News

F1 go-kart draft accepted

Five-month-old Welsh pony/Thoroughbred crosses Frodo and Monkey in one of the paddocks at the 43-acre Mil-Ridge horse farm off Edwards Avenue in Calverton. Just behind the tree line is where the F1 go-kart facility wants to build.
News-Review photo by Barbaraellen Koch
But lawyer for horse farm says meeting was held illegally

By John Stefans

The Riverhead Town Board voted unanimously last Thursday to accept a draft environmental impact statement (DEIS) in support of F1 Long Island's plans to build a go-kart track on Edwards Avenue in Calverton.

But this past Tuesday, the lawyer for one of the adjoining properties, Mil-Ridge Farm, a horse boarding and breeding facility, charged that the special Town Board meeting at which the resolution was approved was illegal because the public — and, in particular, interested parties — had not been notified in advance.

"The fact of the matter is that under SEQRA [State Environmental Quality Review Act], the acceptance of a DEIS is something that has to be done by Town Board resolution, and the Town Board can't adopt the resolution at an illegally convened meeting," said Linda Margolin of Bracken & Margolin of Islandia. "That's our position, and if they're not going to do it over again, then we'll be using it to attack the entire approval of the project."

Ms. Margolin said the first she heard that a new DEIS had even been submitted, much less accepted, came when a reporter called her for comment.

"I haven't seen the revised draft and so I can't comment on its adequacy, but without adequate notice, the board's actions are illegal," she said. "Don't you think we would have been there?"

According to Trina Miles, administrative assistant to Supervisor Phil Cardinale, notice of the special Town Board meeting had been posted on the town's web site, but time hadn't allowed for a legal notice to be placed in The News-Review, the town's official newspaper.

The DEIS in question was a second draft. An earlier version was rejected by the Town Board in May because it failed to undertake "an exhaustive literature search" regarding the potential impact of noise on the breeding of horses within the general facility of the project.

The draft that was accepted Thursday stated that "having performed the exhaustive literature search, no research was discovered that disclosed a relationship between noise produced from go-karts and adverse effects on equine reproductive behavior."

When Bob Kozakiewicz, attorney for F1 Long Island, was asked whether the language was too specific, focusing as it did only on go-kart noise, the former town supervisor replied that while the wording could have been clearer, it was meant to cover the impact from all noise.

Robin Gibbs, co-owner of Mil-Ridge Farm — who also complained that she hadn't been informed of the special meeting — continued to stick to her belief that noise from the go-karts would adversely affect her animals. She said she had discussed the matter with an expert at the Veterinary College of Cornell University, who, according to Ms. Gibbs, advised that she might have to give her horses tranquilizers for two weeks if the go-kart track were to open.

Reached by phone, the expert Ms. Gibbs consulted, Dr. Katherine Houpt, head of the equine behavior clinic at Cornell, said that while few studies had been conducted, the U.S. Air Force did conclude after testing that horses can be affected by loud noises but tended to acclimate to them in a week or two. "That's why I suggested the horses be kept inside and muffled from the sound and be given light tranquilizers until they become habituated to the engines and the squealing of tires," Dr. Houpt said.

"Who's going to submit to a horse having to be tranquilized to get used to the surroundings?" Ms. Gibbs said. "And if someone's riding and they get hurt because the horse reacts to the go-karts, am I liable? Horses are flight animals. When they hear a noise, it sets them off. In the long run, my business will dwindle because the people whose horses I board will leave."

Ms. Gibbs called it an irony that less than four years ago, the Town of Riverhead had purchased the development rights to 29 acres of her 43-acre farm.

"It's ironic that the town would go and buy my development rights to keep me in farming and then go and put me into a situation like this," she said. "How am I going to keep my farm if people are not going to want to bring their horses to it?"

Another irony is that prior to new zoning that emerged several years ago from the town's master plan, a go-kart course would have been allowed at the Calverton site only by special permit. Zoning, however, was then changed to Industrial C, which allows such commercial recreational facilities by right, according to Councilwoman Barbara Blass.

Supervisor Cardinale emphasized that accepting a DEIS is not tantamount to approving a project. He said that acceptance only means the Town Board agrees that the questions that came out of a scoping hearing were adequately addressed. He said it will now be up to the Town Board to present its own finding, which it will do following a public hearing on the DEIS scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 29, at 3 p.m.

F1 not horsing around

By Dawn Wotapka Hardesty

Thursday, November 2, 2006 09:30 AM EST

One plan to develop Riverhead’s Enterprise Park at Calverton is hitting the brakes, while there are complaints about another racing forward.

Pulte Homes’ plan to develop 755 acres is being scaled down because no hotel chains want to spend $20 million to be part of the project, Riverhead’s News-Review reported Thursday.

The Michigan-based residential powerhouse had wanted to pay the town $90 million for the land to develop a $350 million project with a hotel and conference center, golf course and senior housing.

Because Pulte may not be able to find an investor for five years, it will likely change the proposal, the weekly newspaper reported. The housing market is also softening, making its high-end, 464-condo unit a gamble for the publicly-held company.

Michael Kelly, Pulte’s division vice president of land acquisitions, couldn’t be reached Thursday morning and Supervisor Phil Cardinale wasn’t immediately available.

Meanwhile, neighbors are complaining about F1 Long Island’s pitch for a kart track on an adjacent former Grumman property.

A lawyer for a horse boarding and breeding facility called the board meeting where the resolution was approved illegal because there wasn’t ample public notice. The equine enterprise is also concerned that the kart rumble would agitate the horses.

“If they want to control their neighbor’s property, then buy it,” said Ed Densieski, a board member. “If F1 meets the noise requirements and other town codes, they can co-exist.”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SEPTEMBER 21, 2006

F1 LONG ISLAND RECEIVES RIVERHEAD ZONING BOARD DETERMINATION FOR GO KART FACILITY

F1 Long Island, a developer seeking to build a state-of-the-art Go Kart facility in Calverton, New York, passed an important milestone last week when the Town of Riverhead Zoning Board granted the company’s requests for building variances and accessory uses. Variances for the height of the project’s proposed clubhouse were granted. The Board also granted F1 Long Island’s request to have a kart maintenance facility including, kart parts, repair and storage. Additionally, they granted a restaurant, bar, lounge, locker rooms and retail store in the “clubhouse” building on the property. The proposed state-of-the-art Go Kart facility will include two outdoor and two covered kart tracks. F1 Long Island seeks to transform this property from a community eyesore covered with garbage and debris to an environmentally friendly and modern tax generating facility the community will be proud of.

“We appreciate the hard work and thorough review the members of the Board of Zoning Appeals gave to our project, and we believe that they reached the appropriate conclusion. They saw that our proposal and its elements are appropriate and beneficial for the community. We also appreciated the overwhelming support of the people who came to the hearings on behalf of F1 Long Island. We look forward to taking the next steps in the process and going before the Town Board for our site plan approval,” said Marc Leibowitz, founder of F1 Long Island.

This project has been designed specifically to provide driving enthusiasts and novices with a genuine racing experience, complete with speed and adrenaline. In addition, the facility will be utilized by not-for-profit organizations for fundraising events and corporate events. The company has already received a number of inquires from charity organizations regarding fundraising events and many requests from local corporate organizations to schedule events.

“Our proposed facility will positively impact the Calverton area and its citizens economically. It will take vacant land off of the tax rolls and convert it into a tax generating entity. Calverton citizens are looking for property tax relief and this facility will immediately help in this capacity. F1 Long Island adds a commercial business to the tax rolls something that is sorely needed. We will also be employing dozens of full-time people and many seasonal employees. Patrons of the facility will spend money at many local establishments supporting them and adding significant funds to sales tax coffers. We are encouraged by the significant number of positive responses we have received to date and the support we are generating from the Island’s business community and citizens,” added Leibowitz.

For more information about the F1 Long Island’s proposal’s, community and economic benefits and programs visit www.f1longisland.com.

Riverhead's Zoning Board of Appeals gave F1 Long Island an approval last Thursday for its proposed kart-racing facility in Calverton, but with conditions.

The company plans to build a kart-racing facility on 14 acres on Edwards Avenue in Calverton and was seeking a variance from the ZBA to permit a 55-foot-high roof. It also sought a ZBA interpretation as to whether "restaurants, retail, meeting rooms, bar, lockers and kart maintenance and storage" are "customarily incidental" to a kart-racing track, which is permitted in the Industrial C zone on Edwards Avenue.

The ZBA decision dealt only with those specific issues; the larger issue of site plan approval for the project must be decided by the Town Board. The issue of noise, which some Calverton residents have raised, was not a consideration in the ZBA approval, but will be part of the Town Board's review of the project. The Town Board has already required F1 to submit a noise study.

The ZBA granted F1 Long Island a roof height of 35 feet, five feet higher than the code currently permits in the Industrial C zone, but in conformance with an alternate plan the company had submitted.

On the issue of the accessory uses, the ZBA ruled that the proposed uses of kart storage, locker rooms, food services and limited retail sales are "customary accessory uses" to a kart-racing facility, and thus are permitted.

The ZBA also ruled, however, that meeting and conference rooms are not "customary accessory uses" to such a facility, and will not be permitted. In addition, according to ZBA chair Martin Keller, the ruling stated that "food services shall be contained within the clubhouse and/or concession track, and the dining and lounge area shall not exceed 4,500 square feet in total area, the kitchen shall not exceed 750 square feet in total area, and the total retail space shall not exceed 400 square feet."

F1 Long Island's attorney, former town supervisor Bob Kozakiewicz, had argued that the proposed facility was similar to other recreational uses such as golf courses and Splish Splash, which have food service areas.

Marc Leibowitz, chief executive officer of F1 Long Island, said he was happy with the decision. "We got everything we asked for," he said, adding that the proposal can now move forward to the site plan application.

Ann Miloski of Calverton, who had opposed F1's application, said she still believes the Town Code doesn't allow restaurants in this area. The Industrial C zone, she said, allows only cafeterias contained within a building for use by employees.

Robin Gibb, who owns an adjacent horse farm and also has opposed F1, said she feels the application before the Town Board will present a better opportunity to bring up concerns about the proposal.

While F1 Long Island awaits a Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) decision on its proposed Calverton kart-racing track next month, the company's outdoor facility in Massachusetts continues to receive noise complaints from its neighbors.

F1 is seeking a ZBA ruling on whether "restaurants, retail, meeting rooms, bar, lockers and kart maintenance and storage" are "customarily incidental" to a kart-racing track, which is permitted in the Industrial C zone on Edwards Avenue in Calverton.

They also are requesting a variance to allow a proposed clubhouse to be 55 feet high instead of 30, which is the height limit in that zone.

The ZBA hearing on that issue was closed last Thursday, and ZBA chairman Martin Keller said a decision is expected at its Sept. 14 meeting.

The company is proposing an outdoor kart track on 14 acres on the west side of Edwards Avenue, along with a clubhouse building with a restaurant and retail store.

The same company owns an indoor kart-racing track in Braintree, Mass., and an outdoor kart-racing track in East Bridgewater, Mass., that has been the subject of noise complaints from neighbors. But some officials there say the complaints are limited mostly to residents of one street directly behind the track, but separated from it by a vacant wooded lot.

Residents of that street last week asked the East Bridgewater Planning Board to begin taking noise readings from the track due to what they feel has been an unsolved noise problem.

"Some days it sounds like there's a jet in my back yard," said resident Patty Nolan, who contacted The News-Review last week. "Our main problem is noise and it doesn't sound like it's anywhere near being solved. We would not want any other community to endure this nightmare."

Roy Sebazco of F1 Long Island said the homes of many people who complained were built after the track was in place, and that noise complaints have been filed against the track when it wasn't even open.

Theresa McNulty, a town selectwoman in East Bridgewater, said, "It's about four or five very vocal families. Outside of that one group, there have been no issues with the track."

Thesesa Barao, a spokesperson for the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, said that agency issued a notice of noncompliance to F1 last August, resulting in the sound barrier requirement. She said they are still receiving complaints, but that F1 has indicated it will extend the sound barrier.

Noise is also a concern local residents have raised with regard to the Calverton proposal, although it is not one of the issues being debated before the ZBA.

Riverhead Councilman John Dunleavy said he went to East Bridgewater in July and took noise readings at the F1 Outdoors track there. He said the reading was 80 decibels standing six feet away from the karts, and about 52 decibels standing 300 feet away. Mr. Dunleavy said he also talked to some nearby residents and was told the noise is worse on days when there is a low cloud cover.

Marc Leibowitz of F1 Long Island said the wall proposed for the Calverton site is about 23 feet high, twice that of the wall in East Bridgewater. He said readings taken in East Bridgewater have never found the ambient sound to be anywhere near 37 decibels. He said a reading of 62 decibels is equivalent to an air conditioner at 20 feet, according to the New York State Sound Mitigation Guide, and that F1 Long Island has promised to stay under 65 decibels. Mr. Leibowitz, who is not personally involved in the East Bridgewater operation, said the sound violation they were issued was for a reading of 57 decibels.

Meanwhile, at last week's ZBA hearing, former Supervisor Bob Kozakiewicz, attorney for F1 Long Island, presented information the ZBA had previously requested on the issue of whether restaurants and clubhouses were "customarily incidental" to the kart track.

He presented a list of 48 other kart-racing facilities throughout the nation; of those, 29 had restaurants, 38 had retail uses and 27 had conference or meeting rooms. Linda Margolin, an attorney representing the owners of an adjacent horse farm on Edwards Avenue, who have opposed F1, questioned those numbers.

"Is that intended to be an exhaustive list?" she asked. "If not, you could be simply selecting 48 tracks that you want to show and not showing the ones you don't want to show."

The proposal will need site plan approved from the Town Board in addition to the ZBA approval.

A noise study done on the F1 Long Island kart-racing proposal in Calverton indicates that the karts will not be a major source of noise, according to F1 o

Residents still opposed to Calverton go-kart facility

By Tim Gannon

A noise study done on the F1 Long Island kart-racing proposal in Calverton indicates that the karts will not be a major source of noise, according to F1 officials.

But some Calverton residents aren't buying it, and say the facility should be built indoors.

F1 Long Island CEO Marc Leibowitz unveiled parts of the study results at a meeting of the Greater Calverton Civic Association last Wednesday. The study was done by a AKRF Environmental and Planning Company, a firm chosen by the Town Board rather the applicant, Mr. Leibowitz said.

It says the kart-racing track would produce 63 decibels at its property line. By comparison, it says, an air conditioner at 20 feet produces 60 decibels, freeway traffic at 50 feet generates 70 decibels, a pneumatic drill at 50 feet puts out 80 decibels, and a heavy truck at 50 feet emits 90 decibels.

A sound meter F1 brought to the civic association meeting registered 60 decibels while County Legislator Ed Romaine was speaking and 85 decibels when people applauded, they said.

F1 Long Island has proposed an outdoor kart-racing track on 12 acres on the west side of Edwards Avenue, just south of the FedEx building. It would include about a mile of track that would allow for two high-speed tracks and two slower "concession" tracks, and would also feature a 14,000-square-foot clubhouse with conference rooms, an exhibit and function hall, a café and lounges, dining and billiard rooms and a retail shop for racing-oriented items, according to F1.

The company also owns F1 Outdoors in East Bridgewater, Mass., and F1 Boston in Braintree, Mass., the latter an indoor facility.

The Town Board specifically asked that a noise study be done in conjunction with the project, and specified that it consider potential noise impacts on an adjacent horse farm and riding stable owned by Robin Gibbs and on the Calverton Links golf course, owned by Bill Schulman. Ms. Gibbs and Mr. Schulman have been outspoken critics of F1's proposal, as both fear it will hurt their businesses.

The study says F1's karts are quieter than Mr. Schulman's golf carts, Mr. Leibowitz said.

Mr. Leibowitz said the AKRF study recommended a number of changes to the proposal aimed at reducing noise. These included adding a sound wall at the southern end of the property, elevation changes and berms, Mr. Leibowitz said.

"The town wanted us not to exceed 65 decibels, although the code says the limit is 80 decibels," he said, referring to the code for Industrial zoned property.

The code actually has an 80-decibel limit for construction sites during daytime hours, and a 65-decibel limit in other areas, such as commercial, business or industrial operations.

The noise study reports results at the Zeh residence on Route 25, the Riverhead Charter School, the Gibbs residence at the horse farm, a barn at the horse farm, an unspecified home on Edwards Avenue and at Calverton Links.

It measured noise from typical race karts and faster, noisier karts, as well as the existing noise levels at those sites. The decibel readings were not higher than 65 in all but two of the areas, where the normal background readings were over 65 without the track, according to the report. The highest reading at the golf course was 56 decibels, and at the horse farm, 65 decibels, according to the study. Mr. Leibowitz said later that F1 ran 12 motorcycles with similar engines on the property and measured the sound levels. He said neighbors were not even aware the motorcycles were there.

Ms. Gibbs said F1 never came on her property to test the sound levels.

"People come here to enjoy the horses," she said. "They are not going to want to hear screeching tires. They are going to take their horses elsewhere."

Other residents said a continuous noise is going to be more annoying than a noise that lasts a few seconds, even if the latter noise is louder.

"The civic association was formed to protect our quality of life," said Ann Miloski, who was critical of the proposal.

"Nobody is going to tell me this is quieter than golf carts," another man said.

In a show of hands, more people at the civic association meeting opposed F1's proposal than supported it, although a number of people didn't raise their hand for either option.

Resident Joan Griffing suggested the association write a letter calling for the proposal to be an indoor track.

Mr. Leibowitz said later that an indoor facility is very costly to operate and can be easily copied by another facility elsewhere on Long Island. The Calverton site, he said, "is so unique that it would cost $20 million to duplicate it somewhere else on Long Island."

He says they have gathered about 900 signatures in favor of the proposed track on their website, which has been up for about a month, and have gotten only one negative response.

And even when the Brentwood native stayed home, the unmistakable sound of racing

rubber remained audible: “Laying in bed, 5 or 6 years old, I could hear the cars,” the 46-

year-old says nostalgically, imitating the sound of a race car speeding around a track.

Most of the Island’s tracks were replaced by condos, stores and golf courses, halting the

thrill of speed. So Elkins is racing to be the first to bring one back in a 26,300-squarefoot

That’s where Elkins is building the Naskart Indoor Raceway, a $700,000 center that will

have two tracks – one for children and one for adults – to race pro-style karts whose

“As you know, NASCAR and auto racing is pretty hot right now,” Elkins says. “It’s no

Meanwhile, on 12 acres in Riverhead, Marc Leibowitz, president and chief executive of

F1 Long Island, is also trying bigger venture targeting corporate clients. His $8 million F1

Long Island will have a 14,000-square-foot club house and four winding outdoor tracks.

Two concession tracks with maximum speeds of 45 mph will be earmarked for slower

drivers. The other two are for speed demons willing to travel up to 75 mph. The courses

Only 50 or 60 such go-kart businesses operate nationwide, but there are more than

1,000 across Europe, where Formula 1 driving is extremely popular, Leibowitz said.

Whichever opens first locally will be the Island’s first shop dedicated solely to karts, they

Elkins and Leibowitz are curious about each others’ ventures, and though they try to be

“We do butt heads, but I can’t compete with them,” says Elkins. “We’re on a different

Says Leibowitz: “Naskart is a serious outfit. They know what they’re doing. They have a

It is for Elkins, who spent a dozen years as a Mister Softee owner with a three-truck

fleet. But “it became a very hard, tough business” as insurance, royalties and product

prices rose, melting his profits. Elkins, who describes himself as a big kid, exited ice

He and broker David Rotter of Metro Realty Services spent three years scouring the

Island for a space big enough and with ample parking. Potential landlords, they say,

“We kept getting jerked around,” Rotter says. “I just stuck by him for the three years.”

They finally found space on Union Parkway near Long Island MacArthur Airport.

Race car murals decorate the walls and steel beams indicate where the party room,

With loan payments of $6,000 a month and insurance costing $25,000 each year, it will

take a lot of $7 races to pay the bills. (That fee buys adults a five-minute race, about 20

The father of two daughters knows the venture is a giant risk. But, “I can’t wait to see the

Chances are Leibowitz, a former computer software executive, has already witnessed

that scene. Leibowitz’s partner, road-car veteran Richard “RJ” Valentine, is also the

While Elkins stresses his family bent, Leibowitz aims to tap adrenaline seekers and

companies desiring teambuilding exercises. Children and adult leagues are also

But F1 Long Island’s extensive track is accompanied by a bigger price: there’s a $10

license fee and races start at $25 for a warm-up lap followed by 15 “hot laps.”

Finding a location also hasn’t been easy. F1 Long Island lost a 92,000-square-foot spot

on Spagnoli Road in Melville when the landlord changed the deal, adding just under $2

“At that price,” Leibowitz recalls, “The business didn’t make sense.”

He spent two years researching alternatives and opted for Riverhead’s Calverton area,

which is zoned for such recreational uses. The environmental impact statement is nearly

complete and Leibowitz hopes to receive site plan approval in time to break ground in

late spring. The first phase should open in the fall, while the club house would require

By this time next year, Elkins and Leibowitz hope to be competing with each other for

“Long Island has a steep history in motor sports,” Leibowitz says. “Is there room on Long