Ferry Rd. Parcel On C.P.F. List

The seller may not be willing, but Southampton Town officials are moving forward with a plan to purchase property in Sag Harbor with money from the community preservation fund. It would become part of a waterfront park, rather than be developed for condominiums.

The town board was unanimous Tuesday night in deciding to include the four parcels on Ferry Road, where the former Harborview Professional Building stands on the Sag Harbor side of the bridge, on the town’s C.P.F. list. In August, Sag Harbor Village officials announced that they wanted to buy the properties, among the last undeveloped waterfront lands near the business district, with C.P.F. money. (Southampton has to administer the funding since the property is on its side of the village, not East Hampton’s.)

The hope is to combine the four parcels, along with another, village-owned parcel, to create an expanded waterfront park that would include direct beach access, a space for recreation, and more parking. It would be named for John Steinbeck, the Nobel and Pulitzer Prize-winning author, who was a long time resident of Sag Harbor.

Tuesday’s resolution was necessary before an appraisal can be completed and an offer made.

“I can’t obviously stop that from happening,” said Tom Pugliese, a development manager with Greystone Property Development, a Manhattan-based real estate company that has an ownership in the property. “We are developers that fully intend to develop the property as of right,” he told the board. “We just want it stated for the record, we are not interested in selling the property at this time and we are not willing sellers, basically.”

“Well, that’s too bad,” Supervisor Anna Throne-Holst said in response. “I am going to ask you, then, if you would be kind enough to speak with your partners in this, and if you would be kind enough to consider coming in and having a conversation with myself and any of my town board colleagues here.”

The four lots in question are at three addresses: 1, 3, and 5 Ferry Road. The fourth, a right of way, is former Long Island Rail Road property. East End Ventures L.L.C. has an application before the village planning board for 11 units, 8 on the combined 4 parcels and 3 on a neighboring property, a large white house at 2 West Water Street known as the 1-800-LAWYER building after its previous owner, who founded that company.

The supervisor said the Ferry Road lots, totaling 1.7 acres, were important to the village. “I think you are probably aware and will be made further aware just how important it is to the community that this property not be developed, because of its location, because of what it means in terms of community character, and, as I just said, too, from an environmental perspective,” she told Mr. Pugliese.

The board, she said, has been actively trying to seek out owners of parcels appropriate for preservation, especially when it could mitigate runoff and negative effects on the waterways.

Sag Harbor Village Mayor Sandra Schroeder told the town board members that the acquisition would strengthen the village’s Local Waterfront Revitalization program, not only by preserving waterfront property but also by mitigating shore-hardening and creating waterfront access.

“The village residents are very receptive of this,” she said. “On behalf of them, I’m here to thank you.”

Mr. Pugliese insisted that Greystone can develop the property “as of right‚“ and said the company was already undertaking the state’s environmental review process.

“I’m sorry to hear that you may have gone this far, and I would hope that you and your partners would be willing to sit down and have further conversation before you shut the door on that,” Ms. Throne-Holst told him.

He replied that they would be open to discuss the properties’ future, but reiterated their intention not to sell and to move forward in the planning process.

“We’re always very appreciative when we have property owners who are willing to work with us and be good neighbors,” said the supervisor. The idea of condemnation was not discussed.

Councilman Brad Bender wanted to know if the owners had plans to clean up the property, which he said was “quite blighted.” It has sat vacant for nearly 10 years, while several plans to demolish the abandoned buildings and make way for condos have come and gone.

Mr. Pugliese who agreed that it had fallen into disarray, said it would be cleaned up once a permit for a construction fence was received. James Larocca, a village trustee, acknowledged that an application for a fence was on the table, but gave his opinion that “what is actually being considered is just in terms of security and safety,” not for construction.

Mr. Larocca also had concerns as to who actually owns the property. Mr. Pugliese had referred to Greystone as an owner, but later said the company was in a joint venture with East End Ventures. Deed transfers dated Aug. 14, which appeared in The Star last week, showed the parcels sold separately by East End Ventures to separate entities called 1, 3, and 5 Ferry Road, for a total of $1.92 million.

“It is not clear yet on the record who owns the property,” Mr. Larocca said. He also said the names associated with East End Ventures had been linked to other projects in the village, “both of which failed, so I think the examination of who’s who becomes essential.”