Riverhead Board hears motocross opposition, weighs battery storage, ADU overhaul, PFAS bids

Residents and opponents filled Riverhead Town Hall and logged on via Zoom during the Town Board meeting Feb. 18 as the board held a public scoping session for the proposed Duffy MX motocross track at 2822 River Road in Calverton, SCTM No. 600-136-1-4. Dan Duffy is listed as the applicant in local reporting, and critics at the session characterized the project as “a commercial mining operation for profit,” according to Ana Borruto of the Riverhead News Review.

The motocross project is in formal environmental review after the Town Board, acting as lead agency, “issued a positive declaration on Oct. 21, 2025, initiating a draft environmental impact study (DEIS), along with the public scoping and all necessary public hearings,” the News Review reported. A draft scope was submitted to the town’s planning department on Jan. 15, which “triggered a 60-day timeline for the town to issue a final scope,” the News Review account notes; that timeline sets the parameters for the DEIS.

Local civic voices pressed for detailed impact analysis at the scoping session. Riverhead’s Democratic chair, Laura Jens-Smith, urged the DEIS to address “the anticipated total number of daily truck trips, identify haul routes and assess roadway capacity and pavement wear,” and to analyze “noise and air quality impacts of construction, including both inhalable and fine particles,” as reported by Ana Borruto. The Telvue meeting packet also lists a letter from Robert Gass of Calverton specifically tied to the motocross track item.

The board’s Feb. 18 agenda also advanced two battery energy storage systems for public hearing. The Town notice scheduled a 6:00 p.m. hearing on special permit and site plan applications for the “221 Scott Avenue Battery Energy Storage System (BESS)” and a concurrent 6:00 p.m. hearing for the “Hampton Jitney Battery Energy Storage System.” The public notice lists those titles but does not include applicant names or detailed project descriptions in the posted agenda.

Code revisions were on the agenda at 6:05 p.m., including a repeal of Local Law Article 1, Chapter 105 — titled Accessory Apartments — and enactment of Part 7, “Accessory Dwelling Units,” per the Town notice. The same 6:05 p.m. slot carried a public hearing to consider an amendment to Chapter 265, “Sewers,” though the notice did not include the amendment text. At 6:15 p.m. the board scheduled a public hearing to amend Chapter 279, “Taxation,” where the Town notice text is truncated; the Telvue transcript reads “Amend Chapter 279- Taxation- Exemption Volunteers,” indicating the proposed Article XI would concern a volunteer tax exemption.

Meeting logistics and public records were detailed in the town’s notice. “PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that the Town Board Meeting and Riverhead Community Development Agency, New York (the ‘CDA’) meeting scheduled for February 18, 2026 at 6:00 p.m. at Riverhead Town Hall, 4 W Second St, Riverhead, New York shall proceed as scheduled,” the notice states, and it provides Zoom access: Webinar ID 878 7794 5200, Password 713883, Dial by your location: (929) 205-6099. The Telvue archive lists the Feb. 18 Town Board meeting video with a runtime of 03:30:55 and shows the meeting materials, including a bundle of public letters and tax receiver totals — $105,342,948.45 as of Jan. 21, 2026 and $105,967,928.91 as of Jan. 28, 2026.

Next procedural steps for the Duffy MX project remain tied to the DEIS scoping timeline; the Jan. 15 draft scope submission established the 60-day window for the town to issue a final scope, per the News Review report. The board’s Feb. 18 actions moved multiple projects and code changes into formal public review, and the full meeting video and packet are archived in the town’s Telvue records for officials, applicants and residents seeking the record of comments and filings.