Town Wins $9.9 Million for Lazy Point Land

East Hampton Town announced Tuesday that it has won a $9.9 million federal grant to buy low-lying properties on or near the water in Lazy Point, Amagansett.

The goal, according to a press release from the town, is “to turn these parcels into protective buffers against future storms.” The grant comes from a floodplain program through the United States Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service. It will allow the town to buy 16 properties on Mulford Lane and Bayview Avenue from owners who have already expressed interest in buyouts, which are at pre-storm prices under the terms of the federal program.

Kim Shaw, the town’s natural resources director, coordinated the effort to reach out to property owners in conjunction with the Nature Conservancy.

Some of the properties are vacant. On those that are not, “houses and other man-made structures that already stand on these plots will be cleared to make way for floodplain restoration efforts,” according to the town’s release.

In announcing the grant on Tuesday, Supervisor Larry Cantwell praised Ms. Shaw’s hard work and that of the Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Nature Conservancy. “Efforts like these, as part of comprehensive plans to manage our coasts in the face of rising seas and excessive nitrogen pollution from wastewater, are vital to ensuring healthier and more resilient coastal communities across Long Island,” Nancy Kelley, director of the Nature Conservancy on Long Island, said in the release.

After the town sent out letters to property owners informing them of the program and inquiring if they would be interested, Ms. Shaw said this spring that her phone had not stopped ringing. The grant application was submitted in late April.