Farmland Conservation in Bridgehampton

Thanks to community members and the Town of Southampton, the Peconic Land Trust acquired 27 acres of farmland in Bridgehampton from the Topping family in April. “When we realized that the Topping Farm Property was about to be sold for residential development, our family became determined to find a conservation alternative. We were very fortunate to be introduced to the Peconic Land Trust who worked tirelessly to put a deal together and helped the neighbors raise the necessary private funds,” said Lew Frankfort who lives adjacent to the farm.

In December 2023, the Trust entered into a contract with the Topping family to purchase 27 acres of productive farmland located on Halsey Lane in Bridgehampton. The farmland, which has been farmed for over 150 years by the family, has some of the most productive soils on Long Island – Bridgehampton silt loam and haven loam. This farmland preservation effort was a once in a lifetime opportunity to preserve land in an area with some of the most expensive real estate indicative of the agricultural history and landscape of eastern Long Island.

The donation of $18 million from community members — over 25 donors — along with $30 million in funding from the Town of Southampton’s Community Preservation Fund made this conservation possible. In addition to the traditional development rights restrictions for agricultural land purchased by the Town, this easement also includes enhanced restrictions limiting the land to food production farming while ensuring that it will always be affordable to farmers.

“This is truly a conservation deal of a lifetime. We are thankful to the Town of Southampton and the many, many community members who saw how special and important this opportunity was and came together to make it happen. We especially thank Lew Frankfort and his family, along with Greg Holbrook, who were instrumental in the fundraising for this conservation success,” said John v.H. Halsey, President of the Peconic Land Trust.

A Request for Proposals to purchase the protected farmland was issued earlier this month.

To learn more about this project, contact Kim Quarty, Director of Conservation Planning at KQuarty@PeconicLandTrust.org.