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COVER STORIES: BACK TO THE LAND...STILL
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Lloyd Zuckerberg, A84
Preserving the integrity of an old farmstead from development
helps others see hope
Back to Back
to the Land...Still
When Lloyd Zuckerberg, A84, first saw the 100-acre estate in Long Island called “Groton
Place” with his father in 1996, he was more than troubled by the thought
of its untouched hills and fields being marred by an approved 25-lot subdivision. “I
had never seen anything more beautiful this close to New York,” says Zuckerberg,
a New York real-estate investor and developer. “I knew that everything
that was special about it would be obliterated by the subdivision, everything.”
In February 1997, Zuckerberg was devastated to learn the land was being sold
to a developer. But through his broker, he met Luis and Julie Rinaldini, who
were interested in purchasing the part of the property that included the main
house. Ultimately, the Rinaldinis and the Zuckerbergs assumed the developer’s
pending contract, with the Zuckerbergs intending to build their own house on
the land.
Zuckerberg’s desire to protect the land became a reality by working with
the North American Land Trust (NALT) of Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania. NALT’s
president, Andy Johnson, proposed securing the land’s future through conservation
easements, which bind a property owner’s good intentions to the land in
perpetuity and protect it from inappropriate development. The owners donated
the easement to the Long Island–based Peconic Land Trust in 2002.
Now, there can never be more than eight houses on the property, preserving not
only its natural beauty, but its integrity. Historic structures will be restored,
including the 1910 dairy barn, Quaker farmhouse, and stables. “In the Rinaldinis
I found partners who shared my dream,” says Zuckerberg, “and NALT
gave me the tools to make it all happen.”
Indeed, he was so impressed by the process that Zuckerberg went on to create
the Nassau Land Trust. “This is a groundbreaking project for this part
of the world,” he says, “and my objective is to get more people aware
of how it can work. In a neighboring village, many are upset by the possibility
that another beautiful piece of land may be subdivided into 28 lots. They’ve
asked me to talk about what we did. That’s a testament to my dream for
Groton Place, that it will become a model.” |
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