Town Board meeting wrap-up

After much discussion about objections vocalized by Councilwoman Jodi Giglio as well as a local businessman, the Riverhead Town Board voted unanimously last week to rezone the old firehouse site on East Second Street from DC4 to DC1 — expanding the number of allowed uses and development density at the site.

Local businessman James Moore, a principal in the company that operates John Wesley Village, said he and others would have been interested in bidding on the site had they known about the zone change.

“You’re now changing the uses and the value of this property,” Moore said, urging the board to issue a new request for proposals.

The zone change was done at the request the prospective purchaser of the site, Suffolk Theater owner Bob Castaldi, to whom the town board in July agreed to sell the site for $500,000. Giglio voted against the sale to Castaldi, arguing that the town should obtain both a new appraisal of the property, which was last appraised five years ago, and solicit proposals for the property that take the changed zoning into account. Castaldi’s offer to buy the site is contingent upon the zone change, among other things, which came about as a result of negotiation between the town and Castaldi following an RFP process last year.

The town board last fall sought proposals for the site as is. Castaldi offered $375,000 and proposed siting a live-action dinosaur themed attraction there. Though a majority of the board was at first receptive to the idea, Giglio, along with councilmen James Wooten and George Gabrielsen had a change of heart on the sale. Wooten and Gabrielsen later agreed to make a $500,000 counter-offer to Castaldi, a plan that won the support of a 4-1 majority, with Giglio dissenting. Castaldi came back and said he’d pay the $500,000 but only if the town agreed to change the zoning from DC4 to the more expansive DC1.

“Mr. Castaldi has worked very hard to obtain approval of the town to move forward. It’s disingenuous that you kind of swoop in and offer a little more money,” Supervisor Sean Walter told Moore. Moore was rankled by that comment and got into a somewhat heated back-and-forth with the supervisor. Walter later apologized for calling Moore “disingenuous,” saying he was “annoyed” by his comments and put his foot in his mouth.

The board held a public hearing on the zone change last month. Though Giglio expressed opposition to it every step of the way — including at the Oct. 7 meeting, when she insisted again that a new RFP was required if the town changes the zoning of the site, which she said would increase the value of the property significantly — she voted for the zone change when it was put to a vote. The councilwoman made no comment before casting her vote in favor; the measure passed unanimously.

Town grapples with flyboarding regulation

Riverhead’s first stab at regulating flyboarding in its waters had a public hearing last week, where the operators of Flyboard LI and the marina where it’s based criticized the town’s proposal.

Flyboard LI owner James Bissett IV told board members the proposal to require a 500-foot minimum distance from shore from flyboarding was “excessive” and unnecessary from a safety standpoint.

Bissett started operating the business this summer in a sheltered cove just east of the Treasure Cove Marina’s docks. Tethered to a jet ski by a long hose that pushes water from the river through special footgear, thrusting the user into the air, “flyboarders” experience the thrill of flying. The new water sport can propel people as much as 40 feet above the surface of the water.

The drone of the jet ski’s motor is annoying to neighbors, several residents said during last week’s public hearing, where they supported forcing the operation farther off shore.

“It sounds like a leaf blower going 45 minutes out of every hour,” Riverside Drive resident Christopher Borsella said.

“I can’t enjoy my yard any more,” neighbor Glen Brewster told the board. “It’s a constant drone.”

East Main Street resident Garrett Moore, who said his house is probably the closest to the operation, accused detractors of “a little exaggeration.” Two customers who dock boates at the marinas also spoke in favor of the Flyboard LI.

The town has issued Bissett dozens of summons charging him with violating the current town code banning water skiing within 500 feet of the shore. Recognizing that code may not be enforceable against the operator of the new water sport activity, the town board moved to amend the code to specifically include it.

Bissett said he’s brought 300 people to town for flyboarding this season.

“People are staying at the hotel, eating at the local restaurants, enjoying the town as we want them to do,” Bissett said. “We are trying to create a destination, a fun spot for people to enjoy this town.”

Bissett turned in a petition supporting his operation; he said it contained 50 to 60 signatures.

Bryan DeLuca, executive director of the company that owns the L.I. Aquarium, Hyatt Place hotel and Treasure Cove Marina, told board members the company is “building a resort destination” that’s good for downtown Riverhead.

“It’s a unique opportunity for the town. It’s the only flyboarding operation on Long Island,” DeLuca said.

He said he’s reached out to State Sen. Ken LaValle to seek state regulation and would like to see New York replicate a code written by Maryland to regulate the activity.

DeLuca suggested the Town of Riverhead require a commercial license for flyboarding in its waters.

“There’s no need to reinvent the wheel,” DeLuca said.

Town to seek county, state permits for animal shelter
In a split vote, the town board last Tuesday voted to authorize permit applications by the town to the county health department and state DEC in connection with the proposed use of the Henry Pfeifer Community Center as a town new animal shelter location. Council members Jodi Giglio and George Gabrielsen voted against the move. The two council members in May also voted against leasing the site to the North Fork Animal Welfare League for redevelopment as an animal shelter. Both argue that the property is valuable and should be sold off.

Town issues RFP to sell East Lawn
Riverhead is seeking proposals for the sale of the circa- 1850 East Lawn building, located at 542 East Main Street. The building, which the town bought in 1984, has fallen into disrepair. It currently houses the offices of the town historian, the Riverhead Chamber of Commerce, the Riverhead Community Awareness Program and the Riverhead Housing Development Corporation.

Specifications will be available on the town’s website and in the office of the town clerk beginning Oct. 16. A mandatory pre-bid meeting at town hall will take place on Nov. 6 at 9:30 a.m., followed by an inspection of the site. Sealed proposals will be accepted by the town clerk until 11:05 a.m. on Dec. 9.

In other action at the Oct. 7 meeting, the town board:

• approved the use of the Henry Pfeifer Community Center site in Calverton for a two-day spay-neuter clinic for cats and dogs Oct. 29 and 30. Services will be offered free to Riverhead town residents, thanks to a grant obtained by the North Fork Animal Welfare League.
• approved a fireworks permit for a Nov. 1 show by the Riverhead BID Management Association during its Edgar Allen Poe Festival, which takes place Oc.t 31- Nov.2.
• approved an excavation and exportation permit for Knightland, the owner of the parcel currently under development at the intersection of Sound Avenue and Route 25A in Wading River, to remove 1,850 cubic yards of soil from the site, as it constructs a new restaurant building there. The developer will pay the town $2 per cubic yard for all soils removed.
• appointed senior building inspector Brad Hammond to a permanent permanent position; he previously held the title on a provisional basis, pending a civil service exam.
• tabled a measure (4-1, with Supervisor Sean Walter dissenting) to a appoint Fred Marsland to the position of automotive equipment operator in the sanitation department.
• set an Oct. 21 public hearing on the proposed expansion of an existing fuel storage and distribution facility on Sound Shore Road in Northville. The hearing is scheduled for 7:25 p.m.
• set a Nov. 5 public hearing on a code amendment to remove the requirement of a ZBA special permit for all prefabricated homes. The hearing is set for 2:20 p.m.
• set public hearings on two different parking proposals for Nov. 5. One would ban parking on Ostrander Avenue north of Corwin Street for a distance of 300 feet. The other proposal tweaks the parking ban on the north side of Pulaski Street in front of St Isidore’s to add “wedding services” to the parking ban.