The land at 18 Jones Creek Lane in East Hampton may be the best thing Beyoncé never had.
Beyoncé and Jay-Z were defeated in their attempt to acquire 2.7 acres of pristine waterfront land on Georgica Pond by the Peconic Land Trust — not by a rival billionaire power couple, but by a nonprofit preservation group.
The Peconic Land Trust outbid the Grammy-winning recording artists for the property, the New York Post reported, acquiring the undeveloped lot for $8.5 million.
Ana Meier, daughter of architect Richard Meier, and her husband listed the property for $11.7 million last year.
The land likely could have sold for more. A source told the Post that Jay-Z, who owns a 12,000-square-foot mansion at nearby 81 Briar Patch Lane, “kept bidding it up” before the sellers decided to turn it over to the preservationists instead.
“The owners decided to pass on other higher offers and make a deal with the trust for preservation purposes,” said Town & Country Real Estate’s Linda Batiancela, who had the listing.
The property sits next to the Fulling Mill Farm Preserve and is less than a mile from the ocean. It likely drew the attention of the power couple due to its proximity to their home Briar Patch Road property, which they purchased for $25.9 million in 2017.
Beyoncé and Jay-Z may have been the ones responsible for keeping the parcel undeveloped to begin with. Shortly after purchasing their “Gatsby-esque” mansion in 2017, the couple found themselves in a dispute with none other than the Meiers. The pair were concerned that a home Richard designed for his daughter would block the views from their own home. The couple “lawyered up,” according to a report at the time; the house at 18 Jones Creek Lane was never built.
Earlier this year, the Peconic Land Trust purchased Broad Cove, a 100-acre waterfront parcel in Aquebogue, North Fork for $11.5 million. Its plans for the land include recreation, climate change resiliency and wildlife protection.
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