Tuckahoe Man Pushes Southampton Town To Preserve 19-Square-Foot Property

It’s, essentially, a sliver of land.

Measuring only 19 square feet, the triangular property on the eastern side of Sandy Hollow Road in Tuckahoe is not even big enough to park a compact car on. But that’s not slowing down the efforts of Ed Broidy, owner of Brocard Development, to secure Southampton Town Board approval to put an easement on the property and give up his development rights.

Mr. Broidy—who lives on his namesake cul-de-sac, Broidy Lane, off Sandy Hollow Road—said Southampton Town law allows him to receive a certificate that notes he has preserved the minuscule lot.

“We’re following the code—the code says we can do it,” Mr. Broidy said during a phone interview on Thursday, November 30. “We’re not asking for anything special.”

Hypothetically, if Mr. Broidy qualifies for the certificate, and receives half a development right from the town in the deal, he could sell that development right for approximately $40,000, explained Town Planning Director David Wilcox.

Southampton Town’s Transfer of Development Rights program allows a landowner in a “sending area” to preserve land in perpetuity then sell the development right to a building project in a designated “receiving area,” where development has been deemed more appropriate.

“Half a development right for a parking space? That’s why the Town Board was chuckling a little bit,” said Mr. Wilcox, referring to the November 28 Town Board meeting where a Brocard Development representative pleaded with the Town Board for the certificate.

Aram Egan, the representative, said the company is not looking for money—all it wants is to make an easement on the land.

“I don’t see why this board would pass up preserving it,” Mr. Egan said.

Mr. Wilcox said on Friday that the property is going to be preserved regardless, because it’s too small for something to be built on it, according to town code. “You can’t build a house on it,” he said matter-of-factly.

Looking at Mr. Egan—who was standing at the podium with piles of paperwork, images and maps to prove his point—Southampton Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman questioned the purpose of granting the easement.

“Can you fit a single tree on it?” the supervisor asked. “Probably not.”

The property lies on the eastern side of Sandy Hollow Road, sandwiched between the 2-acre Emil Norsic & Son yard and the 7.4-acre property that was the site of the Long Island Automotive Museum.

The property is so small that the town only took note of it in August—though it was purchased decades ago by Mr. Broidy and his partner for $400—and taxes on the property are only $3.78 per year, according to Tax Assessor Lisa Goree.

The property was part of a larger land purchase decades ago on the western side of Sandy Hollow Road—where the Broidy Lane cul-de-sac is now. The purchase of unusually small properties happens from time to time with large land purchases, Ms. Goree said.

“Sometimes there are little parcels that are left out,” she explained.

Still, Mr. Broidy is looking to preserve the land.

“We’re following the code—the code says we can do it,” he said. “We’re not asking for anything special.”

He stressed that he is not looking for money—he just wants to see the property preserved.

“It’s not about the value,” Mr. Egan said. “It’s about eligibility.”

Awarding the preservation certificate is typically done at the Town Board’s discretion.

The town code was recently amended to make properties smaller than 4,000 square feet ineligible to be sold for development rights, Mr. Wilcox explained. In the past, a 19-square-foot property could have been eligible for half a development right—granted it meets all the other criteria in the law, such as being scenic or in an environmentally sensitive area.

The property on Sandy Hollow Road does not meet that criteria either, Mr. Wilcox noted. “The code is very specific about the qualifications.”