Brookhaven preserves three Mastic Beach parcels in marshland acquisition

Brookhaven has completed the acquisition of three parcels in Mastic Beach, removing approximately 25,000 square feet at the southwest corner of Beaver Drive and Forest Road East from potential private development and adding the land to the town’s protected open-space network.

Supervisor Dan Panico announced the acquisition July 21, 2026. The town identified the parcels as part of the Mastic Marshlands and described them as environmentally significant open space. For residents in and around Mastic, the completed purchase changes the planned status of these specific parcels, although the announcement did not provide a public access or restoration schedule.

What the acquisition covers

The three Mastic Beach parcels total approximately 25,000 square feet. Brookhaven presented the acquisition as part of its broader conservation and environmental-resilience program, with the marshland now included in the town’s protected open-space network.

The town’s announcement also reported a separate acquisition of approximately 5.5 acres at the Carmans River headwaters in Middle Island. That acreage is a distinct purchase and is not part of the Mastic Beach parcels or described as one contiguous preserve.

The release did not state the purchase price, funding source, appraisal value or a detailed management plan for the Mastic Beach land. It also did not say when public access or restoration work might occur. The acquisition therefore establishes the town’s ownership and conservation purpose without announcing a construction, access or restoration timetable.

Other Mastic-area projects

Brookhaven’s adopted 2026 capital plan provides separate infrastructure context for the area. The plan lists $12.974 million for the Neighborhood Road redevelopment area, including a $10 million New York State Environmental Facilities grant and $2.974 million in town funding.

The same plan lists $4.25 million in federal Community Project Funding for sewer work in Mastic Beach and the Forge River area. Those projects are background items and were not identified as part of the July 21 marshland acquisition announcement.

Brookhaven’s Neighborhood Road redevelopment page says the project’s Final Generic Environmental Impact Statement was accepted January 28, 2026. The town has not announced a next deadline for management of the newly acquired Mastic Beach parcels in the materials reviewed for this report.