As Southold puts a halt to hotel development, another town in the North Fork is considering a change that could result in thousands of hospitality units.
Riverhead is weighing a zoning change that would permit the construction of luxury hotels on the north side of Sound Avenue, a farm haven without an inn or hotel in sight, Newsday reported. Town officials view the proposal as a way to boost the tax base. Farmers also acknowledge an opportunity to land a big payout to sell development rights, though many remain skeptical of the proposal’s supposed benefits.
“I would have a lot more respect for the proposed code if it was for a multigenerational farm that was looking for a new way to do business, but that’s not what this is,” farmer Rose Andrews told the publication.
Town officials also believe the updated code could help to preserve some of the town’s estimated 7,000 acres of open space. Under the proposal, developers who obtain special permits would need to build on tracts of at least 100 acres and preserve at least 70 percent of the land to be actively farmed.
Town planner Matt Charters identified only seven properties that would be eligible for developments under the proposal. Those properties, however, span more than 700 acres and could yield more than 1,050 hotel rooms. Alfred Weissman Real Estate is already eyeing a 100-room resort at 3994 Sound Avenue, a 105-acre tract.
All of the resorts would practically be hidden from the rural avenue because of a provision in the code “to provide open space views of agriculture.”
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But that’s not enough to curb concerns over traffic, noise, environmental impact and the very identity of the area.
A public forum on the proposal is set for mid-September after a previous hearing was canceled due to opposition, according to the town supervisor.