Riverhead extends moratorium on new industrial development in Calverton

Riverhead Town has extended a moratorium on industrial development in Calverton by three months while drafting zoning changes based on the newly completed master plan.

The town board enacted an initial six-month moratorium in January to review changes to industrial areas that would limit heavy uses and set more stringent rules for building setbacks, heights and visual screening.

In a 3-2 vote Tuesday, town officials extended the moratorium through mid-October. It continues to halt applications for large projects in the hamlet, including a 130-acre industrial subdivision, 152,000-square-foot self-storage facility and 641,000-square-foot logistics center.

Councilmen Bob Kerns and Ken Rothwell voted against the extension Tuesday.

In an interview, Kerns said he wanted the moratorium to exempt applications for recreational facilities, a request that was turned down. Rothwell didn’t respond to a phone call seeking comment.

The vast majority of undeveloped industrially zoned land in Riverhead lie in Calverton.

Town planners described industrial proposals as “unprecedented,” estimating 12 million square feet of new industrial projects could be built under current zoning.

Town planner Matt Charters called that projection a “complete doomsday” scenario that would apply only if every available property was built to capacity.

Charters said the code revisions aim to limit the intensity of development by combining two industrial zones into a new district, Calverton Industrial, that would allow lighter uses and reduce the size of projects.

“We’re marching towards the end of the [comprehensive] plan,” he said at the hearing. “This will allow us a little more time to get those codes adopted and in place.”

Riverhead officials anticipate adopting the master plan in August.

The extension, which the Suffolk County Planning Commission approved on July 10, drew broad support from residents and environmental organizations like Group for the East End, a Southold-based nonprofit.

Some called on the town to analyze the impacts industrial development could have in the region, particularly last-mile warehouses and distribution centers.

“How many do we need?” said Jennifer Hartnagel, director of conservation for the Group for the East End. “We all buy stuff from Amazon but do we need all of that space filled up with those types of distribution centers?”

One recommendation in the plan would reduce the scale of development allowed based on a calculation of how large projects can be based on property size.

But it would permit developers to increase the scale if they buy farmland preservation credits, which transfer development rights between properties.

Hartnagel said the reduction would be “a drop in the bucket,” or about 166,000 less square feet of development if builders max out those credits.

“At the end of the day, you’re not reducing the density,” Hartnagel said.