Moratorium

Riverhead's proposed 6-month moratorium on industrial development hit a snag yesterday when the Suffolk County Planning Commission rejected it, authorizing a 3-month moratorium instead. Overriding the commission requires four votes — unlikely for an already-divided Town Board.

Members of the Riverhead Town Board got an earful from frustrated residents advocating for moratoriums on industrial development and battery energy storage systems at Tuesday night's meeting.

The Riverhead Town Board will hold public hearings on two moratorium proposals — one on industrial development in Calverton and another on commercial battery energy storage facilities town-wide — starting on Tuesday.

Moratoriums on industrial development in Calverton and commercial battery energy storage facilities town-wide have the support of a majority of the Riverhead Town Board, Council Member Tim Hubbard said today.

Facing opposition from Supervisor Yvette Aguiar and skepticism from the rest of the board, Council Member Tim Hubbard's proposals for moratoriums on industrial development in Calverton and BESS facilities saw no clear path to even a public hearing after he presented the proposals Thursday.

Riverhead Town's natural resources and community character are being erased by unplanned development. It's time for our leaders to take action and implement sustainable development practices before it's too late. Opinion column by Bob DeLuca of Group for the East End.

"I don't owe you an explanation," the supervisor barked in response to a constituent's question. The outsized influence of the development crowd and the diminished influence of ordinary citizens in Riverhead were on vivid display at the last Town Board meeting. How did it get this way and why? RiverheadLOCAL editorial.

A split Town Board on Wednesday declined to schedule a public hearing on a proposed moratorium on industrial development in Calverton, with a majority turning their backs on Calverton residents who have turned out in force to press the board to hit the brakes on development in the hamlet.

Though the Riverhead Town Board never scheduled a hearing on the moratorium the community has been demanding for many months, they had one yesterday, whether they liked it or not.

As the Riverhead Town Board remains divided on whether to pursue a moratorium on industrial development in Calverton, more than 100 people rallied in front of Town Hall yesterday to encourage the board to halt development until the town’s comprehensive planning process is complete.