Preservation Facts & Figures

The preservation of farmland and open space is priority number one in Southold Town. Through farmland programs, open space programs, and community preservation funds, as well as partnerships with the county, state and federal governments, and not-for-profit preservation groups, Southold Town is dedicated to the continuation of the rural lifestyle that the area has enjoyed for centuries. Here are some interesting facts about land preservation in Southold Town:

 

Conservation Subdivisions

 

- Conservation Subdivisions, coupled with other local conservation programs, will preserve nearly 80 percent of the remaining 10,000 acres of undeveloped land in Southold Town.

 

- Within a Conservation Subdivision, in the Town of Southold, 75 to 80 percent of the buildable land is preserved.

 

- All preserved lands within a Southold Town Conservation Subdivision will remain as perpetual open space.

 

Southold Town's Preservation Efforts

 

- Spanning 21 miles into Long Island Sound, Southold is the eastern-most Township of Suffolk County. The shoreline landscape makes Southold a sought-after location for tourism and second homes.

 

- To date, the Town of Southold has spent more than $11 million on land preservation. In the last 20 years, the Town of Southold lost more than 2,500 acres of land to development.

 

- According to the Town of Southold, to date, the town’s preservation efforts have secured more than 4,600 acres of farmland and open space.

 

- Most protected land within the Town of Southold is a result of work done by the town’s Land Preservation Committee, which consists of seven community members appointed by the Town Board. Members of the Land Preservation Committee also serve as the members of the Community Preservation Fund Advisory Board.

 

- The town’s commitment to preservation is evident in its operational budget. The annual operations budget for the Land Preservation Department is about $210,600. The staff includes the full-time land preservation coordinator and two part-time assistants. The town attorneys provide assistance on an as needed basis.

 

- A two percent property transfer tax, approved by voters in 1998, funds the Southold Community Preservation Fund, which supports the preservation of farmland and open space. Click here for a sample 2 percent land transfer tax form.

 

Suffolk County's Preservation Efforts 

 

- Suffolk County's purchase of development rights (PDR) program, which was instituted in 1974, has protected approximately 1,330 acres of agricultural land in the Town of Southold. It was the first program of its kind in the United States.

 

- Suffolk County Preservation Programs Saved 1,200 Acres in 2005. Click here for the full story!