The Riverhead Town Board voted Tuesday to begin formal environmental review of proposed zoning amendments that would allow accessory cottages at the town’s existing golf courses through the transfer of development rights program.

The board unanimously adopted two resolutions related to the proposal. The first declares the Town Board lead agency under the State Environmental Quality Review Act and issues a positive declaration, requiring preparation of a draft generic environmental impact statement. The second accepts a draft scope for the environmental review and sets a written comment period ending Aug. 25 at 4:30 p.m.

The proposal would create a new Golf Course zoning district, rezone six existing golf courses into that district and make the new district a receiving area for transfer of development rights. It would also add a definition of “golf cottage,” amend the definition of “standard golf course,” establish a formula for redeeming TDRs for golf cottages and set dimensional regulations for the new zoning district.

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The proposal grew out of board discussions about concerns for the viability of local golf courses and what the future would hold for the large tract of land should the golf course go out of business, because the current zoning allows residential development. .

Senior Planner Greg Bergman told the board the environmental impact statement is required because the town would be creating a new TDR receiving district.

“The first resolution issues the positive declaration calling for the preparation of the EIS,” Bergman said. “The second resolution accepts what’s called a draft scope. That draft scope is basically spelling out the parameters that are going to be studied in the environmental impact statement.”

The draft scope says the review will study potential impacts on groundwater, transportation and aesthetic resources, as well as cumulative impacts and alternatives. The alternatives include taking no action and rezoning existing golf courses to Residence A-80, an existing TDR receiving district.

The proposal drew questions from residents during the board’s comment period.

Warren McKnight of Riverhead said he did not see the need for golf cottages, particularly at a time when the town and region face a housing crisis.

“Riverhead has a very bad housing problem,” McKnight said. “We have shelters. We have homeless people. … This is for the elite.”

McKnight said Riverhead hotels could use the business that might otherwise go to golf-course cottages.

“People want to play golf in Riverhead, they don’t have to go out on the golf course right away,” he said.

Kathy McGraw of Northville questioned whether the environmental assessment form properly accounted for coastal areas, noting that Friar’s Head appears to be in a coastal area. She also questioned whether the proposed Golf Course district could introduce uses into existing golf-course properties that are now in different zoning districts, including RA-80, RB-80 and APZ.

“If these golf courses go out of business, does it mean that all of these uses can then be imposed into these three different zoning areas?” McGraw asked.

Bergman said the proposal would go through a full SEQRA review, with opportunities for public comment on the draft scope and the draft generic environmental impact statement. He said the proposed Golf Course district was modeled to mirror uses already allowed in APZ or RA-80 zoning, with “no real increase aside from the golf cottages.”

Bergman said the six golf courses comprise nearly 40 million square feet of land. If each course built 18 cottages of 600 square feet each, the total added development would be about 68,000 square feet, he said.

“It is like less than a tenth of 1% of the land area,” Bergman said. “We are talking about such a small footprint of development on such a large area.”

The proposed amendments are intended to implement recommendations in the town’s 2024 comprehensive plan update. Written comments on the draft scope may be submitted to the town Planning Department until Aug. 25.