Funding OKd to appraise Lloyd Harbor Catholic seminary, eyed for open space 

The Suffolk County Legislature has approved $20,000 in funding to appraise 160 acres of the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception in Lloyd Harbor, the first step for the possible acquisition of one of the last remaining open spaces in western Suffolk County.

“Most of the open space, pretty much everything has been done out east,” said freshman Legis. Stephanie Bontempi (R-Centerport), who introduced the legislation in March. "This is the first big parcel of land that has come up in the western part of Suffolk.”

Bontempi said 160 acres of the 225-acre waterfront property will be appraised for purchase and would be preserved as open space. Two appraisals would be conducted because of the size of the property, she added. 

If the parcel is acquired, it would be purchased jointly by the state, county, Huntington Town and the Oyster Bay-based North Shore Land Alliance, Bontempi and Huntington Town Supervisor Ed Smyth told Newsday.

Representatives from each of those entities met “numerous” times and made site visits to determine which areas of the property to preserve, Smyth said.

“There is a general consensus that preserving the area jointly is preferable to splitting up the acquisition separately between the different agencies,” he said.

Bontempi said the seminary expects to retain the building on the property and some acreage.

“The reason it took some time to get this passed was that we had to agree upon a map, what parts of the property the seminary wanted to keep and what part they wanted to sell,” she said.

Diocese officials did not respond to Newsday’s request for comment.

The legislature approved the appraisal resolution at its June 7 meeting.

Last year, Smyth sponsored a board resolution supporting shared protection of a portion of the property. The board then approved up to $20,000 for an appraisal.

The town received its appraisal from a county-approved appraiser in January, town officials said. 

Lisa W. Ott, president and CEO of The North Shore Land Alliance Inc., said the nonprofit had hired a company to appraise the property in conjunction with the Town of Huntington.

In 2011, it was announced the seminary would stop training men to become priests at the site, ending an 80-year history of preparing seminarians for churches across Long Island. Since then, the property has been used as a retreat and conference center.

Bontempi said this is “huge” opportunity to stop what could have been condominiums on the bucolic property. 

“It’s going to take some time to purchase it, but we have passed the first hurdle,” she said. “We’re there now and that’s exciting.”