Suffolk judge clears U.S. Open shuttle access at EPCAL, blocks parking
A Suffolk judge let U.S. Open shuttles keep using EPCAL, but barred tournament parking on a private 16-acre parcel. The ruling leaves the easement fight unresolved.
A Suffolk Supreme Court order gave the U.S. Open transportation plan a partial green light at EPCAL in Calverton, allowing shuttle buses to use an easement while blocking tournament-related vehicles from parking on a private property owner’s land. The ruling also said concrete blocks that were obstructing bus movement could be moved if necessary, giving the tournament’s logistics plan room to operate without deciding the larger land-use fight.
Justice Aletha V. Fields issued the order after significant conferencing in two related lawsuits, one filed by 400 David Court LLC against the Town of Riverhead, the Riverhead Community Development Agency and the United States Golf Association, and another brought by the town and CDA against the property owner. The order does not settle whether the planned use is actually permitted under the easement, leaving the core dispute over the property’s intended use in place.
That matters because the parking operation is part of the broader transportation plan for the 2026 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, scheduled for June 15-21. The USGA has said fans will be routed through a network that includes expanded Long Island Rail Road service, shuttle buses, satellite parking, ferries, ride-share options and helicopter transportation. Riverhead approved use of the EPCAL runway in January for parking, security screening and shuttle bus service, making the Calverton site one of the local pieces in that regional plan.
The practical result is that shuttles can continue moving fans to and from the tournament, but cars may not park on 400 David Court LLC’s property. Riverhead Town Attorney Erik Howard said the immediate dispute appeared resolved and that parking at Calverton Enterprise Park was not expected to be negatively impacted. For Riverhead and nearby property owners, the order offers short-term certainty on traffic flow and access, but it does not answer the broader question hanging over EPCAL: how far the easement can be stretched in a redevelopment site that covers about 2,100 acres on the former Grumman property.
The clash also underscores how much depends on EPCAL’s legal and physical layout. 400 David Court LLC controls a 16-acre parcel and easement there, and the company has argued the land was meant for aircraft-related use rather than parking golf spectators’ cars. With the tournament approaching, the judge’s order keeps the buses moving, shields the private parcel from parking, and leaves county oversight and land-use limits to be fought another day.
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