Miller Place, NY - December 4, 2014 - On Tuesday, December 2nd, the Suffolk County Legislature voted unanimously to begin preserving an historic and environmentally sensitive property in Miller Place.
Introductory Resolution 2040, put forth by Legislator Sarah Anker, calls for the county to issue Appraisal Steps for the preservation of a 5.4-acre wooded parcel adjacent to Cordwood Landing County Park.
Following the county’s “Triple A” Land Acquisition process, the appraisal will be the first of three pieces of county legislation to preserve the property, all of which will be sponsored and led by Anker.
For the past three years, Legislator Anker has advocated for the preservation of the parcel, which sits adjacent to the 64.4 acre waterfront Cordwood Landing County Park. In 2011, Anker submitted a resolution to preserve the parcel for open space, adhering to county regulations which dictate that the county may only offer fair market value for the property. However, to Anker’s disappointment, the former owner declined the county’s offer. Not to be discouraged, Anker continued to monitor the status of the property and after learning the land was under new ownership, Anker contacted the current owner who expressed interested in selling the parcel to the county.
“The approval of the appraisal steps for this parcel is a tremendous step towards saving this historic property,” said Legislator Anker. “The parcel embodies the natural character and beauty of our north shore community.” said Legislator Anker. “Thanks to the support of the community and the Miller Place Civic Organization, we are one step closer to saving this land.”
“The Miller Place Civic is very pleased with the unanimous decision - a big step forward in the preservation of this property, which is so critically important to the community,” said Miller Place Civic President, Woody Brown. “We deeply appreciate the hard work and effort Legislator Anker placed on this parcel using an open team approach to gather and disseminate information each step of the way.”
After an appraisal of the property is conducted, the results will be forwarded to the Legislature’s Environment, Planning and Agriculture Committee for review. If approved by the committee, the County will then submit a formal resolution to acquire the parcel. Additionally, the Town of Brookhaven announced that it will partner with Suffolk County on this land acquisition project, and plans to submit a town resolution stating their partnership with the County on this land acquisition project, providing 30% of the necessary funds for acquisition.
