For a decade, a property owner, residents and the Town of Riverhead have been at odds over the future of 14 acres of pristine open space.

Property owner Ed Broidy wants to build 16-18 homes on Reeves Park in Baiting Hollow. Neighbors want Suffolk County to buy the property and turn it into a park, but Riverhead does not want to pay thousands of dollars in maintenance costs required by the county.

Two council members of the Riverhead Town Board have come up with an alternative plan to keep the property as farmland. Councilman George Gabrielsen and Councilwoman Jodi Giglio want to see the property sold to a farmer and have Broidy granted development rights elsewhere.

Any final decision to preserve the land would have to be approved by the full County Legislature.