Air Pressure

While a massive air cargo facility being proposed in Calverton may seem too many miles away for concern for most residents of the South Fork, the mammoth size of the project and its potential impact should send shock waves across the entire East End.

The environmental and quality of life tolls — not only on the undeveloped acreage surrounding the old Grumman air plant, but in increased air and truck traffic throughout Long Island — should elicit concern among residents on both forks and a desire to pay close attention to the planning and approval process to ensure the least impact possible.

The proposal, by a Canadian-based developer, Triple Five, known for developing some of the largest shopping malls in North America, would see 9.2 million square feet of development in a series of logistics and distribution buildings along redeveloped runways in the Calverton Enterprise Park. A 400,000-square-foot rail distribution building at a Long Island Rail Road spur at the site also is planned.

While the developers are being coy as far as what kind of operation would be planned there and who potential tenants might be, even the casual observer can see that the overall goal is to provide the largest air, rail and truck cargo distribution center east of JFK and LaGuardia airports. It could mean tons of cargo arriving every hour by rail and air, and leaving again via lines of 18-wheelers bound for last-mile distribution centers like the Amazon facility at Gabreski Airport in Westhampton.

The noise generated at such a facility, with, potentially, airplanes arriving several times per hour — many flying in at less than 2,000 feet within a 10-mile radius of the facility — combined with the wear and tear on area roadways and the disruption of the local habitat surrounding it, could forever change the landscape of the region.

The proposal deserves, at the very least, scrutiny beyond Calverton and encompassing all of the East End.

Bob DeLuca, president of Group for the East End, in an article about the proposal last week, agreed. “I think the region has to get its arms around this property, because the consequences, which are not all that clear, don’t look that good,” he said. “Understanding the potential consequences of this property building out with a much larger aviation footprint than anybody ever envisioned is consequential for the region.”

Sure, the project would be a boost to the local economy, bringing jobs to the area, and would finally see a powerful economic engine take shape at the Enterprise Park, which has sat dormant for years. Development there should be encouraged, but it must be controlled. Triple Five should not be given a speedy green light by Riverhead officials, who seem to want to move quickly to approve the project.

Vigilance is the key here. A comprehensive environmental study must be performed, and neither the region’s elected officials nor environmental watchdogs should give in to the developer or the town’s air pressure. There’s simply too much at stake.