A public hearing on a proposed 16-lot major subdivision on Peconic Bay Boulevard has been scheduled for Feb. 5.
The Riverhead Planning Board scheduled the public hearing on the Summerwind Farms subdivision during its meeting Thursday, setting the next milestone for an application that has drawn close attention from nearby residents.
The application, for a cluster subdivision on a 30.128-acre property at 200 Peconic Bay Boulevard, has been moving through agency review.
The application has received a tidal wetlands permit from the State DEC and a recommendation for approval without conditions from the Suffolk County Planning Commission.
The board previously accepted an as-of-right yield of 19 lots for the property but in September selected a 16-lot sketch plan as its preferred layout. Staff said a map and plan process related to extending a water district is underway and should be completed before the board makes a SEQRA determination of significance.
Planning staff said a letter from area residents was received and will be included in the board’s correspondence for an upcoming agenda.
Next, the board discussed, but did not vote on, TJOC Real Estate Holdings’ proposed major subdivision and site plan known as “Calverton Hamlet Center” on a 15.87-acre parcel that includes a mixed-use commercial component fronting Middle Country Road.
The concept would subdivide the property into seven single-family lots and additional lots/areas for an on-site sewage treatment plant, stormwater management and a roadway to be dedicated to the town, while retaining a 4.98-acre mixed-use commercial parcel.
Planning staff presented two draft findings statements reflecting two layout scenarios: one the applicant prefers and an alternative configuration considered by the EIS. The alternative configuration would rotate the two-story, horseshoe-shaped, mixed-use building on the southern portion of the site (fronting Middle Country Road) so that the commercial wings face Route 25 but the second-floor apartments sit farther from the highway. The mixed-use building would have 30,00-square-feet of ground floor commercial space and 36 one-bedroom apartments on the second story.
There was some concern expressed by board members at the Planning Board’s Nov. 20 meeting about the close proximity of apartments to the state highway. Thursday, board members generally indicated they were comfortable with the applicant proceeding with its preferred layout, provided it meets code requirements.
A findings statement is required by the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) for a project subject to an environmental impact statement (EIS). It is prepared and adopted after an EIS is adopted and spells out how a project in a way that “minimizes or avoids environmental impacts to the maximum extent practicable.”
Staff said resolutions could come before the board at its next meeting, anticipated to include a findings statement and preliminary approvals.
The board also granted administrative site plan approval for exterior upgrades and site improvements at 5087 Sound Avenue, the former Sound Avenue liquor and grocery property —originally Wegert’s — now proposed as Bread, Butter and Bottle. The plan includes building façade and roof work, lighting upgrades and paving and drainage improvements. Plans were revised to reflect required parking, including an ADA space.
The meeting concluded with approval of façade revisions for Dave’s Hot Chicken at 949 Old Country Road, part of the previously approved redevelopment of the former Friendly’s site. The approval covered building appearance changes for the tenant space and included a modification to the rear entrance from stairs to a ramp for deliveries; no drive-thru is proposed.
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