A.
The former Naval Weapons Industrial Reserve Plant at Calverton (NWIRP) in the Hamlet of Calverton, in the Town of Riverhead, was previously owned by the United States Navy and leased by the Grumman Corporation for final assembly and flight testing of military aircraft. In 1996, Northrup Grumman closed nearly all of its facilities on Long Island and chose not to renew its lease for NWIRP, causing economic dislocation and unemployment for residents of the Town of Riverhead and the surrounding region.
B.
In 1995, the Town of Riverhead commissioned the preparation of a comprehensive plan for the redevelopment and reuse of the NWIRP site in order to guide its transformation into an engine for regional economic growth. In 1996, a Comprehensive Reuse Strategy for the Naval Weapons Industrial Reserve Plant at Calverton was prepared, which described how to manage the transition of the site from its dependence on defense-related procurement to reliance on a broad range of private sector economic activity. This resulted in the United States Navy conveying approximately 2,900 acres of NWIRP to the Town of Riverhead in 1998, conditioned upon the Town's reuse of the property for economic development.
C.
Subsequent to the 1998 conveyance, approximately 492 acres were subdivided from the approximately 2,900 acres as a privately held industrial subdivision (Calverton Camelot). The remaining 2,323.9 +- acres, now known as the "Enterprise Park at Calverton (EPCAL)" or "EPCAL Property," is generally bounded by New York State Route 25 (Middle Country Road) to the north, industrial uses and Peconic Avenue to the east, Grumman Boulevard (Swan Pond Road, also known as "River Road") to the south, and Wading River-Manorville Road to the west.
D.
Beginning in 2011, the Town embarked on updating, developing and implementing a reuse and revitalization plan to meet the current economic, market and site conditions. The comprehensive and extensive analysis of economic, market, environmental, traffic, sewer, water, and myriad other factors, together with participation of state, regional, local departments and agencies, and other interested groups, resulted in a reuse and revitalization plan that meets the economic and urban renewal goals of the original conveyance and will assist the state, county, and Town in recapturing potential investment, growth, and employment opportunities for this region.
E.
On August 2, 2016, the Town of Riverhead Town Board adopted a Reuse and Revitalization Plan for EPCAL, which functions as an urban renewal plan for the aforesaid area of 2,323.9 +- acres. The Reuse and Revitalization Plan for EPCAL consists of two documents:
F.
This Planned Development Zoning District (PD District) is one of the instruments of implementation of the public purposes and objectives of the Reuse and Revitalization Plan for EPCAL. The Reuse and Revitalization Plan for EPCAL, in concert with the PD District, establishes a comprehensive plan for the reuse of the EPCAL Property.