Previously Published in The Messenger
The Town of Brookhaven continues its quest to preserve open space, particularly in the Tri-Hamlet Peninsula. The area has been challenged by coastal erosion, storm surges, and tricky water quality issues, but is nonetheless on the rise with the Forge River Sewage Treatment Plant, the Neighborhood Road Revitalization Area in Mastic Beach, and the renovation of the three branches of the Mastic-Moriches-Shirley Public Library.
A whopping 17 parcels in Mastic alone were conserved this week, namely several adjacent parcels along West Riviera Drive that abut the Pattersquash Creek off the Narrow Bay. According to Councilwoman Karen Dunne Kesnig (R-Manorville), the acquisitions “further the Town’s goal for public access and control of the waterfront.”
“These acquisitions also further protect the vistas for residents and visitors alike,” Dunne Kesnig told The Messenger. “Additionally, the parcels along Riviera are a mix of uplands and wetland, providing a unique habitat for a variety of wildlife and plant species that live ‘on the edge’ of habitats.”
In Mastic as well, the lots off Beaver Road are brackish wetlands that are “vital to the overall health of the marshlands,” according to the Councilwoman.
Other parcels are scattered within the hamlet as well, such as one on Grove Road, one on Cypress Drive, and another on Magnolia Avenue. Those parcels are all adjacent to existing public lands, belonging either to the Town or the County, and the “overwhelming majority,” says Dunne Kesnig, are “wetland parcels which are crucial to the continued success and health of the marshlands.”
“The 17-parcel acquisition is the culmination of years of working with the property owner, who has agreed to sell all his holdings in Mastic Beach, many of which the owner has held for 30 years,” said Dunne Kesnig.
Heading into Moriches, the Town has acquired two parcels east of James Hawkins Road on the south side of Montauk Highway – one of those parcels is south of the shopping center,
not bordering the road. Those parcels will abut an existing three acres of open space on James Hawkins Road.
On the north side of Montauk Highway/Frowein Road, the Town has about 60 acres of open space, which does not include the Moriches Athletic Complex fields and surrounding woods.
“The Town is also exploring acquisition of another 25 acres in the immediate area,” said Dunne Kesnig.