Sound-front resorts

Zoning changes to accommodate possible development projects are not new or unusual, Supervisor Tim Hubbard says in this guest column. Amendments are "frequently... advanced by some combination of staff members, residents, developers or business owners."

Zoning changes to accommodate prospective developments are “not new or unusual,” Supervisor Tim Hubbard said at Thursday's work session, citing as examples the zoning for Tanger Outlets in the 1990s and a hospital overlay district adopted in 2016.

A developer that wants to build a luxury resort and spa on the LI Sound in Riverhead, paid its own lawyer and planning consultants to prepare code changes and environmental review documents the town needs to allow the proposed resort to be built, records obtained through a Freedom of Information Law request show.

The town has revised its proposed "agri-tourism inn and resort" zoning proposal, which would allow resorts on certain lands north of Sound Avenue and set a Feb. 21 hearing. More from the Jan. 17 Town Board meeting.

Town Board members last week sought to allay residents' fears about the potential impacts of Sound-front resort development under a proposed zoning code change officials say is intended to protect farmland.

Town Board members are saying a proposal to allow resorts and spas on the bluffs of the Long Island Sound is intended to promote "agri-tourism." Poppycock! Do they really believe their constituents are that dumb?

The Riverhead Town Board is considering amending the zoning code to allow the development of a resort and spa uses on areas north of Sound Avenue, from Baiting Hollow to the Southold Town line.

A Westchester-based developer is looking to build a '5-star resort' on the Long Island Sound in Riverhead and has met with Town Board members and other officials to discuss the idea.