The New Suffolk Waterfront Fund is pleased to announce an agreement with Robins Island Holdings, LLC that represents a major step toward the community goal of preserving and protecting the waterfront property at the foot of Main Street in the bayside hamlet. The generous support of Robins Island Holdings, LLC, combined with a grant from NYS Department of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, allows the Waterfront Fund to pay off its mortgage and devote its energies toward long-anticipated improvements and renovations on the property.
Under the proposed agreement, Robins Island Holdings, LLC, established by Robins Island owner Louis Bacon, will acquire approximately one acre of land adjoining their existing property to create a Maritime Grassland Preserve. They will use a portion for seasonal parking and add a small boat shed to their existing building. Robins Island Holdings, LLC will work with the Peconic Land Trust ensuring the property's maintenance, preservation and scenic views in perpetuity. A portion of the southern beach and the northerly 2.4 acres of the site will remain the property of the New Suffolk Waterfront Fund.
Louis Bacon added, "I consider it a privilege to participate in this outstanding community preservation project working with The New Suffolk Waterfront Fund and Peconic Land Trust. Together, we have crafted a long term solution to a threatened property and developed a viable conservation alternative which both preserves and protects a critical view shed for the residents of New Suffolk and the North Fork. This collaboration is a continued expansion of ongoing private, public and non-profit efforts that are becoming the template for preservation in the future."
Barbara Schnitzler, Chair of the New Suffolk Waterfront Fund, said the Board is grateful for Mr. Bacon's generous, continuing support of this project. "We are so pleased that our acquisition fundraising is behind us, and we can get to work creating the community asset that so many people have supported, financially and through their volunteer efforts."
The historic 3.4-acre site on Peconic Bay stretches from Captain Marty's Fishing Station to the North to Robins Island offices to the South, and includes a deep-water marina and an 1898 building that once housed the Galley Ho restaurant. It is also the site of the first submarine base in the United States.
For more information, contact us at newsuffolkfund@gmail.com or 631- 566-0806.