will have to be purchased if they are to be preserved. In addition, a small lot acquisition program should be funded, as the study was not done at a scale that allowed the town to identify all environmentally-sensitive lots that were subdivided prior to today's tighter zoning and environmental regulations.

  Finally, some administrative details need to be taken care of, including the development of a computerized open space data base, and an update of nature preserve designations.