RIVERHEAD, NY — The people have spoken — and the Riverhead town board announced Tuesday that “agritourism inns and resorts” have been removed from the town’s comprehensive plan update.
“Riverhead Town Supervisor Tim Hubbard and the town board are committed to land preservation that upholds the integrity of Riverhead’s rich agricultural heritage and soils and will continue its commitment to land preservation efforts,” a release said. “That said, after careful consideration of the proposed comprehensive plan update, specifically the language related to agritourism inns and resorts, the town board, by majority, has determined that those provisions should be removed from the comprehensive plan update. Therefore, pages 99 and 207, respectively, have been amended to reflect the removal of the verbiage relating to agritourism inns and resorts.”
Hubbard told Patch he worked with the town board to “try and garner their support to remove the agritourism section from the comp plan. I got agreement of the majority of the board late today,” he said.
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The news came just after plans were shared, announcing that the Riverhead community planned gather Wednesday to raise their collective voices about potential rezoning that they said could allow for agritourism inns and resorts in the area north of the bucolic Sound Avenue.
On Wednesday, Riverhead civic associations, Southold Town Supervisor Al Krupski and environmental groups had been slated to hold a press conference in front of Riverhead Town Hall on West Second Street.
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But after the town’s news, that event was canceled.
“Following strong community opposition to include agritourism inns and resorts in the comprehensive plan update, the town board has decided to remove these provisions. We are glad about their decision and have decided to cancel the press conference,” said Laura Jens-Smith, president of the Greater Jamesport Civic Association and former Riverhead town supervisor.
“We are grateful to our community members and neighboring townships for their support in speaking out in opposition to these commercial resorts, which would have been built along the fragile Long Island Sound bluffs,” she said. “The town board received thousands of petition signatures, countless letters, and standing room only crowds at meetings promoting these resorts. At the eleventh hour, with a pending press conference prior to the vote, they have decided to remove the provisions. Much still remains in the comprehensive plan update that threatens Riverhead’s community character, but for today we will be grateful for the residents of Riverhead, who have given of their time to make sure their voices were heard.”
Speaking on behalf of Riverhead civic associations, Jens-Smith said they will be reviewing the comprehensive plan update thoroughly to ensure that the town removes all recommendations related to agritourism resort zoning.
The event was slated to be held immediately prior to the town board’s scheduled 2 p.m. meeting and its vote on a resolution to adopt the comprehensive plan update.
That meeting, originally slated to be held last month at 6 p.m., was rescheduled to Wednesday at 2 p.m. after the town board learned that an incorrect version of the proposed comprehensive plan update had been posted online.
Members of the public present pleaded with the board to consider to changing the time of the upcoming meeting Wednesday, stating that they worked and could not attend an afternoon session.
Hubbard said changing the time was impossible due to other agenda items scheduled and noticed.
Southold Town resident Claire Kennedy organized a petition, asking that the meeting time be changed to 6 p.m. to allow for greater attendance.
The rezoning issue had sparked an outcry, with many saying that potential rezoning, with agritourism inns and resorts, could forever alter the quality of life along the Sound Avenue corridor.
After the outcry, Riverhead Town officials sent out a message that a public hearing regarding Chapter 301, “Zoning and Land Development,” related to proposed specially permitted uses, agritourism inns and resorts in RA80 zoning use districts, scheduled to take place August 20,6:05 p.m., was cancelled. Instead, a public forum had been planned for September 18.
The proposed zoning would have allowed for agritourism inns and resorts on no-less-than 100-acre plots of land north of Sound Avenue; 70 percent of the land would need to be preserved with only 30 percent allowed for the resorts, according to the potential plan.
The Greater Jamesport Civic Association said they believe that commercial hotel development does not belong on Sound Avenue and “would destroy the rural charm of the area and the very reason that people want to visit here and live here. Furthermore, the proposed code revision does nothing to help preserve the Sound Avenue Scenic and Historic Corridor that was created by the State Legislature in 1975.”
A change.org petition, “Save Sound Avenue! Oppose hotel & resort development. Preserve our farms and rural charm.” has garnered 2,681 signatures so far.
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