Southampton Town announced this week that it has purchased a long-abandoned Northampton gas station property on Lake Avenue adjacent to Wildwood Lake, a move the town says removes “decades-old blight and a potential environmental hazard.”
The town closed on the $420,000 purchase on Aug. 26. The third-acre property had been the site of a gas station and auto repair shop, built in 1950, which had been defunct for decades. The 1,214-square-foot building, concrete pads, sign remnants, and asphalt parking lot were removed as a condition of the sale.
“The purchase is a win on several fronts. We have removed a long-standing eyesore, preserved open space, and protected groundwater, while also addressing runoff,” said Southampton Town Supervisor Maria Moore in the announcement of the purchase. “For decades, this property sat abandoned next to Wildwood Lake. It may be small, but its location makes its protection especially important…. The real value of the acquisition is in what comes next: Instead of another intensive commercial use, we are giving the land a chance to return to a natural condition and helping protect the surrounding environment.”
The majority of the sale price was paid through the town’s CPF fund for open space conservation and groundwater protection purposes. It is located within the town’s water quality improvement priority area, as well as the aquifer protection overlay district and Central Pine Barrens Core Preservation area.
A portion of the property will also be used for a town Highway Department stormwater remediation project associated with adjoining Lakeview Drive.
“Doing so will help reduce the likelihood of runoff entering Wildwood Lake, further advancing the Town’s water quality protection efforts,” according to the town. “The parcel can now revegetate on its own, returning the small but environmentally significant site to a more natural state.”
The CPF contributed $332,500 toward the acquisition, with the remaining $87,500 coming from the town’s general fund reserves.
“The recent CPF acquisition will now allow nature to reclaim this environmentally sensitive property, which is impacted by surrounding freshwater wetlands, and reduce development near Wildwood Lake,” said Community Preservation Director Jacqueline Fenton. “Transforming a former commercial site to a natural space, improving the community character and removing the impacts and disturbance related to the former gas station structures were some of the goals of this purchase. This may be a small property in size, but this is a huge step in the right direction for the environment and community.”
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