The following material was posted in 2004. (Since then the Chatham Party took control of the Town Council in a landslide election in 2005 and submitted an application for a State grant to help purchase a 30+ acre parcel. There is some controversy about how many homes could have been built on this property  under current zoning regs. (The number of homes influences how much money could be saved over the years due to the avoidance of added services being required.) However, there is no doubt that a very significant number of homes could have been built had a developer purchased the property and built an affordable housing subdivision on it.)

The recent award of $6.5 million in State Open Space grants, requires another comment on the glacial pace of East Hamptons Open Space efforts.

In 1998 the State greatly augmented their open space grant program because of concerns over excessive development. Since then, 198 grants totaling $51 million have been awarded. 43 towns have received at least 2 grants. 21 towns have received at least 4 grants. One town has received 9 grants.  

And what of East Hamptons efforts on Open Space?

Two years ago East Hampton did receive a grant - but only through the efforts of the Middlesex Land Trust and voluntary donations by citizens. Our officials have not yet acquired any grants. Town Council finally formed its Open Space Committee in 2000 - two years late and missing 3 State application deadlines in the process. 4 additional deadlines were then missed. Finally, an application was submitted for the most recent awards. The application was returned because of inadequate appraisal information. The Town did not respond to the request for more information apparently because the price of the property increased beyond what the Town was prepared to pay.

Since our Open Space Ordinance was adopted, developers have purchased properties off Clark Hill, off Daley Rd, off Spice Hill, off Edgerton and now off Mott Hill. (There may be others that I am not aware of.) These subdivisions will cost taxpayers extra money every year because added tax revenue wont pay for added services required. But, I guess we can take heart since Council at least made an effort to acquire the Mott Hill property. However, after a year of negotiating and an inadequate application, it was lost to a developer. Why? Are we not willing to pay fair market value? Did we have a fall back position of another property? No. Will we now waste another year negotiating on another single property only to lose it as well? I hope not.

If Council is serious about open space, several candidate properties should be considered simultaneously, both to expedite the process and to inject an element of competition. Otherwise, Council will always find itself bidding against a developer interested in the same single desirable piece of property. Multiple grant applications should be submitted as other towns have done. Clearly, adequate information must be submitted in any application. And, finally, a realistic Open Space funding plan must be put in place.

In the recent Plan of Development Survey, rapid development was most often cited as being the worst thing about East Hampton. Will Council respond with an aggressive and coherent Open Space plan? After 5 years, our officials have only produced a single incomplete application and failed negotiation on one property. The clock continues to tick. Potential grant money continues to be lost. The Town continues to be developed. Council's credibility continues to diminish and their continued silence on the issue is deafening. If Council is serious about open space, it needs to change its approach and get moving because the next application deadline is already rapidly approaching. If Council is not serious, it should have the integrity to tell the public so that we can elect new people.