Riverhead weighs golf cottages at six Long Island courses: up to 108 units, December hearing set

A potential new chapter for six existing golf courses

Riverhead Town in Suffolk County, on the eastern part of New York's Long Island, is considering a dedicated golf-course zoning district. If eventually enacted, the amendments could permit six established golf facilities to apply for small, golf-related guest cottages. The cumulative upper limit is 108 units: 18 per course. This is an environmental review and land-use proposal, not an announcement that six resorts have been built or that accommodation can now be booked.

On October 20, 2026, the Town Board unanimously adopted resolutions 2026-967 and 2026-968, setting the final scope of the environmental assessment and accepting a Draft Generic Environmental Impact Statement (DGEIS) for public review. The Town of Riverhead Planning Department has published that October 20 document on its official website. On October 26, RiverheadLOCAL reported the newly scheduled public hearing for December 1, 2026, at 2 p.m., at Riverhead Town Hall, 4 West Second Street, Riverhead, NY 11901.

Which courses could participate?

The six named facilities are The Rock Golf Club near Wading River, Baiting Hollow Club, Friars Head, Cherry Creek Golf Links, The Woods at Cherry Creek, and Long Island National Golf Club in Aquebogue. These are existing courses in the Riverhead Town jurisdiction; the proposal does not introduce six new golf layouts. Their access policies differ, and a zoning amendment would not make private clubs open to general public play.

The proposed limits allow at most 18 cottages per course, each measuring no more than 600 square feet (approximately 55.7 square metres). A cottage could stand alone or be joined to one other unit, but longer rows of connected accommodation would not be authorised under the proposed language. Operators would retain ownership and control. Subdivision, individual condominium sale and permanent residency would be barred, and permission for golf cottages would not automatically authorise restaurants, spas or related resort facilities.

The farmland-preservation mechanism

The plan links any potential cottage construction to Riverhead's Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) programme. A preservation credit would be exchanged for up to 1,200 square feet of cottage floor area, sufficient for two maximum-size cottages. Fully building out six allocations of 18 units would therefore require 54 credits and correspond to protecting development rights on 54 acres elsewhere in the town. The environmental review uses an indicative $80,000 per credit, producing a theoretical $4.32 million in preservation-credit purchases. That is an estimate, not money already invested, and it excludes design, construction and permitting.

Setbacks and environmental modelling

Under the draft rules, cottages would stand at least 125 feet (about 38 metres) from property boundaries; the setback for sites facing Sound Avenue would reach 300 feet (about 91 metres), including related development such as parking. The full-buildout model estimates around 16,200 US gallons of water per day and 66 additional vehicle trips in a peak hour across the six properties. These figures are projections based on assumed utilisation, not actual measured impacts. Individual projects would still face town site-plan and architectural review plus Suffolk County health and local water-district requirements.

What golfers should expect next

Nothing has yet been approved for construction. There are no confirmed cottage designs, opening dates, guest rates or reservation systems. Current golf access and tee-time arrangements are not altered by accepting a draft environmental statement. The December hearing will provide another opportunity for residents and stakeholders to challenge or support the proposal; the final decision may differ from the draft.

Sources: Town of Riverhead Planning Department and official DGEIS adopted October 20 — https://www.townofriverheadny.gov/192/Planning ; municipal environmental document — https://www.townofriverheadny.gov/DocumentCenter/View/4057/Golf-Course-GC-Zoning-Full-DGEIS---Adopted-October-20-2026 ; RiverheadLOCAL report dated October 26 — https://riverheadlocal.com/2026/10/26/riverhead-sets-dec-1-hearing-on-environmental-review-of-golf-cottages-zoning/ . The accompanying photograph is illustrative and depicts another Suffolk County course, Spring Lake, not any of the six sites in the proposal.