The Riverhead Town Board voted unanimously Tuesday to obtain an appraisal of 1458 Middle Road in Calverton, taking an initial step toward a possible purchase of the property for preservation.
The resolution authorizes the town attorney to order an appraisal from Goodman-Marks Associates at a cost of up to $4,500. It does not authorize a purchase, set a purchase price or commit the town to acquiring the property.
The vote followed an appeal from Greater Calverton Civic Association President Toqui Terchun, who said residents had spent months pressing officials about the property’s future. She read from a letter supporting the appraisal from the Group for the East End. The letter described the parcel as containing prime agricultural soils and adjoining town preserve land.
Council Member Kenneth Rothwell said at the meeting that the current owner is prepared to consider a town proposal, making an appraisal necessary to establish a fair-market value. Rothwell spoke of preserving the property’s farmhouse and its connection to Riverhead’s agricultural history.
All five board members voted to authorize the appraisal, a move that drew applause from members of the audience. Supervisor Jerry Halpin thanked residents who had kept the property before town and county officials for more than a year.
Rothwell wrote to the owner on June 15 inquiring about his willingness to sell the property to the town. The owner’s attorney, John Anzalone, responded to Rothwell on July 6 to advise him that the owner was not interested in selling the land. In the letter, a copy of which was provided to RiverheadLOCAL by a representative of the owner, Anzalone said the owner had incurred “soft cost expenses” totaling over $1 million in connection with the proposed development since purchasing the property in 2025. Those expenses include engineering and architects’ fees and various studies completed at the request of the Riverhead Planning Board, Anzalone wrote.
Brother Bear Canna seeks to build a 27,489-square-foot cannabis growing facility on the site, which is located in the Agricultural Protection Zone. It requires site plan approval from the Planning Board.
Under state law, cannabis is an agricultural crop and agricultural production is a permitted use in the APZ zoning use district. Greenhouses are permitted on parcels with a minimum lot size of five acres.
After failing to gain approval of two variances from the Zoning Board of Appeals, the applicant revised its site plan to eliminate need for the variances. The applicant completed a sound study and was directed to conduct a second sound study to assess noise from the HVAC systems required for the operation.
On Aug. 6, the Planning Board reclassified the development application as a Type I action for purposes of the State Environmental Quality Review Act, which means the developer will likely be required to prepare an environmental impact statement in connection with the project.
In a phone interview Wednesday morning, Rothwell said the owner now has asked what the town could offer for the property. The town can’t pay more than the fair market value of the property and can’t offer an amount that would reimburse the owner for expenses incurred during the development process so far, Rothwell said.
He said given the community opposition to the cannabis cultivation facility,
“maybe if they want to be good neighbors, they could utilize the money they get to purchase a parcel someplace else.”
The owner and Anzalone did not respond to requests for comment today.
Rothwell said the town previously looked at purchasing the property as open space but the residence on the site was still occupied by the owner, who was unwilling to sell.
During public comment after the vote, neighboring resident Linda Nemeth asked who selected and was paying for the appraisal. Town Attorney Erik Howard said the appraiser is hired by and paid for by the town.
The property owner of record, 1458 Middle Road LLC of Syosset, purchased the 5.4-acre site for $1.25 million in July 2025.
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