Residents question proposed plan to redevelop Enterprise Park at Calverton

The developer says the overall construction and proposed plan would amount to around 10 million square feet of development to include warehouses, a rail hub and would use existing runways at the old Grumman site for planes.

Thema Ponton

Aug 8, 2023, 12:42 AM

Updated 433 days ago

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Residents are sounding off against a proposed plan to turn hundreds of acres in Riverhead into what developers say would be a mixed-use technology park.
The Riverhead Industrial Development Agency hosted a public information session Monday to hear from representatives of Calverton Aviation and Technology regarding the Enterprise Park at Calverton or EPCAL.
The developer says the overall construction and proposed plan would amount to around 10 million square feet of development to include warehouses, a rail hub and would use existing runways at the old Grumman site for planes.
Steve Gessler, of Calverton, says residents' major concerns are traffic, pollution and loss of quality of life. He says none of their concerns are being addressed.
The specific use of the runways it also a primary concern for many residents.
The developer says the proposal is not a cargo jetport or commercial aviation jetport.
The Riverhead IDA is still reviewing the project.
"We ask the public for patience and remind you that assumptions on what will be built, until the definitive plan is up for public hearing, only serve to mislead and scare people," says Riverhead IDA chairperson James Farley.
Residents say they will keep fighting the proposed plan and their goal is to stop it completely.
The IDA board says it will hold a public hearing before any final decisions are made. They have not yet said when the public hearing will take place.