A deep-pocketed landowner wants to transform one of the North Fork's largest remaining farm tracts into a cluster of luxury homes, including nearly 20 overlooking Long Island Sound, reigniting fierce debate over development.
The Soloviev Group, headed by billionaire Stefan Soloviev, has proposed a 372-acre conservation subdivision across Cutchogue and Peconic that would create 47 new residential lots while preserving 267 acres of surrounding farmland, according to a Southold Town work session last month.
The conservation subdivision project, called the Colusa Conservation Subdivision, is being developed through Soloviev-owned Crossroads Atlantic LLC and could be worth hundreds of millions of dollars when completed.
The property, east of Oregon Road, runs from County Road 48 north to the Sound, between Bridge Lane and Cabots Wood Road. Plans show 18 bluff-top lots ranging from 2.94 to 3.74 acres that could list for several million dollars, as well as 29 inland lots just over an acre in size that should also fetch significant amounts.
Up to five large conservation farm parcels would make up the bulk of the acreage, along with a dedicated access lot for the beach. Construction would take about two years once approved, according to the proposal delivered to the Planning Board in June.
Southold Town Supervisor Al Krupski said the conservation subdivision application was "encouraging" as a step toward further land preservation in Southold. Conservation subdivisions, which preserve a majority of acreage while allowing development on a portion of the land, were codified by the town board in 2006 with the goal of preserving agricultural lands while protecting landowners' equity.
"We have been funding it through [the Community Preservation Fund] and working with landowners so they can see the benefits of it," Mr. Krupski told The Suffolk Times. "And the town definitely gets the benefit of it by getting all of that farmland preserved."
The project is far from a done deal, however.
The proposal for one of the larger developments ever on the North Fork has sparked a fierce community response, both online and in civic circles, between those who see the plan as balancing preservation with growth, and others who fear another step toward "South Forkification."
Some residents expressed skepticism over the 50-year-old real estate scion's motives on social media.
"Soloviev didn't purchase all of the North Fork acreage solely for preservation," one wrote on the North Fork of Long Island Facebook group, a private community forum with more than 22,000 members. "From my perspective it was very obvious from the start that these purchases were a money-making undertaking."
Others questioned whether the homes would contribute to community vitality or simply become a playground for the rich.
"Who will actually live in these 47 homes?" longtime North Fork resident Bill Bladykas wrote in comments on the proposal. "Will we find our next firefighters, EMT volunteers or local store clerks among these residents? The reality is, most of these homes will likely become second or weekend residences."
The Suffolk Times reached out to Mr. Bladykas for comment.
Town planning staff have identified multiple issues that must be addressed before the project can move forward. In an Oct. 8 letter to the developer's attorney, Martin Finnegan, planning director Heather Lanza wrote that "this subdivision is not consistent with or in conformance with the Southold Town Comprehensive Plan."
The most significant concern involves a proposed spur road and interior lots that would cut through preserved farmland -- a design that violates town code stating that "open space should generally remain undivided," according to the letter.
"Changes to the design are required to be found to be in conformance with the Comprehensive Plan," the five-page letter says. The required changes include achieving "a more compact clustered lot design that minimizes the intrusion of residential uses into the farmland" and making "more efficient use of main roadway by relocating those lots to available space along the main parts of the proposed road."
Ms. Lanza also directed that the development area shift east to about the eastern property line "so any open space/conservation land is joined with the rest of the farm." Additionally, the 241-acre farm parcel must be split into three to five farms of comparable size, each with its own development rights intact.
The letter also identifies missing technical information, including details about recharge basins, lot recognition issues and various survey requirements.
Ms. Lanza declined to comment beyond the letter when reached by The Suffolk Times.
The land was purchased by several LLCs owned by Stefan Soloviev as recently as 2021. His vision for the North Fork properties he's acquired was to "build some high-end homes and then operate the rest of the farmland," he told The Suffolk Times in a 2017 interview.
Crossroads Atlantic LLC, founded in 1999, operates on 400,000 acres producing crops across Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Texas and New York.
This is not the first development proposal for the property. In 2021, Crossroads Atlantic withdrew an 11-lot conservation subdivision application for 66 acres of the site, known as the Colusa North Subdivision, after neighbors raised concerns about access road layouts and lot placement.
A revised sketch plan must be submitted before environmental review and a public hearing can be scheduled. Once the application is deemed complete, the Planning Board would make a SEQRA determination and hold a public hearing for the project's sketch plan. Other interested agencies such as the Department of Public Works and local fire departments would also be consulted.
Mr. Finnegan, a former town attorney now representing Crossroads Atlantic LLC, did not respond to The Suffolk Times' request for comment.
While the application is still in its early stages, Cutchogue Civic Association president Carolyn McCall and board member Dave Bergen noted its unique scope of development in the hamlet. They commended the Planning Board's work to ensure the application is in line with the town's Comprehensive Plan.
"I'm hoping that the town will continue to strike that balance between economic development and also the preservation of our land and the quality of life that we enjoy so much out here in Southold," Mr. Bergen told The Suffolk Times. "And I have confidence in their ability to do that."
Ms. McCall said the civic association would likely put together its own forum on the application within the next few months, but added that it's "too early to know what that would look like."