Plans for a new outdoor motocross track on River Road in Calverton, initially proposed in 2023 but stalled by the Calverton industrial moratorium, are back before town officials.
Daniel Duffy, owner of Duffy MX Inc, presented the site plan for his proposed motocross track at 2822 River Road. The track would be constructed on a 15-acre property currently occupied by a single-family home and previously used as a vineyard.
“It’s a day-learning facility, as well as a racing facility,” Duffy said, adding that all competitions would be sanctioned by the American Motorcyclist Association. According to Duffy, the track would operate from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday, and would be closed during January and February.
The property lies within the Calverton Industrial zoning district, which permits non-automobile outdoor tracks with a special permit from the Town Board.
The project would require the excavation of roughly 120,000 cubic yards of material, Riverhead Senior Planner Greg Bergman said in his presentation to the board.
“They want to dig down the existing grain of property, install a noise mitigating fence along the southern end of the motocross track and establish a motocross track that will be open, the applicant stated, five days a week,” Bergman said. “They tend to have special events and races there, which could bring patrons to the site.”
The primary concern during the discussion was potential noise pollution. Bergman said Duffy filed a noise mitigation study with the town, but recommended the Town Board commission its own independent review of both the study and proposed mitigation measures.
“There’s an existing horse farm that’s located directly to the south of the property, and there [are] some residences along River Road,” Bergman said. “Dirt bikes can get pretty loud. I would just want to make sure we have some qualified noise engineer, sound engineer to review that.”
Duffy, who operated 10th Street Motocross in Ronkonkoma, said he became an “expert with noise” at that track. He stated that the proposed mitigation measures — including an acoustic fence and the layout of the track — would ensure the noise levels comply with town regulations.
The sound will be “a moot point” in 10 years, he said. “There’s not gonna be any gas bikes at all.” Major manufacturers are developing electric bikes which won’t make noise, he said.
Duffy also submitted a traffic report that included data from attendance at his Ronkonkoma track. However, the report did not include the traffic impact of major racing events; “So that’s just something we have to look at,” Bergman said.
The project will be referred to the Central Pine Barrens Commission for review, Bergman said. The site is also located in an area covered by the Wild, Scenic and Recreational Rivers Act, he said.
According to Bergman’s staff report, the applicant must amend the project’s environmental assessment form before the town proceeds with the environmental review. That includes filing a plan to use, manage or dispose of the excavated material.
Duffy said the single-family home on the property would either be converted into an office or used to host a small group of spectators. Portable toilets would be installed for public use.
Bergman added that the project would be referred to the Riverhead Town Fire Marshal, who may determine that the property requires public water access in case of a fire emergency.
If approved, the project would be the second motocross track in Riverhead. Another motocross park, Moto 1 Long Island, is located on Edwards Avenue in Calverton just a little more than a mile away from the location of Duffy’s project.
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