A proposed management plan for the Amagansett Plains Preserve, also known as 555 Montauk Highway, will soon be reviewed by the East Hampton Town Board, which will “discuss it and decide if there should be modifications,” Town Supervisor Peter Van Scoyoc told the Amagansett Citizens Advisory Committee Monday night.
The committee has been reviewing the plan, which was two years in the making by the town’s nature preserve committee, for months, and has expressed concern that it leaves the door open for buildings, cars, and paving, among other things. On April 28, in their most recent letter to the town board, members stated that “the pastoral and peaceful viewshed . . . is irreplaceable and represents a defining element of the character of Amagansett,” and that “the preservation of open-space farmland” should be the town’s highest priority.
In an unusual step, ACAC’s letter was endorsed by two other pillars of the hamlet: the Amagansett Village Improvement Society and the Amagansett Library, both of which wrote letters of support to the board. “In essence, there seem to be three principal areas of concern,” AVIS wrote — “structures, events, and asphalt.”
At the town board’s meeting last Thursday, Victor Gelb, president of AVIS, after noting that the improvement society is “apolitical” and that this could well be its first-ever official appearance before the town board, asked that the management plan specify maintenance of the property as farmland, passive recreation only, no structures, and no events, “especially large ones.” It wants “improvements” to be concentrated around the perimeter of the property, leaving open meadow in the center, and says the existing gravel road should be removed, that parking should be limited to only 12 vehicles, and that there be no impermeable paving.
The citizens advisory committee, in its letter, asked in addition that there be no driving on the site except for emergency or town maintenance vehicles; limits on the number, position, and type of trees (“native only”), and signs prohibiting unleashed dogs.
There was a short but pointed exchange between Mr. Gelb and Councilwoman Sylvia Overby when he finished speaking last Thursday. “We’ve been having Wounded Warrior Project over there for the past many years,” she said. “Are you saying you are against hosting the Wounded Warrior Project?”
“My understanding is, Wounded Warrior Project had not used the property in several years,” he replied. “No, I will never say we will not support our vets.”
“But that’s what you’re saying.”
“Other events,” Mr. Gelb clarified. “Authors Night, in our opinion, was a disaster. Tents in the center of the meadow, cars driven all over the place. Not what we want to see.”
“Is there a reason there’s a war on trees?” Ms. Overby persisted. “When I came here in the early ‘80s, it was completely covered with cedar trees.”
“This is the last publicly owned piece of property in Amagansett,” said Mr. Gelb. “We would prefer to keep it open property.”
At Monday’s citizens advisory committee meeting, Supervisor Van Scoyoc acknowledged that the management plan, as it now stands, “does not specifically prohibit the things people have expressed concerns about.”
“You can’t bind a future town board,” he continued. “All they have to do, is make amendments.” He brushed off some of the committee’s requests as “nonissues,” but added, however, that “I personally do not favor a ‘structure’ on the property, unless it’s for an agricultural use.” Nor, he said, would he support asphalt paving or a parking lot, except at the entrance from Montauk Highway, for fire trucks to get in. “There is no proposal in front of the town board to do any parking there,” he said.
The town board will determine what to do next, said the supervisor — whether to accept the nature preserve committee’s management plan as is, or to make amendments to it and hold a public hearing before a final decision is made.
There were no further comments or questions.
The relatively short and cordial meeting ended with Mr. Van Scoyoc’s announcement — received with applause — that the town board will likely approve a feasibility study of new and better lighting in Amagansett, from Indian Wells Highway to Atlantic Avenue (“Put it by Coche Comedor, too,” urged Carl Hamilton), incorporating historically-themed lampposts and underground installation. The committee has been pressing the town to replace the lights in the hamlet for many months.
“I think it would be fantastic, but very expensive,” the supervisor said.
