George Soros and family buy 18 plots of land in exclusive Hamptons enclave, squeezing locals: Ruining the island

SHELTER ISLAND, NY — George Soros and his family have been on a property buying spree, scooping up homes and prime parcels of land in an idyllic Hamptons enclave, angering local residents who worry the billionaire land grab is already upending the tight-knit community, The Post has learned.The family now control nearly 120 acres of property on Shelter Island, which is only accessible by ferry, making the Soroses — billionaire Hungarian-American investor George, 95, his sons Alex, 40, and Gregory, 38 — the largest private landowner in the community.The 18 properties they have bought were purchased through myriad shell companies, according to public records reviewed by The Post.“We never really figured out what their purpose in buying so much land could be,” said a former resident who sold their property to the family a few years ago.“But because you can only get here by ferry, we thought they might be building a bunker, away from everyone.”Six years ago, when Gregory scooped up a 22-acre property on Daniel Lord Road, the quiet street suddenly saw a steady flow of construction workers and water tankers arriving a few times a week to fill his pool, rumored to be the largest on the 6.5-mile island, the former resident said.

Cameras have been installed on the street, and local plumbers, carpenters and housekeepers were required to sign nondisclosure agreements in order to work at the property, according to the former resident, who asked not to be identified.The family bought up all the properties on the road, and petitioned the Shelter Island Town Board to install a security fence on the road to keep locals out.The town blocked those plans because there is a town-owned landing at the end of the road, but residents told The Post they believe it is just a matter of time before the Soros family will get its way.“We can’t keep up with the lawyers that these millionaires have and they seem to build whatever they want,” said Steve Lenox, a longtime local...