Foley and Bissonette Hail Manorville Purchase

DECEMBER 4, 2006, FARMINGVILLE, NY – Brookhaven Town Supervisor Brian X. Foley and Councilwoman Carol Bissonette announced the purchase of a key 50-acre wooded parcel in Manorville at a press conference Monday, December 4 at the site in Manorville.

With the purchase, the town protected the land from imminent development with a 25-lot subdivision known as Oakwood Estates. The property is zoned A2.

The town will preserve the property as open space and a nature preserve. It provides wildlife habitat and hiking trail opportunities, as well as groundwater protection. It is wooded and located in the Pine Barrens Compatible Growth Area.

The property also is the final link in the proposed Core to Shore Trail, also known as the Pine to Bay Trail, in the New York State Open Space Plan. With this purchase, property for the trail, from Moriches Bay to the North Shore, has been secured by the town, county and state and the trail can become a reality.

The parcel is contiguous to other protected open space owned by the town and Suffolk County. The purchase price is $5,500,000, which will be paid for out of the town’s 2004 Clean Water Open Space Bond Act.

“This purchase is an important addition to the town’s open space inventory,” said Supervisor Foley. “My administration has moved aggressively to preserve Brookhaven Town’s important open spaces. Protecting open spaces here in the Manorville area is particularly important, because it is in this area that much of the town’s open land remains, and development pressures have been intense here.

“Our children and grandchildren will enjoy this nature preserve as a place to enjoy the beauty and wonder of the natural world forever.

“What makes this piece particularly important is the fact that it is the last piece in the Core to Shore trail corridor puzzle. With this acquisition, we have secured the route for a trail corridor from Moriches Bay right into the heart of the Pine Barrens. And the Town of Riverhead is working on extending that trail corridor all the way to Long Island Sound.””

“Acquisition of this key 50-acre parcel in Manorville will assure residents of our commitment to preserving open space while providing another area for nature walks and hiking and ensures that there will be one less intrusion in the Pine Barrens Compatible Growth Area,” said Councilwoman Bissonette. “Residents throughout the town will be able use it for passive recreation and enjoyment.

“This land along with the others that we are actively preserving in Manorville goes a long way to guaranteeing that developmental pressures do not out weigh our need to maintain the rural character and sense of place in this wonderful hamlet.”

Brookhaven Town Supervisor Brian X. Foley announced the acquisition of 50.5 acres of open space in Manorville at a press conference Monday.With him are Councilwoman Carol Bissonette, left, Marilyn England of the Open Space Council and civic leader and town Planning Board Chairman Doug Dittko.

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Office of the Supervisor
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