RV park pitched for EPCAL site, would include 100-acre manmade lake, amenities

A developer pitched a 165-acre RV park for the town-owned EPCAL site during the Town Board work session this morning and got a warm reception from board members.

Mark Lembo of Wading River and his attorney Steven Losquadro of Rocky Point gave a public presentation of the concept for the park, which would be located on the northeast portion of the site, just south of property owned by Calverton Industries.

The proposal includes excavating about 100 acres to create a manmade lake, around which approximately 100 RV sites will be located. There would also be tent sites and cabin sites, as well a clubhouse and comfort stations, Lembo said.  

Lembo said he will be working with a leading RV campground operator who would lease the property from the town under a long-term lease of 30 to 50 years.  “Once we have the lake finished, they will come in and build out the RV slots, the comfort stations, the showers, etc. They will become the lessee.”

The park would be served by public water and sewers, he said. 

Supervisor Tim Hubbard called the idea a “home run.” From his vantage point as “an RV-er,” he said, RV slots at Long Island campgrounds are extremely hard to come by. 

Hubbard said the EPCAL location is perfect for its proximity to other recreational facilities and activities. 

The supervisor also said the park would have little impact on the environment. 

“Campers and RV-ers are generally very friendly to the environment,” he said. “Campers are very good about taking care of the properties and the grounds. So it’s a good thing. To me it’s a win-win. I’m very excited,” Hubbard said.

Lembo said some of the sites would be reserved for Riverhead Town residents.

He also said the park could operate year-round, not only seasonally. With the hockey rink and the ample DEC hunting areas, he said there would be demand during the winter as well.

Council Member Ken Rothwell said he thinks the plan is “a great idea” but he has some questions. 

“We’re in the middle of a $70,000 study about a sports complex. The RV park has been continuously mentioned to be a part of that study. So I think it’s a great idea. I want to see it to fruition, I’ll say that. But I think we have to think very carefully about its location up there,” he said. “Are you planning on creating a lake? Are you sand-mining it up there?”

Lembo answered yes.

“So that’s one concern,” Rothwell said. He said in conversations with the State Department of Environmental Conservation, “it seemed like wherever we want to build something and do something, we have to balance that out someplace else… And it seems like we’re very limited towards what we can do. Because any place where we start to do development over the there, we’ve got to provide another area someplace else on the property for the birds,” Rothwell said. He said recreation projects on the opposite side of site, west of the 7,000-foot runway, such as new soccer fields or lacrosse fields, might be hung up “because I’ve used up this land on the other side of the 10,000-foot runway.”

“So I’m just concerned about that. It’s a large lake area. So how do we plan on  — where are we going to lose development in other areas within the property itself for that lake? It’s got to be a balance,” Rothwell said.

Hubbard said town officials have been discussing increasing the fees the town charges for removing excavated materials from sites. He said he didn’t want Lembo to think the town is raising the fees to get more money out of Lembo’s project. “We’ve been having talks about it and are in the process of reevaluating what we charge.I don’t want to throw any surprises at you,” Hubbard said. “Sand is like gold right now.”

Lembo said he understands. “You guys are pretty low on that,” he said. 

Planning and Economic Development Director Dawn Thomas said the town would have to make a qualified and eligible sponsor determination in connection with the project because the area is an urban renewal area. The operating entity would have to be part of that process, Thomas said. “And so that company and you make that application together, and then they would go through a financial review by the board.” That selection would have to be made up front, not after, Thomas said. 

Losquadro said Lembo has been working on the RV park idea for a decade and has done a great deal of research into RV parks nationwide.

“I’m sure we’ll hear more about this in the future,” Hubbard said. “Good stuff.”

Both Lembo and Losquadro are familiar faces in Riverhead Town Hall.

Lembo has been before the Town Board at past public work sessions, most recently in 2022, looking to develop a food waste to energy facility in the Calverton Industrial Park. The project required a zoning code change, which the Town Board has not yet acted on. Lembo said after the meeting today he is still actively pursuing that project.

Losquadro has represented various applicants before town departments and boards. He is also counsel to the Suffolk County Republican Committee and has assisted Riverhead Republicans as parliamentarian at past town nominating conventions. 

No one at the meeting brought up the pending litigation over the site brought by Triple Five affiliate Calverton Aviation & Technology, arising out of the cancellation by the town of its contract to sell a 1,644-acre tract of land to Calverton Aviation & Technology. The area of the proposed RV park is part of the acreage that was the subject of the $40 million contract. The purchaser filed a notice of pendency with the county clerk, which provides notice to prospective purchasers, tenants and title companies that a legal claim exists on the land that could affect its title and ownership.

Losquadro said after the meeting that the notice of pendency wouldn’t affect Lembo’s proposal “because it is a lease, not a sale.”

The area of the proposed RV park takes in most of the phase-one development area presented by Calverton Aviation and Technology in its development plan filed with the Riverhead Town Industrial Development Agency in September 2022.