The Suffolk County Legislature has approved the purchase of 17.29 acres of open space within the Terryville Greenbelt. The legislature’s vote provides county officials with authorization to complete the remaining steps of the acquisition process for these properties. Through a partnership, the cost of purchasing these parcels will be divided between Suffolk County and the Town of Brookhaven at a 75% and 25% split, respectively. Additionally, the County and Town are expected to enter into an agreement for management and oversight of this open space by Brookhaven.
As part of the Central Suffolk Special Groundwater Protection Area and located within the heavily developed Port Jefferson Station community, the Terryville Greenbelt is situated south of Route 112, adjacent to the rear of Comsewogue High School, and is approximately 75 total acres. The Town of Brookhaven has already preserved approximately 40 of the greenbelt’s acres through open space acquisitions and these 60 individual parcels will add to those existing municipal open space holdings to form continuous greenery.
“Preserving the Terryville Greenbelt parcels, located within a Special Groundwater Protection Area, in perpetuity highlights the continued commitment of Suffolk County to being a strong community partner to ensure protection of the local environment and our quality of life,” said Deputy Presiding Officer Hahn.
Suffolk’s efforts to preserve the greenbelt began in 2017, when Legislator Hahn gained approval for the appraisals of the parcels, the first step in a multi-phased county acquisition process. That initial step commenced a complex process of contacting the 60 parcels’ owners, gauging the owners’ interest in selling to the county and appraising the sites.
According to a letter of support provided to legislators from the Port Jefferson Station Terryville Civic Association, “Given the past and present development in this hamlet this proposed acquisition is needed for both quality of life and of our drinking water. The community supports the need for this type of quality and amount of open space in our Suffolk hamlet.”
“Thank you Legislator Hahn for your leadership in preserving over 17 acres of open space for the Terryville Greenbelt. This is a monumental achievement for our community and I’m grateful for your passionate dedication to getting it done. This latest addition to the 40 acres preserved by the Town of Brookhaven will further strengthen our shared efforts to protect our groundwater and provide more public access to precious green spaces,” said Councilmember Jonathan Kornreich.
“I want to thank all of the people who have help create and expand the Terryville Greenbelt over the past 10+ years. Thank you Steve Fiore Rosenfeld, Steven Englebright, then Supervisor Foley, Kara Hahn, Valerie Cartright, John Turner and the current Town Board who have worked with all the elected officials and myself to help make this vision a reality,” said preservation proponent and Terryville resident Louis Antoniello. “Thank you all.”
