The Long Island Pine Barrens Protection Act of 1993, codified at NY ECL Article 57, creates a Core Preservation Area and Compatible Growth Area in central Suffolk County administered by the Pine Barrens Commission with strict land-use controls.
Article 57 of the New York Environmental Conservation Law established the Central Pine Barrens, comprising roughly 100,000 acres in the Towns of Brookhaven, Riverhead, and Southampton. The Core Preservation Area generally prohibits new residential and commercial development to protect the deep-recharge aquifer that supplies the East End. The Compatible Growth Area allows planned development subject to a comprehensive land-use plan and Pine Barrens Credit Program transfers of development rights. The Pine Barrens Commission, with state and county members, reviews variances and hardship applications.
Development within the Core Preservation Area without Pine Barrens Commission approval is enjoinable in state court; civil penalties may exceed 25000 dollars per offense, plus restoration and attorneys fees.
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