At the June 19th, 2012 Huntington Town Board meeting, a resolution was unanimously passed that paves the way for the North Shore Land Alliance to apply for an Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) grant for the purpose of land aquisition at the DeForest Williams Estate in Cold Spring Harbor. The 31 acre portion of the estate, also known as “Wawapek Farm”, owned by the DeForest Williams family is a Jewel in the Cold Spring Harbor Community as it’s land area extends along the coastline immediately north of the village and provides scenic views off of Route 25A and from the harbor itself.

According to the North Shore Land Alliance website, the total purchase price for the subject property is $8.5 million dollars. The proposed breakdown of funding sources to aquire the property are as follows: 50% of the funding provided will be from Suffolk County, 25% paid by the Town of Huntington and 25% paid by the North Shore Land Alliance and the residents of Cold Spring Harbor.

The push to aquire the parcel became a major priority of the Land Alliance and the Cold Spring Harbor community once a 15-lot subdivision for the said location was approved by the Town of Huntington’s Planning Board.  The subdivision proposal included three lots consisting of 11 acres that would comprise of the existing residential structures on the site. Additionally, the other 12-lots would consist of single family homes.

The North Shore Land Alliance and many residents of the Cold Spring Harbor community are concerned that if constructed, the subdivision would create dire circumstances for the nearby harbor as nitrogen loading to the local waterways would increase through the installation of additional septic systems and more fertilizer applications. The site also consists of mature hardwood trees and steep slopes greater then 10%. Development of such a parcel would increase storm water runoff to the harbor which would equate to increased nitrogen loading, algae blooms, lower dissolved oxygen levels in the summer all of which add to the decline of Huntington’s shellfish and finfish industry.

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