Riverhead rejects Scott’s Pointe drifting plan for go-kart track
The Riverhead Town Board unanimously rejected Scott’s Pointe’s request to allow drifting on its go-kart track Tuesday night, leaving a key environmental safeguard in place despite the water park owner’s push to loosen prior approval conditions.
The go-karts-only rule was one of six conditions tied to the town’s 2025 State Environmental Quality Review Act determination that no further environmental review was needed for the project.
Council members determined that allowing drifting or vehicles beyond go-karts would require additional environmental review before the covenant could be changed.
“As I said before, I have no problem with electric on the water, but I have always had a problem with any type of motors operating on any track by the lake,” said Councilwoman Denise Merrifield, the only board member to comment on the 5-0 vote.
The vote came one week after Scott’s Pointe owner Eric Scott blasted critics of the proposal at a public hearing, arguing that the objections were being driven more by opposition to the park than by environmental concerns.
The Town Board did give preliminary approval for several other requested amendments, including a proposed zip line across Scott’s Pointe’s man-made lake, temporary docks for battery-powered motorized watercraft, revised covenant language for watercraft use and installation of a fire suppression well.
Environmental advocates argued at a recent public hearing that the restrictions were not throwaway conditions. In their view, the previously adopted conditioned negative declaration and go-kart limitation served as key mitigation measures to protect the lake from potential contamination.
By phone on Wednesday, Mr. Scott called the board’s decision on drifting “criminal.”
“We’re moving full steam ahead with everything we’re approved for, and we’re gonna fight the fight for the things they gave me a hard time on,” he said
Claudette Bianco of Baiting Hollow, a vocal critic of Scott’s Pointe’s expansion plans, cheered the board’s decision.
“I know that a lot of people are very pleased with that,” Ms. Bianco said. “Especially in light of the way they spoke about the public taxpayers — that we don’t like to have fun and we’re just naysayers.”
Riverhead Democratic committee chair Laura Jens-Smith shared the same gratitude.
“You gave them the negative declaration on the track and put covenants in place, you maintained those covenants on Scott’s Pointe,” Ms. Jens-Smith said. “I would just like to thank you for upholding that, and I appreciate your vote.”
Scott’s Pointe had been under New York State Department of Environmental Conservation oversight while the mined land was reclaimed. That oversight ended April 19, when the agency issued its final sign-off and shifted full control over future changes to the town.
Before a final site plan is approved, the applicant must submit draft language to the Riverhead planning department for the amended covenants governing battery-powered motorized watercraft. The water park operator previously requested changes to allow sealed, battery-powered bumper boats, along with canoes, kayaks, rental sailboats and similar watercraft.
The preliminary approval is valid for 12 months, with the possibility of a six-month extension, according to the resolution.
