Triple Five

Last night more than 100 people — 92 in person and 20 via Zoom — attended a Greater Calverton Cvic Association meeting to hear a presentation by EPCAL Watch on plans being advanced by Triple Five Group for a cargo logistics hub development at the enterprise park.

Guest column: CAT's plan is a "nuisance" prohibited by Riverhead Town Code.

Whatever name they give Triple Five’s plan — a hub, a cog, a piece in the logistics and distribution puzzle — it’s still a place with runways where planes carrying cargo — typically 747s which, when fully loaded, weigh 89,000 pounds — would be landing. And it would generate truck traffic here the likes of which we’ve never seen.

A raucous crowd packed the Hotel Indigo meeting room beyond capacity Wednesday night to confront the Triple Five affiliate looking to build 10 million square-feet of industrial/commercial development at the Calverton Enterprise Park.

Calverton Aviation & Technology says it is exploring rail freight uses for the Calverton rail spur refurbished and by town at a cost of $3.5 million in 2010-2011.

A crowd of 92 people attended the Greater Calverton Civic Association meeting Friday night to learn about "Warehouse Breeds" at Riley Avenue Elementary School, where community members presented information about how traditional warehouses have evolved into distribution and fulfillment centers to accommodate online retailing.

With Calverton Aviation & Technology set to present its plans for the Calverton Enterprise Park Wednesday evening at the Hotel Indigo in Riverhead, we thought this a good time to provide a timeline of milestones in the history of the deal, now in its seventh year.

Featured letter: CAT has no approved site plan, no zoning approvals, no required permits and its plan has not undergone the review mandated by the State Environmental Quality Review Act. It should not even be considered for taxpayer-funded support.

Calverton Aviation & Technology's attorney said in September his client hoped to gain approval from the IDA by the end of 2022 or early in 2023. Five months later, it's not clear whether the IDA's vetting process has even begun.

Construction loan creditors have sued a Triple Five affiliate to collect $389 million on a defaulted loan agreement. The debt was one piece of $1.7 billion in private construction financing for the American Dream mall in New Jersey.