A proposal to allow an agricultural tourism resort on the north side of Sound Avenue in Riverhead that was shelved earlier this year was welcomed back by the Town Council this week.
The rule change would allow an agricultural tourism inn or resort to be developed on at least 100 acres in the RA-80 zoning district, which makes up most of the land north of Sound Avenue. Development would require a special permit from City Hall and at least 70 percent of the land would be reserved for agricultural production. The remaining acres could be developed as a resort with up to 150 rooms and amenities such as a spa, restaurant and meeting rooms.
The proposal was shelved in April after disagreements arose between the town and the Long Island Farm Bureau over agricultural industry groups that advocated for vertical and indoor farming on the preserved land. Town officials and the town’s Farmland Preservation Committee wanted “traditional” agriculture to take place on the land.
The proposal discussed at Thursday’s work session was slightly revised from a rule considered by the committee in April. The rule includes a requirement that conserved land be limited to “agricultural uses that depend on the use of agricultural soils,” as defined by state law. Deputy Town Attorney Annmarie Prudenti, who helped draft the bill, said in an interview after the presentation that the rule is intended to specifically exclude vertical farming.
All town council members supported the proposal, arguing that the rule change would help preserve farmland and landscaping along Sound Avenue, but Councilman Bob Kern objected to the minimum amount of land needed for development.
“As I’ve said all along, I think a key component in putting this bill together was preserving the historic corridor, but more than anything, the aesthetics,” said City Councilman Ken Rothwell, a strong supporter of the bill. “Riverhead is an agricultural-based community and that’s exactly what we saw as we traveled down Sound Avenue, and I would like to see it preserved and remain that way forever.”
Prudenti said planners and town council members met with members of the Farmland Conservation Committee and the Agricultural Advisory Committee to discuss the bill. Prudenti said planning commissioner Ken Zielnicki, a farmer, was disappointed the ordinance was shelved and was instrumental in pushing for the bill.
At least one developer was interested in building a resort: Westchester-based real estate firm Alfred Weissman Real Estate featured North Fork Resort, a “luxury resort and spa” on Long Island Sound, in the “New Developments” section of its website last summer. An early draft of the proposed regulations was written with input from the company’s lawyers and planning consultants, according to emails obtained by Riverhead Local.
MORE COVERAGE: Hubbard and town officials defend developer involvement in proposed agri-tourism zoning code
Prudenti said in an interview that the town has not been in contact with Weissman or other developers about the version of the code the commission is currently considering.
Prudenti told the commission that an agritourism resort fits into the current and “future” comprehensive plans, which list “farm vacations” as a possible agritourism activity. The city council is currently considering an updated comprehensive plan, and the latest draft plan recommends an agritourism resort. The inclusion of an agritourism resort in the current draft is opposed by some residents, Southold-based environmental group The Group for the East End and the Town of Southold.
Town officials discussed the proposal Thursday, trying to preempt concerns raised by residents at past Town Council meetings, including the potential impacts that the development would have on traffic on the two-lane Sound Avenue.
Senior planner Greg Bergman cited the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s Complete Environmental Assessment Form (FEAF) workbook on traffic impacts of developments and said resorts built under the regulations “would not be considered significant tourist generators.”
The workbook states that a hotel/motel with more than 250 rooms would result in a “significant increase in traffic” when completing the environmental assessment form. It also states that even if a development does not meet the criteria outlined in the workbook, a traffic analysis may still be required if the development meets certain conditions, such as a lack of left-turn lots on roads adjacent to a proposed access point, high traffic volumes on surrounding roads, and other factors.
Prudenti said the rules further mitigate traffic impacts by limiting the number of restaurant seats allowed in developments, prohibiting temporary structures on the sites and prohibiting restaurants from being used as catering facilities. (The rules say venues can be used for private parties and events if they are “available only to guests of the property or resort during their stay.”)
Aside from the language intended to exclude vertical farms, the new draft requires resorts to have a setback of at least 250 feet from Sound Avenue, shorter than the previous proposal that called for 500 feet. The change was not mentioned during the work session. In an interview after the presentation, Prudenti said the setback change was “too burdensome” in the opinion of town officials and farmers.
During Thursday’s discussion, Khan opposed a requirement that resorts be developed on at least 100 acres of land.
“I don’t want to see 50 acres turned into subdivisions either because that would be inconsistent with what we’re trying to do here. So I think the 100 acre minimum is too high. It should be lower,” he said.
Other city council members disagreed with Khan. “We can’t cancel it,” Rothwell said. “And I think we have to see how it develops and how it works. And if it works and it’s doing exactly what we hope it will, then we’ll look to expand it in the future.”
“I see it working,” Kahn said. “I don’t think it’s a question of if it’s going to work. I think it’s going to work, and I think we need to make it work.”
The other directors did not voice any opposition, only support.
City Councilwoman Joan Waski said the ordinance is a “great tool” to protect farmland on Sound Avenue.
“One of the most important things to me is preserving farmland,” Waski said. “As someone who’s lived here in Riverhead all my life, I’ve seen a lot of subdivisions built over the years. I’ve seen the impact it’s had on our schools. I’ve seen the impact it’s had on traffic. I don’t want to see anything but farmland on Sound Avenue.”
City Councilman Dennis Merrifield said the proposal “delivers smart economic growth while preserving agricultural conservation. That’s what we ran for in the election.”
Hubbard withdrew his support for the bill in April due to disagreements with the Farm Bureau, but he said his objections with farmers have been “resolved” and supports moving the bill forward.
Hubbard also said he disagreed with opposition from residents of Willow Ponds, a condo development near where Weissman planned to build his resort. Residents approached the town council in December about the possible change to the ordinance. “I’m not really on board with it, because it’s going to be developed there and it’s OK now, but then it’s not OK for somebody else,” he said.
In addition to the buildings that will be part of the resort, developers will be allowed to build up to 300,000 square feet of buildings on the protected agricultural land, including greenhouses, barns and housing for farm workers. Agricultural and non-agricultural buildings will be allowed up to 35 feet in height.
“When someone uses the word ‘inn,’ it’s natural to feel concerned. [or] “It’s not a resort or anything like that. What are you talking about? This is not a Marriott Marquis that’s going to be a four-story hotel. It’s not anything like that,” Rothwell said. “It’s a low-lying development that’s not visible, not overlooked from South Avenue. That’s the whole point of it.”
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