NEW YORK – On Friday, May 19th, Suffolk County Legislator Sarah Anker announced the county acquisition of a 5.4-acre wooded parcel in Miller Place, which had been slated for development. The acquisition of this parcel, which is adjacent to Cordwood Landing County Park, was approved by the Suffolk County Legislature at the General Meeting on April 25th and finalized by the Department of Economic Development and Planning on May 18th.
“I am pleased to announce that the acquisition of this important parcel has been finalized and has been saved from development. For over 6 years I have pursued this acquisition. It has been a lengthy process, but with the support of the community and the Suffolk County Planning Department, we have succeeded,” said Legislator Anker. “I thank the community for their continued and unwavering support and the Town of Brookhaven for their partnership on this acquisition.”
“We have an obligation to preserve our open space and protect it for future generations to come,” said Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone. “I thank Legislator Anker for her leadership in advocating for this critical acquisition at Cordwood Landing Park that will help expand upon Suffolk County’s 48,000 acres of pristine parkland.”
Legislator Anker has advocated and worked diligently to preserve this environmentally sensitive parcel in order to expand the adjacent 64.4-acre county park. She submitted three separate resolutions in 2011, 2014, and 2016 for the county to appraise the parcel and has recently been successful in this important land acquisition. The land will be added to the Cordwood Landing County Park, which offers extensive hiking trails and access to the Long Island Sound.
The acquisition is funded under Suffolk County’s Drinking Water Protection Program which provides funding for environmental protection. The cost of the land purchase will be shared between Suffolk County (70%) and the Town of Brookhaven (30%). Legislator Anker was joined by Brookhaven Town Supervisor Ed Romaine and Brookhaven Town Councilwoman Jane Bonner to announce that the acquisition had been finalized.
“Partnering with the County, Brookhaven Town has taken a major step in our efforts to preserve open space in the woodlands along the north shore to make the preservation of this land a reality,” said Brookhaven Town Supervisor Ed Romaine. “This is a win for the environment and the residents of Brookhaven Town.”
Councilwoman Bonner said, “Cordwood Landing is one of the most important open space acquisitions I’ve been a part of since taking office in 2008. This is a crucial woodland and wildlife habitat that we will now preserve for generations to come. I’ve worked long and hard with our Law Department and the County to make this happen and I am very pleased that I had the support of the entire Town Board to help get it done.”
Cordwood Landing County Park is in the heart of the Miller Place Historic District and is an important parcel of open space for the community. Local residents, including members of the Miller Place Civic Association, have been immensely supportive of this acquisition.
“The Miller Place Civic would like to thank everyone involved with the preservation of this property. This is a wonderful addition to the preservation of the rural nature of the Historic District while adding to our long legacy of protecting our vital environmental resources. This has been a long process and we owe a big ‘Thank You’ to Mr. Baisch for his willingness to allow municipal acquisition and preservation,” said Woody Brown, President of the Miller Place Civic Association. “The Civic would also like to express our deep appreciation and thank you to our Legislator Sarah Anker. We approached Legislator Anker when she first stepped into office asking for her support in acquiring this property. She has supported us every step of the way and without her diligence through this lengthy process – preservation of this precious parcel in its natural state may never have been realized. We also sincerely thank the Town of Brookhaven’s Jane Bonner and Ed Romaine for their support and desire to partner with the County to help purchase this property.”
“In the spot where six years ago a new subdivision was envisioned, today we gather to celebrate its preservation,” said Suffolk County Legislator Kara Hahn, chairwoman of the Legislature’s Environment, Planning and Agriculture and its Parks and Recreation committees. “It was a victory forged through the unity and tireless work of this community and its representative, Legislator Sarah Anker, for which advances the health of our environment, our County residents’ quality of life, and protects the historic nature of this area.”
For more information, please contact Legislator Sarah Anker’s office at 631-854-1600.
Pictured Above From left to right: Gerard Mannarino, President of the Miller Place-Mount Sinai Historical Society, Noelle Dunlop, Miller Place Board of Education Trustee, Suffolk County Legislator Sarah Anker, Brookhaven Town Councilwoman Jane Bonner, Brookhaven Town Supervisor Ed Romaine. Photos Provided by Suffolk County Legislator Sarah Anker.
Press Release by Theresa Santoro.
Press Release Made Available by the Office of Suffolk County Legislator Sarah Anker.
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