Fire District Selling 6,000-Square-Foot Property for Under 1 Million

A property, south of the highway in Wainscott that's less than a quarter of an acre in size, is up for grabs. The owner, the Bridgehampton Fire District, won't accept anything less than $925,000. 

The fire district has owned the .14-acre vacant parcel at 113 Wainscott Main Street, on the north side of the street, for 40 years. "We never had a use for it," Steven Halsey, the chairman of the board of fire commissioners, said. 

The property only measures 60-by-100 feet, making it 6,000 square feet. According to surveys, it could only hold a house that a little bigger than 700 square feet, while meeting all front, side and rear setbacks.

The property is situated to the west of 115 Wainscott Main Street, which is owned by Ronald S. Lauder. The property is currently marked with orange tape. 

In July 2011, the property appraised for $1.1 million, according to paperwork from the district. The minimum bid the district will accept is $925,000, Barbara Roesel, the deputy treasurer and assistant clerk typist, said on Wednesday.

If the board decides to accept any of the offers made, the final decision to sell the property lies with the taxpayers, Roesel said. "It's not like selling a regular piece of property," she said. A referendum would have to be held. 

The fire district obtained the parcel from the Wainscott Men's Club in January 1972. A memo from the men's club in December 1971 does not indicate how much the district paid for it, but a letter from the Town of East Hampton's board of assessors to the new owners in February 1972 said that the taxes for the second half of the year were $5.81. 

The Bridgehampton Board of Fire Commissioners meets on Wednesday evening.