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Owner seeks warehouse use in CRC zone; neighbors and board press for more review
Summary
Property owner Patrick Fedoon asked the Riverhead Zoning Board to allow a ~3,900 ft² warehouse in a CRC district; neighbors raised traffic, easement and notice concerns. The board set a reserve decision for Feb. 12, 2026 to examine water, access and parcel-merger options.
Property owner Patrick Fedoon asked the Riverhead Zoning Board on Jan. 8 to allow construction of a roughly 3,900-square-foot warehouse on Main Road, a use the board said is not listed among permitted uses in the CRC (commercial/residential campus) district.
Fedoon told the board he and his wife bought the parcel roughly 15 years ago for $55,000 and that the lot's water allocation (156 gallons per day) and small size (less than half an acre) make many CRC-permitted uses infeasible. He said retailers and banks have not shown sustained interest in the rear portion of the shopping-parcel-sized space and argued a small warehouse serving local contractors is the most feasible, low-impact option.
Neighbors at the hearing pressed several concerns. Timothy Murphy, who has lived on Tara Lane for more than 20 years, said the site plan depicts three warehouse buildings with rear bay doors and perpendicular parking that would likely spill into a longstanding Tara Lane easement and create safety hazards for residents. Victoria Smith, whose home sits directly behind the proposed facilities, said she and neighbors did not receive certified notice and urged the board not to change the CRC plan for that location.
Board members questioned Fedoon on listing and marketing history (he said there were brokerage efforts and occasional lease interest), alternatives such as moving sewer or merging adjacent lots, and whether merging would increase tax burdens and still leave the water allotment problem unresolved. The applicant said merging parcels would not guarantee adequate yield because of an intervening right-of-way and higher tax liabilities.
Because of outstanding technical and notice questions, the board voted to set a reserve decision on the appeal for Feb. 12, 2026 to allow staff and the applicant to gather additional materials.
The record shows the applicant described several numeric constraints (156 gallons/day allotment; lot under half an acre; past listing lows of about $460,000 for part of the combined property) and that neighbors emphasized traffic and easement impacts as central objections.
A reserve decision will revisit whether the proposed warehouse use can be approved or whether feasible alternatives exist.
