Suffolk Notebook: County Buys up Land, Seeks to Keep Gangs from Gathering

Suffolk County officials this week announced two land purchases to add to its acreage of parcels protected from development.

The county for $3.7 million from property owner Andrew Lack. The land, which is mostly wetlands, will be protected under the county’s new Drinking Water Protection Act, which aims to preserve county aquifers. The county credited the Long Island chapter of The Nature Conservancy, a worldwide conservation group, for helping put the deal together.

In addition,  on Wednesday. The August 17 purchase of land at the DeLalio Sod Farm in Riverhead and the Sylvester Manor on Shelter Island amount to 81 acres of space that the county said will be protected because of their significance as historic properties.

The 50-year-old DeLalio Sod Farm has provided flawless green grass for landmarks such as Central Park, Gracie Mansion and The Bronx Zoo Conservancy.

Sylvester Manor is a much older property. Established in 1652, it's one of the few places in America still owned by the same family since its founding. The manor's served as a farm for two centuries, and offers educational programs for residents and visitors.

Levy plans livestock management programs, wheat production using a wind-powered, circa 1810 gristmill and a farmers' market for the site.

The county said it's preserved 58,000 acres of parks, farmland and open space in the past 50 years.

Safety Zone Sought in Wyandanch
County and law enforcement officials are seeking a court injunction that would prohibit known gang members from even standing on the same street together in Wyandanch.

Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy and Police Commissioner Richard Dormer filed the injunction with the New York State Supreme Court. If granted, then 37 people identified as being part of the notorious Bloods gang could be locked up for congregating along Straight Path in the crime-ridden area.

Levy said the gang members had either identified themselves with the Bloods in the past, confessed to it in police interviews or bear markings such as gang tattoos.

The injunction would also give police power to arrest gang members for intimidating non-members, since they'd be in violation of a court order.

“The individuals in question here have already committed very serious violations of the law, involving drugs, illegal guns, assault, menacing and theft, and they use their violent criminal history as a means of intimidation,” Dormer said in statement.

Dormer added that often gang members publicly hang out at locations on their turf to frighten rival gang members.

Abandoned Lots to Become Affordable Housing
Levy this week also signed a law transferring four abandoned parcels of land to the Town of Brookhaven to be used to create affordable housing under the Housing Opportunities Program.

At the same time, Brookhaven signed an agreement with three nonprofits affiliated with the program – the Economic Opportunity Council of Suffolk, Habitat for Humanity and the Long Island Housing Partnership – who will rehabilitate the properties and sell them to families who qualify for affordable housing.

In Suffolk a family of four making less than $84,900 per year would qualify.

The county said it has transferred 343 properties earmarked for affordable housing to date. The four transferred this week are located in Farmingville, Medford, Shirley and Bellport.