EPCAL Studies Recommend Mixed-Use, 'No' to Airport, Casino

Mixed-use development is the best way to develop the Enterprise Park at Calverton, according to a marketing study presented to the Town Board at their Thursday morning work session.

The study suggests a freight village, food processing centers such as the , "green" energy plants and workforce housing as viable options for the site.

A separate zoning plan suggests leaving a large swath of open space on the eastern end of EPCAL as open space for required preservation of grasslands and native habitats of rare species, such as the tiger salamanders and short-eared owls on the property.

The state Pine Barrens commission requires that 35 percent of each property at EPCAL be designated as open land. This proposal, said Terri Elkowitz of Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc (VHB), would put all that open space in one area instead of splitting it up between plots. 

The marketing study, , was drafted by RKG Associates, and presented by Craig Seymour, of RKG. The zoning study was created by VHB and presented by Elkowitz and Ken Schwartz.

RKG's marketing study also discounted the possibility of several proposed ideas for the EPCAL property.

A casino would be unfeasible, the marketing study said, due to EPCAL's location far from New York City. The marketing study also said an airport for air cargo would be too expensive to work at EPCAL.

“An airport is not economically feasible at this location,” Seymour said at the town board meeting. “It's going to be a large hole into which a large amount of money is thrown.”

A NASCAR-style racetrack would also be likely to fail, Seymour said, due to traffic constraints on the roads leading into EPCAL. A second racetrack would also compete with the Riverhead Raceway, likely forcing one of the two to close, he said. 

However, Seymour did raise the possibility of a private motors sports track. The track would include amenities similar to a country club (Seymour suggested that the venue could even host weddings), and would provide owners of high-end sports cars with a "safe and controlled environment" to drive their vehicles.

Seymour said the idea might gain traction on the East End, where many residents own high performance cars, yet have no place to unleash them legally. The study also mentions an indoor kart racing track as an alternative plan for part of the property.

The zoning study recommends two plans for the property: a four-zone "preferred" plan and an alternative use that was drafted based on a proposed polo grounds for the area. The eight-field polo ground, which would include a grandstand and stables, was , but was dismissed by Supervisor Sean Walter who called the proposal "one of those bad ideas that come to die at EPCAL.”

The “preferred option” would include four zones for development, all on the western half of EPCAL. It also proposes shortening the 10,000 foot eastern runway to about 7,000 feet to create more developeable land. Elkowitz and Schwartz said the loss of 3,000 feet of runway would have little impact on its potential use. An unused 7,000 foot airplane runway to the west would be torn up and developed.

Zone 1 would be a limited-development area east of  The zone would allow for residential development and a business park. Zone 2 would include 238 acres east of Zone 1 and would allow business, light industrial, distribution and residential uses.

Zone 3 would be 192 acres of industrial use, sport-related and active recreation uses to the west of the existing industrial park. Zone 4 would be 181 acres west of Zone 3 and would allow residential, recreation and sports uses, as well as a business park.

VHB said the zoning would be “flexible” to allow the most potential uses in the future.

An alternate plan substitutes the proposed polo fields and equestrian uses where Zones 3 and 4 are located in the first plan. VHB said they drafted the plan due to the existing proposal for the polo grounds at EPCAL and would create additional alternative plans if another private proposal was presented to the town.