A plan to put a commercial sports complex on town parkland in Calverton faced tough questions during a Town Board work session Thursday.
Peter Bellard and Justin Potenza, representatives of the Conscience Bay Group, seek to build and operate an indoor sports field complex on town parkland at Veterans Memorial Park. While Town Board members were supportive of the idea, which was brought forward by Council Member Bob Kern, the project faced logistical questions that neither Kern nor the developers seemed able to answer.
Bellard first presented the project to the Town Board in October 2022. Since then, Bellard said, he has worked with the town to refine the project. Bellard proposes using an inflatable dome structure to enclose the sports facility, which he said would include multiple sports fields, batting cages, concessions and bathrooms. Previously, he had proposed constructing three permanent buildings. Bellard would also build athletic fields on town parkland next to the structure and donate them to the town for municipal use.
MORE COVERAGE: Developer pitches bringing indoor sports facilities and new outdoor fields to Veterans Memorial Park (Oct. 27, 2022)
The key issue discussed, raised by Council Member Ken Rothwell, related to the state laws restricting the use of parkland. Once municipally owned land is dedicated as parkland, it can’t be sold or leased without state authorization — a process known as parkland alienation.
“We haven’t done any of the legal stuff yet,” Kern said in response to a question from Rothwell. He said later in the conversation that Town Attorney Erik Howard advised to bring the subject to a work session.
Town officials previously faced concerns about parkland alienation when it went into contract with the nonprofit Peconic Hockey Foundation to site and operate a domed ice rink at Veterans Memorial Park. They ended up skirting the parkland alienation requirement by building the ice rink on part of the park that was not dedicated parkland, after the state Attorney General’s office warned the town attorney that the agreement with Peconic Hockey Foundation would not avoid the parkland alienation requirement.
Kern said the town hopes to do something similar to the agreement with Peconic Hockey Foundation with Bellard, but it might not be that simple. In addition to the ice rink moving to avoid the alienation issue, the agreement with Peconic Hockey required the nonprofit to donate its ice rink facility to the town and operate it under a license agreement. It wasn’t clear during the conversation that Bellard was willing to undergo a similar arrangement.
“It’s hard for me to sit here and say, ideally, what I’m looking to do. I’m willing to work with everyone, which is what I’ve been doing for two years,” Bellard said.
Rothwell asked Bellard whether he had inquired about alienation of parkland with New York State. He asked Bellard whether he was willing to cover the cost of pursuing parkland alienation to make the project happen.
According to the state handbook on parkland alienation, the municipality must apply to the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation to alienate parkland. The application must undergo a review which “can be complex and time-consuming.” State parkland alienation legislation would need to be drafted by state representatives in the Senate and Assembly on behalf of the municipality. The New York State Legislature must pass a parkland alienation bill specifically granting authorization, which must be signed into law by the governor.
Rothwell said he sees an application for the parkland alienation required for the project being successful since it is “unutilized land.”
Bellard told the board he did not inquire into the alienation process because town officials alluded that it wouldn’t be necessary. Bellard said he understood there would be a “land swap” where town land would be exchanged with dedicated state parkland.
Kern also said during the conversation that the dedicated parkland could be “swapped” with land on the property that was not in use.
What Bellard and Kern were referring to during the conversation is not a land swap, Deputy Town Attorney Annemarie Prudenti said. A land swap is typically an agreement where a government and a private entity exchange land.
Kern and Bellard could have been referring to the “conversion” process outlined in the parkland alienation handbook, which requires that a municipality that receives parkland or parks funding from certain federal programs select eligible “replacement” land for the land being alienated.
Prudenti said that Bellard has to decide whether he wants to buy, lease or license the property. There are different legal requirements for each, Prudenti said. Bellard said he wanted to do what is best suited for the town.
The development of the land would require alienation, a license agreement with the town and the proof of the financial ability to build the facility, Prudenti said. The town will own the structure developed by the Conscience Bay Group, Prudenti said.
During the discussion, Rothwell also raised the requirement that the town must determine Conscience Bay Group a qualified and eligible sponsor for the project under State Urban Renewal Law. Kern argued that the qualified and eligible sponsor designation was not necessary because the project would be “donated” to the town like the ice rink.
“It needs to get more formalized. And a Q&E is going to be, definitely, a necessity in the process,” Supervisor Tim Hubbard said, agreeing with Rothwell. “Because we don’t want to invest time with our employees in it too if the funds aren’t there…”
Kern attempted to protest, before being cut off by Hubbard.
“They still had to show us that they had monies available to construct the dome and everything else. We still had to do a Q&E,” Hubbard said, referring to the ice rink. The Peconic Hockey Foundation did not go through the qualified and eligible process before building the ice rink.
Under New York State Urban Renewal Law, a municipality can lease or sell land without a bid in an urban renewal area, such as the Calverton Enterprise Park — where Veterans Memorial Park is located — if the company the land is being sold or leased to is designated by the governing body as a “qualified and eligible” sponsor. In Riverhead, the prospective sponsor must establish the experience of the sponsor in constructing, managing and financing similarly sized projects, and must demonstrate their ability to finance the development, along with meeting other criteria outlined in the Town Board’s qualified and eligible sponsor rules.
Hubbard said the sports complex is a “great project,” but it still has “hurdles” it needs to overcome. “But I think the sooner we come together and start to get some sort of an agreement, the faster you can get started and move ahead,” he said.
The conversation ended with board members in support of the project and Hubbard asking Bellard to make an appointment with the town attorney’s office.
The Conscience Bay pitch
Bellard wants to erect a 100,000-square-foot inflatable dome that would enclose multipurpose indoor sports fields. The company would also develop at least one outdoor soccer field — potentially two — and two parking lots, Bellard said.
An indoor sports facility on Long Island is in “high demand” during the colder months, Bellard said. Riverhead’s location between the north and south forks make it a great location for a sports facility, he said.
“You have a massive demand for soccer and lacrosse, in particular, that stretches all the way to Queens,” Bellard said. The facility would give a facility for higher age travel teams to compete, he said.
Bellard showed pictures of the Capelli Sports Complex in New Jersey as an example of the type of development he’s planning. The fields can be changed to accommodate different sports, he said.
“We’re looking at, you know, really pretty much mimicking this, with minor tweaks here and there,” Bellard said.
The venue would be air conditioned, he said. The dome would be built by a company called Asati and has a 25-year life, Bellard said.
Town Board members were supportive. “Long Island is a hotbed for lacrosse,” Hubbard said. “There is a huge need for lacrosse from November to March [and] April, where there’s just no place indoors to play. That alone will keep you busy, I’m sure.”
“This ideally would be a great fit for the Town of Riverhead and it would be a great fit for the whole Mecca of east end Long Island, for sure,” he said.
Hubbard was alluding to Riverhead Recreation Superintendent Raymond Coyne’s vision for the town park as a location for multi-sport tournaments. Coyne was not present at the work session discussion. He said in a phone interview on Friday that he would like to see the project come to fruition.
“I’ve been imploring with the board for years now to build the fields, to bring the people, and I know financially, it’s been difficult,” Coyne said. “So if somebody like Peter [Bellard] can bring it in, and we still can’t afford to do it ourselves, then I’m all for it.”
Bellard said Riverhead Town residents could get a membership or entry to the sports facility at a discounted rate. “The demand is 3 [p.m.] to 10 [p.m.] — 3 [p.m.] to 9 [p.m.]. For those off hours — besides the weekends, what goes on during the day? And that’s where I want to work with the town and try to create events or things for town residents.”
Kern said the sports complex will help Riverhead’s hotels and economy during the offseason.
There hasn’t been any public discussion of any offer from the developer to compensate the town for use of the site.
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