East Hampton Town has moved to acquire 38.3 acres of the former Wainscott sand mine, a 70.5‑acre parcel at 104 Wainscott Northwest Road, for $36.3 million, with the majority earmarked for open space.
The town’s proposal reverses a decades‑long commercial development push that would have sliced the site into 50 industrial lots, a plan that drew an eight‑hour hearing in 2023 and split the community.
Funding will come 86.95% from the Community Preservation Fund and 13.05% in municipal bonds, making it East Hampton’s second largest single‑parcel purchase after a $56 million deal on Wainscott Main Street.
A public hearing on Oct. 15 will decide the fate of the 5 acres earmarked for municipal use, while residents hope the 33.3 acres will become a park that preserves groundwater—shallow in places as low as 2.3 feet—and protects the Georgica Pond watershed.