Dans Papers - May 25, 2007 - The Bayview Gardens

Several years ago, with development looming from the West, the town of Southold decided to fight the pressures of overcrowding and suburban sprawl, and preserve the rural character that has made the area so unique.

The town issued a series of moratoriums on new land subdivisions, allowing residents the time they needed to address the Town Code with respect to new home construction. The result was an innovative approach to development known as the Conservation Subdivision.

Now, under Southold Town's Conservation Subdivision law, the number of housing units that would typically be allowed on a particular tract of land is significantly reduced, and at least 75 to 80 percent of the buildable land is preserved. Developers are encouraged to choose conservation over dense development with an array of time and money incentives.

All preserved lands within a Southold Town Conservation Subdivision remain as perpetual open space. Conservation subdivisions, coupled with other local programs, will preserve nearly 80% of the remaining 10,000 acres of undeveloped land in the town of Southold.

The first homes built under Southold's new Conservation Subdivision Law have recently come on the market, "Bayview Gardens," the developer, is offering an enclave of five homes on two-acre lots, surrounded by 38 acres of Conservation Land. Away from the main traffic roads and less than a mile from one of Southold's best bay beaches, Bayview Gardens offers quiet, tranquility, and privacy to the high-end North Fork homeowner.

Designed by renowned Westchester architect Jason Taylor, the homes are luxurious creations in the style of Stanford White, with cedar shingled roofs, extensive stone and trim work, classic white columns and gabled roofs, all coupled with modern amenities such as Viking kitchens, large master baths, built-in sound systems, and much more.

"We wanted to capture a timeless, elegant look, it was always about preserving something that would last forever" explained Mr. Taylor. Consistency was also watchword. In one of the homes, a gentle slope in the roof is echoed throughout, from a barrel-shaped entry foyer down to a curved sink fixture. The effect is subtle yet specific.

With two homes built and 3 lots available for building, the intent is to create five unique designs, all of which are classic in style and proportion, with quality materials and high-end finishes. As landscaping is added and the cedar shingles fade to gray, the street should seem as if it came from a bygone era.

The homes are also proportionate to the land the sit on. "In some areas of Long Island you will see 7000 square-foot homes on three-quarters of an acre," says Kevin Miller, a principal of Freeform Construction, which is building the homes. "Because of the new law in Southold, we were able to build quality homes on larger parcels, and surround them with protected land. That offers people privacy, room for a pool, and a setting that will be that way forever," says Miller.

And while the Hamptons may have become known as a playground for the rich and famous, The North Fork has always managed to retain its quiet, rural character. Surrounded by breathtaking waterviews of Long Island Sound to the North and Peconic Bay to the south, the North Fork provides protected waters, beautiful beaches, and world class fishing, making it a family favorite.

Founded as a farming community in 1640 by Puritans from the New Haven Colony, Southold Town on Long Island's North Fork was the first English Town in New York State. The area is still a vital farming community comprised of quaint rural hamlets and old seafaring villages, each as unique as the next. Dotted with vineyards, inns, historic homes and barns, working farms, and superb restaurants, its charm is hard to resist.

The first two homes at Bayview Gardens have been completed and are available through Eileen and Jim Tonsmeire, Fine Homes Specialists with Prudential Elliman Real Estate in Southold.

For additional information contact Eileen or Jim Tonsmeire at Prudential Douglas Elliman's Southold office at 631-765-5005, ext. 217, or cell 631-766-0730 or visit www.bayviewgardensny.com.