Brookhaven plans to expand Setauket Harbor Park, make it a recreation hub

A Brookhaven Town project to prune invasive plants at Setauket Harbor Park three years ago made for a startling revelation to some residents: a small pond and a walking bridge that previously had been obscured by overgrown phragmites. 

Civic leaders and Brookhaven Town officials are now considering plans to double the size of the park and make it more attractive to visitors. 

The park is expected to grow to 4 acres next year with the addition of a 2-acre parcel purchased by the town, Three Village Civic Association president Charles Tramontana said.

Civic leaders hope the expanded park will help protect the ecologically fragile Setauket Harbor and draw shoppers to the area's modest business district, which includes a delicatessen, a restaurant and a martial arts school.

“We feel it’s really going to be transformative,” Tramontana said. “We want to see if we can make it a place where people can come and connect with Setauket and Setauket Harbor.”

The park, on the north side of state Route 25A in East Setauket, has very little besides a boardwalk and a town parking lot that is mainly used by customers of nearby Se-Port Deli.

But opportunities to enhance the park opened last year when the town paid $1.6 million to buy a 2-acre parcel occupied by an automotive shop that will be added to the park, doubling its size, Tramontana said.

The purchase was funded by a state grant, Suffolk Legis. Steven Englebright (D-Setauket) said.

Now the question is what to do with the expanded park.

The civic association hosted a meeting Monday night at which about 40 residents reviewed and discussed three draft plans prepared by Joseph Betz, an architect and Farmingdale State College professor who is a member of the civic group.

One proposal suggested draining the pond and shifting it north to create more walking space for visitors, Tramontana said, adding a separate proposal would use the auto repair shop building for bathrooms or a rest area.

Brookhaven in 2021 launched a $1.36 million project to dredge the pond, install stormwater filters, and remove phragmites and other invasive plants. The project opened views of the bridge and pond, Tramontana said.

George Hoffman, a trustee of the Setauket Harbor Task Force, an environmental nonprofit, said residents and officials want to create a "cornerstone park" that would help protect the harbor, provide recreation and boost the local economy.

“Right now it’s a blank canvas,” Hoffman said. “We see it as an anchor for development in the downtown area.”

Brookhaven Councilman Jonathan Kornreich, a Democrat, said the park renovation is at least a year from completion, adding the cost will depend on what amenities town officials decide to add.

“I would really, really like to see something that would be a draw to the community," Kornreich said. "We really want to make a functional downtown there, something more than something you drive through."

Tramontana, noting nearby historic sites such as the pre-Colonial Brewster House, believed to be Brookhaven's oldest house, said the park could be a draw for school field trips.

“The view [of the harbor], when all is said and done, is really going to be spectacular,” he said. “Hopefully, our children’s children’s children will come and enjoy it.”

By Carl MacGowan

carl.macgowan@newsday.comCarlMacGowan

Carl MacGowan is a Long Island native who covers Brookhaven Town after having previously covered Smithtown, Suffolk County courts and numerous spot news and feature stories over his 20-plus year career at Newsday.