Politics & Government
With Riverhead Resorts Contract Nearly in the Rear View, Town Board Considers EPCAL Rezoning
Town Board requests proposal from land-use consultants.
In the wake of terminating Riverhead Resorts' contract to purchase property at Enterprise Park at Calverton – an action – Supervisor Sean Walter wants to study how the 755 acres that are for sale again might be rezoned to make the property more marketable to a broad range of potential developers.
The 755 acres are currently zoned for recreational use, the designation adopted to accommodate Riverhead Resorts' proposal to build eight themed resort parks on the former Grumman site. But Walter says recreational zoning doesn't make sense any more given the current economic environment.
He also said the 755 acres should be broken up into smaller parcels to make the property more marketable, a point that Councilwoman Jodi Giglio has been emphasizing for months.
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With that in mind, Walter invited representatives from VHB, a land-use consulting firm, to make a presentation at Wednesday's Town Board work session.
The company is currently working with LIPA on a re-use plan for the former site of the Shoreham nuclear plant. It also has experience developing re-use plans for closed military bases around the country – making it, Walter suggested, an ideal candidate to provide advice to the town.
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As the presentation proceeded, members of the Town Board members agreed that VHB should be asked to submit a proposal that would spell out the costs of various part of a study.
The proposal would not only address the expense of rezoning but would also include estimates for such things as environmental impact statements, programs to reach out to businesses, environment groups and other stakeholders and, ultimately, preparation of subdivision map, a necessary pre-requisite to selling land at EPCAL.
Jodi Giglio complimented Walter for reaching out to VHB. "I'm very pleased and impressed with what I've heard this morning," she said.
Walter said that the study could be funded in part by the $125,000 in contract extension payments that became town funds after Rechler Equity Partners pulled out of its deal to purchase 300 acres of land at EPCAL zoned for light industrial use.
"This is where this money should be spent," Walter said. And the rest of the Town Board appeared to agree.
