The Community Preservation Fund was established as an open space and water quality protection statute, which sets farmland preservation as its highest priority.

And through its CPF program, Southold Town has and will continue to use the funds it raises for the benefit of all town and Greenport Village residents.

Open space preservation has been a longstanding priority in Southold Town, and our commitment to that effort is why this area remains a beautiful place. Suffolk County created the nation’s first farmland preservation program in 1974. Even back then, local legislators and residents clearly understood that if these preservation efforts were not undertaken, ALL of the remaining productive soils on Long Island would be paved over at the expense of productive farming and groundwater recharge.

Building on these values, CPF was created as a dedicated land preservation fund that prioritized farmland and open space protection — for good reason. Farmland preservation provides food security, groundwater recharge areas and scenic buffers between development. Open space generally provides meaningful public recreation — a walk in the woods on a nice trail or perhaps access to the water. Open space buffers developed areas from noise and air pollution. It provides meaningful wildlife habitats. Open space mitigates the effects of climate change, allowing for absorption of storm surges from coastal storms, as well as recharge of rainfall in storm events. Open space also protects groundwater and surface water quality by minimizing harmful inputs from development. Who benefits from open space preservation? We all do. While Greenport Village Mayor Kevin Stuessi is right in saying that we could choose to use CPF money for purposes other than open space preservation, we would all have to bear the consequences of that decision . Mr. Stuessi may not care if we preserve another acre of farmland in Cutchogue or Mattituck, and he is entitled to his opinion. But he fails to recognize the many benefits that farmland and open space preservation provides to all town and village residents, including food security, groundwater and surface water protection, meaningful public recreation and natural habitat protection. Land preservation remains the town’s most efficient tool to accomplish any one of these goals.

Unfortunately, the resources Southold Town needs to achieve CPF’s goals are not endless. Between 2021 and 2022, Southold Town generated just $28 million in CPF revenue compared to East Hampton’s $127.2 million and Southampton’s $224.4 million. And unlike those neighbors, Southold still has significant farmland and open space preservation opportunities. In other words, our neighbors can afford to prioritize historic preservation and specific water quality improvement projects — Southold cannot. Open space preservation remains the most cost-effective way for Southold Town to protect the water quality, natural resources and recreational needs of all town and village residents.

If the town slows its preservation efforts, we invite developers to “Pave What’s Left.” The resulting overdevelopment would increase overcrowding and traffic jams, reduce air and water quality, place greater demand on services and infrastructure, which increase our taxes and reduce overall quality of life. While we could turn our back on land preservation, Southold hasn’t yet and shouldn’t in the future.

I have met with Mr. Stuessi a number of times on CPF and land preservation issues, and I am quite willing to work with him on preservation efforts that benefit the quality of life for all Village of Greenport and Southold Town residents.

Mr. Krupski in the Southold Town supervisor. This column was submitted in response to a Guest Spot by Greenport Village Mayor Kevin Stuessi, published in the July 4, 2024, edition of The Suffolk Times.