After 15 years of community advocacy and despite two development proposals, Suffolk County Legislator Al Krupski announced Wednesday that Suffolk County has acquired the development rights on more than 32 acres of prime farmland and the adjacent 11.2 acres of open space in the heart of historic downtown Jamesport.
Krupski thanked the many individuals, including the previous landowner who agreed to preserve his property rather than develop it and the organizations that worked on protecting the historic and culturally significant parcels, including the Greater Jamesport Civic Association, Riverhead Town and the Native American community.
“This is such an important site, really impressive and part of our history that should be memorialized properly,” Krupski said.
The open space parcel, which is known by many as Sharper’s Hill, will be improved as a hamlet park in partnership with Riverhead Town and includes land that was the site of a Native American mortuary. The farmland development rights were purchased for $58,000 per acre, the open space for $175,000 per acre. The landowner of the farm acreage retains ownership while the open spaced is owned by the county and will be maintained by the town. Krupski sponsored the legislation which initiated the preservation process and he successfully shepherded the acquisition through the Suffolk County legislative process.
“Sharper’s Hill will be a beautiful addition to our community, for all our residents to enjoy,” Riverhead Supervisor Laura Jens-Smith said. “None of this would have been possible without multiple levels of government and private individuals coordinating to better the quality of life for their neighbors. I cannot thank enough Legislator Krupski, the Greater Jamesport Civic Association and all the town officials who worked so hard to preserve this land for future generations and maintain Jamesport’s rural character.”
Greater Jamesport Civic Association president William Van Helmond said it was “a wonderful day for Jamesport” and that the vision of the civic was to keep Downtown Jamesport rural.
He went on to recognize his predecessor, South Jamesport resident Angela DeVito calling her a “pioneer” and stating “the preservation wouldn’t have happened without her hard work.”
In a written statement, DeVito thanked Krupski “for listening carefully and thoughtfully to our plea for assistance with this significant preservation effort.”
David Martine, who represented the Shinnecock Nation and is their tribal history information officer, referenced the First People’s 10,000-year history on Long Island. “The site represents a most sacred time period of our life here. It’s so ancient it is hard to imagine. To have something like this preserved is very moving.”
The survival of local journalism depends on your support.
We are a small family-owned operation. You rely on us to stay informed, and we depend on you to make our work possible. Just a few dollars can help us continue to bring this important service to our community.
Support RiverheadLOCAL today.