This decision comes after the 70-year-old family-run construction firm gave a presentation on July 22 before the Riverhead Town Board and community members demonstrating why it believes the company has the necessary qualifications, expertise, and most importantly, the financial wherewithal to serve as the master developer and complete this extensive project.

Some applause broke out from the audience following the unanimous approval of the resolution, including from Joe Petrocelli and his attorney Eric Russo. Dawn Thomas, the town’s community development administrator, got emotional as she concluded the CDA portion of the meeting authorizing J. Petrocelli as master developer.

The town presented 20 letters from the community in the record, in which a majority expressed their hesitations or opposition for the project. Others showed their support in letters and public comment, including East End Arts, the Riverhead BID, Suffolk Theater owner Bob Castaldi, JJ Armory owner Joseph Oliver and Georgica Green Ventures president David Gallo.

“[We’re] very excited … It’s probably been four years in the making, but finally, we’re ready to go,” Mr. Petrocelli said after the vote. He added there may be an idea of a groundbreaking date in the next couple of weeks. Mr. Petrocelli previously said during his qualified and eligible sponsor presentation that he is looking to start the project as early as November.

Riverhead Town Supervisor Tim Hubbard addressed the audience and expressed his frustrations with some of the negativity surrounding the project, and specifically with community members requesting that the decision to appoint J. Petrocelli as master developer be pushed off.

The supervisor described those against the appointment as “the party of stagnation,” alluding to the idea that some people’s displeasure of certain political affiliations — specifically Republicans — are fueling the opposition to project.

“It seems every good thing that you want to do — everything that at the end of the day is the whole picture of Riverhead, and good for the whole of Riverhead — somebody just has to come out to oppose it, sometimes for no other reason other than I have an ‘R’ after my name, as opposed to somebody having a ‘D’ after theirs — and that’s wrong,” Mr. Hubbard said.

“This is decades in the making from when it first started … I can’t wait to get shovels in the ground for this project,” he continued. “What is best for the town of Riverhead is in the golden hand of Mr. Petrocelli, and the projects that he has built over the years and helped put Riverhead on the map.”

Now that J. Petrocelli has been deemed the qualified and eligible sponsor by the Town Board, the $2.65 million sale of three East Main Street properties to the company will go through without competitive bidding. The buildings at 117 and 121 East Main St. were demolished by the town in 2022, and 127 East Main St., where Craft’D eatery resides, may be acquired through eminent domain proceedings to allow for the $32.6 million construction of a five-story, 78,000-square-foot mixed-used building with up to 76 hotel rooms and 12 condominium units, along with restaurant and retail space and 12 underground parking stalls.

A petition has been filed to begin condemnation proceedings to acquire the leasehold interest property of Craft’D. At Tuesday afternoon’s meeting, the town board voted to approve a budget adjustment to make a $120,000 settlement offer to Craft’D’s owner SNR Bar 25 Corp.

Erik Howard, town attorney, said the town did get an appraisal, but it has not been finalized for litigation purposes yet. The $120,000 was based on this appraisal, as well as prior conversations with Craft’D, and will be presented Wednesday, Aug. 27, at the Central Islip courthouse, according to court filings.

“If we got to a number that both sides were comfortable with, we could do a settlement agreement, [which would] say the date they’re going to vacate and then we give them the money,” Mr. Howard said. “It really becomes up to [Craft’D] if it’s worth the cost of litigation to try to get more or if we can sort of come to a middle ground before we even file the petition.”

Following the July 22 public hearing, the town board requested Ms. Thomas, town attorney Mr. Howard, financial administrator Jeanette DiPaola and deputy town attorney Danielle Hurley to review and inspect certain pieces of J. Petrocelli Contracting Inc.’s financial information, as well as meet with the construction company’s legal counsel.

In a memo dated Aug. 1, the town personnel tasked with reviewing these financial documents determined they “sufficiently meet the criteria required” and demonstrated that J. Petrocelli Contracting Inc. and affiliates, including Atlantis Marine World LLC, possessed “sufficient monetary resources and available sources of funding to complete the proposed project.”

Some community members criticized town officials for not making this memo available to the public to review. Mr. Howard said the memo was filed with the town clerk on Aug. 1 and should have been posted to the town website; however, this information was available for the public to FOIL. The Riverhead News-Review submitted a FOIL request for this information, but did not receive it by press time.

Others who spoke at the meeting also found fault in the town board’s July 31 work session, where they claim board members “made their minds up” on Mr. Petrocelli being master developer the day before the public comment period ended. At that work session, town board members did give Mr. Howard the greenlight to draft a resolution to vote on Mr. Petrocelli’s appointment.

“Mr. Petrocelli may indeed be qualified and eligible to be the master developer, I’m not questioning that, but the sham and mockery you made of the legal process to reach that finding is deplorable. It underscores your disdain and disregard for public input,” said Kathy McGraw of Northville. “You made it clear your minds were made up the day before the public comment period closed, and you failed to share information that we the public were entitled to see and comment upon before a decision was made.”

Mr. Howard clarified that the CDA rules do not say the town board can’t form an opinion before the conclusion of an open comment period. Mr. Hubbard further stressed that no legal process was violated in the qualified and eligible hearing.

The post J. Petrocelli named qualified and eligible Town Square developer appeared first on Riverhead News Review.

The Jericho-based development firm, who also built the Riverview Lofts on East Main Street, is looking to construct a 133-unit, market-rate apartment complex called “The Vue” on 426 W. Main St. with 25 studios, 83 one-bedroom apartments and 25 two-bedroom apartments. Additionally, 78 parking spots are included in the site plans for the ground floor, as well as restaurant and retail space on the first floor of the development, which overlooks the Peconic River.

As a state-certified Pro-Housing community, Riverhead Town plans to submit a Consolidated Funding Application (CFA) to the Empire State Development Corporation for this “pass-through grant” of up to $3.6 million.

This money would be distributed to Georgica Green Ventures to offset the cost of necessary sewer, water and electrical infrastructure needed to construct the project. The town would not incur any costs through this process or have to provide any matching funds.

Governor Kathy Hochul’s Pro-Housing Communities Initiative aims to recognize and reward local governments committed to building more housing. It allocates up to $650 million each year in discretionary funds for these communities and as of today, 273 municipalities across the state are certified Pro-Housing Communities.

The town received two sizable grants totaling $1.5 million at the beginning on this year through this same program that will aid in its downtown revitalization efforts, including infrastructure upgrades to The Suffolk theater and construction of the riverfront amphitheater.

“It really would be a nice bookend to downtown [Riverhead],” said Dawn Thomas, Riverhead Town’s community development administrator. “[This] would make that project a reality, which we think is a good one.”

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Dawn Thomas, the town’s community development administrator, gave a presentation along with Barry Long of UDA Associates and Alexia Friend of LVF Landscape Architecture on the Main Street Streetscape component of the Town Square project at a June 26 work session.

The Town Square project has six components: the upper and lower Town Square, the amphitheater, “complete streets” or streetscapes, a boutique hotel and a parking garage. This downtown revitalization initiative is possible thanks to multiple funding grants the town has obtained over the years, including a $24 million federal grant that complements a $10 million state grant secured two years ago. 

Through a $750,000 DRI grant and part of the $10 million RAISE grant, the town plans to spend $3.4 million on Main Street streetscapes to create a safer, pedestrian-friendly downtown.

“We took those concepts and the designs that were sort of put forward through the public process, and now we’ve actually done a real design for the Main Street, including stormwater management safety features, shortened crosswalks, narrowed drive lanes, widened sidewalks,” Ms. Thomas said. “Dining areas, and new signage, and new lighting — all of those things that the public said were important to them are now included in these plans.”

The Main Street streetscapes project is roughly 770 linear feet long, Mr. Long said, and spans from Roanoke Avenue to East Avenue. Although the ideas for improving Main Street are “not new,” he said, they are based on recommendations and input from residents compiled in the Downtown Riverhead Pattern Book. A majority of the responses to the pattern book survey indicated improvements to Main Street’s appearance, enhancements to pedestrian experience and increased lighting were important.

“The idea is to create activity zones in front of the storefronts, rather than just having one kind of generic concrete sidewalk,” Mr. Long said. “[The new proposal] shows the envisioned beautification, enhanced pedestrian experience and additional lighting.”

Mr. Long explained the activity zones are meant to be animated to “bring Main Street to life.” For example, café tables, flower pots or signage will be outside of storefronts — elements that draw people into a business. A clear pedestrian zone keeps the street open for people to move and an amenity zone is reserved for more greenery, public seating, bike racks and more lighting.

Taking inspiration from Westhampton and Greenport, Ms. Friend said certain areas will have extended sidewalks into Main Street to reduce the roadway width, so cars are encouraged to drive slowly and allow for safer pedestrian crossings. At the Suffolk Theater specifically, where the bulk of the Town Square will reside, a HAWK signal — which stands for High Intensity Activated Crosswalk — will be installed to increase pedestrian safety.

There have also been conversations with PSEG Long Island and internet providers about infrastructural improvements to the downtown, including burying power lines hanging above Main Street. Ms. Friend said these enhancements will make electrical service more reliable and reduce any issues of trees interfering with the power lines. There will be more decorative street poles installed as well.

In terms of parking near Main Street, the Riverhead Town Hall parking lot holds around 280 spaces and this second phase of the downtown revitalization process includes the proposed 500-space parking garage slated for First Street. The streetscapes design outlines roughly 21 spaces for short-term parking and pick up and drop off. In the process of widening the sidewalks and narrowing the street, 11 parking spots on Main Street would be removed.

The entirety of Main Street would be 15-minutes to park free, Ms. Thomas said, and then there would be time regulations, such as one-hour parking areas. The idea is to have people who are going to visit Main Street for longer can park farther away, which leads to better turnover for the Main Street merchants.

Grant applications are in motion right now for planned pedestrian alleyways coming from the First Street parking garage on the north side of Main Street. These alleyways will be “artistically lit” with motion sensor lighting and clearly marked pedestrian access points.

When Councilman Kenneth Rothwell posed a question about the changes to Main Street’s infrastructure, Ms. Thomas said all power lines and fiber optics will be connected underground. The roadway will also not be ripped up as it was in Westhampton because of existing water and sewer lines under the asphalt.

“Logistically, how we handle that construction piece and to keep the businesses afloat and not disturb is a logistics thing that we have to continue to work on — perhaps we’ll do one side and then the other, we’re not really 100% sure how that lays out yet,” Ms. Thomas said. “The last thing we want to do is disturb any existing businesses. W know how hard they work as it is, and our job is to make sure that they continue to exist and then thrive once these revitalization projects are completed.”

Since Route 25 is a state-owned roadway, the New York State Department of Transportation would need to provide a permit for this project and part of their criteria of the permit is for Riverhead Town to take over its own plowing of the renovated part of the roadway.

Ms. Thomas said a contract is expected within 60 days to begin construction.

“The parking garage piece will really depend on when we get that contract. Then, we think it’ll take a little bit to design that garage — it’s going to take some more public engagement, more stakeholder engagement to make sure that it’s right for us. Once it’s designed and we have construction drawings, which we’ll have the money to do, then you guys can bid it and build it,” Ms. Thomas said to the town board.

The Town Board will be voting on a resolution on Tuesday, July 1, to set the qualified and eligible public hearing for the designation of J. Petrocelli as the master developer of the Town Square project.

The post Design plans revealed for streetscapes portion of Town Square project appeared first on Riverhead News Review.

Currently in the “bathtub” of the campus, the Benjamin House at 141 Main St., predating 1870, and the even older 1840s Davis Corwin house at 133 Main St. are slated to be repositioned and elevated to meet the sidewalk on Main Street. Right now, visitors have to walk down several steps to access the buildings that are about 10 feet from the sidewalk in the upper Town Square.

For Wendy Weiss, executive director of EEAC, this means moving their operations while trying to mitigate the disruption to the organization and their activities and exhibits.

“We’re in constant contact with the town, and the move is projected to happen in mid-fall or later this year,” she said.

EEAC is working with Riverhead officials to move the school to 206 Griffing Ave. and is actively seeking temporary space for their fine art gallery.

“Hopefully it won’t be long before we can move back into our newly designed campus,” Ms. Weiss said. She added that the carriage house will be rotated 180 degrees and settled behind the school at 141 East Main St. 

Plans for the summer exhibition, “DETOUR,” in June, July and August are moving forward, as is another exhibition slated for September.

“We plan to move after that,” Ms. Weiss said. “It will be complicated because of the logistics, and EEAC has a relocation committee which consists of both board members and interested community members to help. We are collectively trying to keep the perspective that this is an opportunity that ultimately moves the organization forward in a positive way.”

This project has been on the drawing board for five years, and the Town is looking to firm up the funding for the two-building move.

“Right now, we have partial funding, but we have enough to get started,” said Dawn Thomas, director of Riverhead’s Community Development Agency.

She added that the total cost will be based on the final design, which is still up in the air. 1.4 million dollars was provided by the New York State Empire State Development agency. “We’re moving forward with qualifying a sponsor,” said Ms. Thomas.

As part of the plan to make the buildings flood resilient, they will be lifted up to street level with fill from the excavation and construction of the 72-room boutique hotel, and the grass around them will be regraded.

“The buildings need to be moved out of the flood plain. They’re at risk where they are now,” said Ms. Thomas. “The good news is that they will have new, sturdier and stronger foundations and more basement space for storage.”  

To preserve it, the 1821 barn-red Fresh Pond schoolhouse, moved 48 years ago to downtown Riverhead from Sound Avenue, will have to be relocated again on the site. Once all the shifting of buildings ends, a sculpture garden will go up in the reorganized outdoor space.

Historian Richard Wines, who chairs the Riverhead Landmarks Preservation Commission, said his organization feels bringing the two buildings up to street level is a positive move.

“It’s good thing for their long-time preservation,” he said.

He added that both buildings are on the National Register of Historic Preservation as well as the Downtown Riverhead Historic District.

“Moving buildings around these days is very gentle. It’s a slow process; they’ll jack them up one inch at a time. They’ll be put down on a new level foundation, more level than the old foundations, which are a bit rickety,” said Mr. Wines.

In the old days, Mr. Wines continued, people used to live in the buildings while they were moved: “That doesn’t work so well now because buildings have plumbing in them!”

Ms. Weiss emphasized how this change will bring EEAC more visibility and access.

“It needs to happen,” she said. “It’s a good opportunity for East End Arts. I think our community will be supportive in bringing everyone together downtown.”

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The overall Town Square development project encompasses more than 10 acres that will experience various degrees of disturbance, according to the board’s resolution. However, it was determined that the proposed action will not result in any significant adverse environmental impacts and no general environmental impact statement is required.

Jeffrey Seeman, Riverhead’s environmental consultant, recommended a conditional negative declaration at a March 13 work session. He said the components of the whole project are all in different stages of development — either still receiving funding or in the design phase — which made an environmental review more complicated.

However, based on the information available during his analysis, when considering the benefits of the resiliency that will be created through the downtown flood mitigation measures, as well as the social and economic benefits of the project, Mr. Seeman said the flood mitigation “thrust” of the plan outweighs any adverse impacts — even if an environmental impact study was conducted.

“I came to the conclusion that even though I independently and collectively looked for an adverse impact, I really could not find one,” Mr. Seeman told board members at the work session. “We’re looking at a revitalization area that is already developed. It’s basically urbanized, it’s predominantly parking lot, we’re not removing vegetation, we’re not changing any historic facilities — as I go through the checklist, I keep coming up with virtually no impact or very little impact.”

The multi-phase development project has six main components: the upper and lower Town Square, the amphitheater, “complete streets,” a boutique hotel and a parking garage. The upper Town Square is the grassy area between the old Long Island Science Center building and the Craft’d building, across from The Suffolk. The lower Town Square will be transformed into a public gathering space that includes a proposed playground and splash pad. 

The first tentative phase of the project includes the upper and lower Town Square, acquisition of the Long Island Science Center building for potential development, the 72-room boutique hotel and 12-unit condominium, the amphitheater, and relocation of the East End Arts buildings and regrading.

Phase 2 encompasses the proposed 500-space parking garage on First Street and the pedestrian-friendly “complete streets” concept for a more walkable downtown on East Main Street, Roanoke Avenue and Griffing Avenue. The rowing facility project planned for south of the Town Square, West Marine Building redevelopment and the Railroad Avenue Urban Renewal Area Overlay District projects are currently set for Phase 3. 

At the end of last year, Dawn Thomas, director of Riverhead’s Community Development Agency, determined the groundbreaking for the Town Square and playground would commence this August and September. The goal was to complete site plans, receive SEQRA approvals and all needed permits for the hotel, Town Square and playground by May, according to previous reporting.

The sale of town-owned property to the master developer could be completed as early as June 2025. Ms. Thomas previously said public outreach will take place before any construction occurs in the summer.

Due to the scope of the redevelopment and flood mitigation plans, the proposed downtown revitalization project was classified as a Type 1 SEQR Action in December 2024. This required the first part of a Full Environmental Assessment Form, which extensively outlined any potential project impacts and mitigation efforts, if necessary. At the time, it was determined “there had been no significant or moderate potential environmental impacts identified” that would warrant an environmental impact statement.

A coordinated review between the Riverhead Town Board and 16 other involved agencies was also initiated, and no objections were made during the 30-day correspondence period, according to Tuesday’s resolution. 

The second part of the Full Environmental Assessment Form submitted on Tuesday offered the same conclusion when outlining any potential project impacts, specially for land, surface water, groundwater, human health and other areas — all of which were found subject to little to no adverse impact, according to the report.

Since the project has multiple phases and individual project designs in varying stages of completion, the document stated that the “impact potential variables are currently unknown.” To keep consistent with SEQR Actions, the town implemented mitigation standards to avoid and minimize any significant impacts. 

Although the Riverhead Town Board determined the SEQR Actions review necessary for the whole project to accelerate it towards the next phases, there are still individual projects that will require another “hard look.” The ones that will require additional assessments include the East End Arts relocation and raising of the site’s elevation, the proposed First Street parking garage and roadway/parking field realignment, and the Railroad Avenue Overlay District developments. 

The proposed hotel and condominium have already gone through environmental reviews as part of the FEAF, but will require additional reviews upon the site plan submission to the town. 

Multiple community members who spoke Tuesday night shared their disappointment with the decision to declare a conditional negative declaration and specifically touched on the conflicting notions concerning the status of the Long Island Science Center building. 

The nonprofit LISC was founded in 1990 and opened in 2019 at its former location at 40 Peconic Ave., on the ground floor of the Summerwind Square apartment building. Several years ago, the group acquired the former Swezey’s building in downtown Riverhead, where it planned to expand. 

The organization is currently using space at Tanger Outlets and has been awarded over $1 million in grants towards the expansion project.

Last summer, the Riverhead Town Board approved a resolution seeking to acquire the East Main Street property for “general municipal purposes” and directed the town attorney to take all actions “necessary and appropriate” to obtain the land, according to previous reporting. 

The town’s efforts could include the use of eminent domain, a process by which the government can seize private property for a public use, in exchange for just compensation as determined by the courts. At the time, this action took the owners of the LISC property by surprise, as the owners intended to expand the museum and potentially build a planetarium. 

In the Full Environmental Assessment Form, the town claimed the science center structure is in violation of building codes, which resulted in “non-responsive actions by the owners.” The town intends to acquire the site in order to continue with the downtown revitalization and flood mitigation efforts. 

Cindy Clifford of the Heart of Riverhead Civic Association said the town’s building department denied requests for substantial improvements because of their “determination of substantial damage.” Mark Woolley, who is running for Riverhead Town Board in November, said historic buildings like Swezey’s should be protected.

LISC president Larry Oxman called out “inaccuracies” within the FEAF and said claims that the “building is crumbling and about to fall down” are false. He said he provided town officials with a state licensed structural engineer’s report that shows the building’s structure is sound. 

“You clearly have said in the impact statement that your intent is to sell or lease the building to another developer, so I find it baffling that you’re going to build a playground for kids, a splash pad for kids, and yet, an organization that educates children and adults is no good,” Mr. Oxman said. “Basically, what it’s coming down to, it’s your choice: you want kids, or do you want condos?”

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The project has six components: the upper and lower Town Square, the amphitheater, “complete streets,” a boutique hotel and a parking garage. This downtown revitalization initiative is possible thanks to multiple funding grants the town has obtained over the years, including a $24 million federal grant that complements a $10 million state grant secured two years ago. 

Securing sufficient funding requires completing design proposals, a complicated process that involves engineering reports, grant management, coordination throughout multiple departments and public input, said Dawn Thomas, director of Riverhead’s Community Development Agency. 

In the coming months, master development agreements and sales of town-owned property needed for the project will be finalized, and all the necessary approvals and permits will be secured — including demolishing the building now occupied by Craft’d to make way for the hotel. Groundbreaking for the Town Square and playground is projected to start next August and September. 

“I think we’re getting very close — we’re pretty excited,” Ms. Thomas said. “The vision was communicated through the grant applications that we wrote, the grant applications generated the funding — and I think they will continue to do so. As we build this, the more we make reality out of the dream, the more people are likely to fund it because they can see that we can convert an idea to reality.” 

At a Nov. 14 Town Board work session, Ms. Thomas provided updates on each aspect on the plan, where specific funding will be allocated and a projected timeline. The upper Town Square — the grassy area between the old Long Island Science Center building and the Craft’d building, across from The Suffolk — is “overfunded” right now, Ms. Thomas said. 

With the $3.24 million Downtown Revitalization grant, a $360,000 private match from J. Petrocelli Development — the project’s master developer— and $400,000 from Suffolk County Jumpstart, the town has a total of $4 million for the upper Town Square. The cost for this portion of the project itself is roughly $2.3 million. 

The lower Town Square will be transformed into a public gathering space that includes a proposed playground and splashpad. Ms. Thomas said the town is about a million dollars short on funding for the $2.96 million playground, but if the state approves it, extra money can be moved from the upper Town Square funding to cover that cost. Any other expected grants coming in will also be used. 

Through DRI grants, Suffolk County may fund the splash pad in full, Ms. Thomas said, but that is not a guarantee yet. She said there have been discussions about accepting private donations for the playground equipment, as well as conversations with National Grid. 

The amphitheater has received the least funding of all project components and is about $4.4 million short. So far, $350,000 has been accumulated, but Ms. Thomas mentioned a pending $3 million grant application from Empire State Development’s Pro-Housing Communities program that, if successful, would contribute to that shortfall. 

Construction of the amphitheater itself would cost somewhere between $2 million and $2.8 million; however, this does not factor in the $2 million needed to lift the existing East End Arts buildings and change the property’s grading to protect the campus from flooding. East End Arts would need to find a temporary home during this construction, which has not been confirmed yet. 

Town officials discussed the idea of allowing Petrocelli to stage its construction of a 28-unit apartment building — part of a separate project — and boutique hotel on the East End Arts property once it is relocated. Ms. Thomas confirmed that this could generate roughly $600,000 to be used towards the amphitheater. 

“The way these projects are designed, they stand alone,” Ms. Thomas said. “They do not need to be all done at once, so that can wait a little bit until we have all the funding for it.” 

Through a $750,000 DRI grant and part of the $10 million RAISE grant, the town plans to spend $3.4 million on Main Street streetscapes to create a safer, pedestrian-friendly downtown. Ms. Thomas said the design is completed and is in permitting with the state transportation department, since Route 25 is a state-owned roadway. 

The goal is to mimic the reconstruction of Main Street in Westhampton Beach, which would entail widening the sidewalks, narrowing the street, improving crosswalks, lighting and landscaping.

“What they did in Westhampton is incredible because you can cross the street there without fear of taking your life in your hands,” Supervisor Tim Hubbard said at the work session.

Petrocelli’s boutique hotel design is close to completed and the total cost is $30 million — most of the funding come from the developer. Demolition of the Craft’d building can be done with the $1 million state Restore grant and is anticipated to begin next summer. 

As far as other items on the timeline, Ms. Thomas said the master development agreement will be completed by the end of this month and a Qualified and Eligible Sponsor hearing for Petrocelli will follow. If this is successful, Ms. Thomas said the agreement can be signed by next month. 

The goal is to complete site plans and received SEQRA approvals and all needed permits for the hotel, Town Square and playground by May 2025. The sale of town-owned property to the master developer could be completed as early as June 2025 and Ms. Thomas said public outreach will take place before any construction takes place in the summer. 

“It’s a team effort, that’s what makes it work,” Ms. Thomas said. “I used to dream that we would win the $10 million grant and think, how would I react? I can’t even believe that could happen — and now, I think of the ribbon-cutting. These are the things that drive us forward.”

The post Groundbreaking at new Riverhead Town Square planned for summer 2025 appeared first on Riverhead News Review.

The architectural firm hired to help design downtown Riverhead’s new Town Square and riverfront park unveiled plans and drawings at a public information meeting last Wednesday that was met with both support and opposition.

 The meetings come on the heels of the town’s receipt earlier this year of a $24 million federal grant that complements a $10 million state grant secured two years ago — both keys to a massive downtown revitalization initiative.

The $10 million grant will go towards the construction of the Town Square, improvements to the walkability on Main Street and a portion of a proposed playground. Another $500,000 in state grants and $150,000 in private contributions, will also go towards the project, according to Dawn Thomas, who heads the town Community Development Agency.

Three lots on Main St. were purchased, and two buildings were removed (at 117 and 121 East Main St.) using both an $800 state grant and a $ 5.5 million bond the town has taken, Ms. Thomas said. The existing business at the remaining building — Craft’d bar and bistro at 127 East Main St. —  is expected to be relocated, before the property is sold to J. Petrocelli Development — the plan’s master developer — for the construction of a boutique hotel with restaurants and retail bordering the new town square.

The downtown revitalization plan also calls for a 28-unit apartment building behind The Suffolk theater and a 504 space parking lot on the far north side of the existing First Street parking lot.

Consultant Alexia Friend of LVF Landscape Architects said a holistic approach to a Town Square and riverfront park is the best strategy. 

Ms. Friend said people are more likely to go places that are already built up and successful.

Changes town officials have said are in the works include relocation of the East End Arts building and construction of a splash pad for children to play in during the summer. An amphitheater and rowing facilities are also being considered for the new Town Square and riverfront park project. 

Town officials have not yet said what they intend to do with the Long Island Science Center building, although the Town Board indicated in May that it planned to acquire that property through eminent domain. 

“The objective is really to just activate this entire area, and to draw people to the things and places that are there, ” Ms. Thomas said at the meeting.

She said that the town is working with the Army Corps of Engineers to “flood-proof” the proposed riverfront park area. Ms. Friend said the lower-lying areas will be raised five feet to mitigate flooding.

Councilman Bob Kern said he felt there was too much emphasis on attracting children and not enough on appealing to adults. 

“What do we do for the people who are between ages 20 and 40, who come at night?” Mr. Kern wondered aloud at the meeting. “The people that can actually afford to go to restaurants?”

Steve Shauger, former head of the town’s Business Improvement District, said his own young children are drawn to areas with kid-friendly attractions like playgrounds. He said many places, like Patchogue, are ghost towns during the day but thrive at night. Mr. Shauger added that more people are coming to the restaurants downtown and staying in town longer. 

“They are not just going to the aquarium and leaving,” he said.

“You are making my point,” Mr. Kern responded. 

Mr. Shauger concluded,“We still need the ability to activate it at night, so we can compete with places like Patchogue and Port Jefferson.”

Gary Hygom, executive director of The Suffolk, also expressed skepticism about the new plans, saying, “My audience is not dumping out into a playground.

“Grangebel Park is a beautiful place, but it’s filled with drugs,” Mr. Hygom said. “And now your problem is how is [a new riverfront park] not going to be filled with the same?”

Another public information meeting about the project is being planned but is not yet scheduled.

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All 165 acres of the proposed park lie within the 1,600 acres included in Calverton Aviation & Technology’s contract with Riverhead Town, which the town canceled earlier this year and which is now in litigation.

The RV park is being proposed by Mark Lembo of Wading River, who spoke at the work session with his attorney, Steve Losquadro. Mr. Lembo is executive vice president and CEO at Sound Energy Alternatives, a company that proposed an anaerobic digester for converting food waste to energy at EPCAL several years ago. That proposal was rejected by Riverhead’s Zoning Board of Appeals. 

Mr. Lembo said he’s being trying to propose this campground use for about a decade. “I think now the time is right,” he said. 

The proposed man-made lake would be the second at EPCAL, as the recently opened Scott’s Pointe at EPCAL also has a man-made lake.

The proposed RV park would be located northeast of the 10,000-foot EPCAL runway.

Officials said the town would lease out the facility to be operated by a professional RV consulting company, which would enter the picture at the end of construction.  

The RV park use complies with current zoning for the property. Access would be from Route 25.

Officials said there would be a synergy between the RV park and other nearby facilities uses such as Splish Splash, the ice skating rink, the bike and walking trail and Scott’s Pointe.

“It’s a good, wholesome use,” Mr. Losquadro said. “There’s a demand and it can’t be satisfied.”

Mr. Lembo suggested that a certain percentage of the slots in the RV park be set aside for Riverhead Town residents.

“I do have an RV,” said Riverhead Supervisor Tim Hubbard, adding that it’s a very popular activity and it’s difficult getting spots to lease on Long Island. 

“With gas prices being so high, people don’t want to travel far,” Mr. Hubbard said. He called the RV proposal “a home run.”

Councilman Ken Rothwell said the town is in the middle of a $70,000-comprehensive plan update that he wants to see to fruition. 

He raised several questions about the proposal, although he said he supported it. 

“Are you planning on creating a lake by removing sand?” Mr. Rothwell asked. Mr. Losquadro said they were.

Mr. Rothwell said that when the state Department of Environmental Conservation allows sand to be removed, it usually requires the applicant to balance that by using the excavated material elsewhere. 

Mr. Losquadro said those matters will be worked out with the DEC.

Dawn Thomas, Riverhead’s community development administrator, said the proposed lease would require a qualified and eligible sponsor hearing, indicating that the applicant has the financial and ability to carry out the project.

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I would like to take the time to thank The Riverhead Town Home Improvement Program, along with Dawn Thomas, Dan Thompson and my contractor Brett Marascia. Not only did they help make my home more efficient they made it more appealing to everyone that has come to see the changes both outside and inside my home. I for one truly believe that this program designed to help seniors who live on fixed incomes is one of the most successful ways to help beautify the town of Riverhead. Thank you for all your hard work, my appreciation is heartfelt.

Mary Hanlon

The post Letter to the Editor: Thanks to the Riverhead Town Home Improvement Program appeared first on Riverhead News Review.

That bonanza includes a $627,000 grant to replace lead water-service pipes, an $800,000 state economic development grant for the Town Square project, a $10 million Downtown Revitalization Initiative grant and nearly $15 million in federal funding to connect dozens of homes in Calverton and Manorville to safe drinking water, after many of those homes’ wells were found to be contaminated with toxic chemicals. 

So far this year, the town has won a pair of $200,000 grants for riverfront projects and a $16,700 county downtown revitalization grant, officials said. 

New surveillance cameras being installed downtown are also the result of a pair of grants — $124,613 in community development block grants in 2019 and an additional $200,000 in 2022.

The private sector is also cashing in. Riverhead’s downtown Business Improvement District Management Association alone has nearly a quarter-million dollars in grant applications currently pending, according to the group.

The town’s community development department is hoping to land a long-sought $24.6 million grant to build a parking garage near the LIRR train station on Railroad Avenue, complete flood mitigation projects near the riverfront and construct a “Complete Streets” pedestrian path from the train station to Main Street. Complete Streets is a widely adapted approach to urban planning designed to better accommodate pedestrians, cyclists, motorists and public transportation facilities. 

When it comes to successful grant applications, Riverhead has some unique advantages over other East End municipalities. Decades ago, the town designated three key locations as urban renewal districts: the Enterprise Park at Calverton, the Railroad Avenue LIRR station and East Main Street. That designation gives the town much more leverage within these districts to negotiate with developers to get the best deal for the town. 

“It gives us tools that we don’t normally have,” said Riverhead’s community development director, Dawn Thomas. “Under urban renewal, I can make a deal to get what I need with a developer. So I can use the land to leverage what we need.”

She said that “the demographics of Riverhead are also very helpful to us in getting funding, because we are in an area of persistent poverty. Our downtown census tract is a historically disadvantaged area, social justice, all these things bear on our scoring.” 

Still, town officials and local business leaders said that the true engine driving Riverhead’s renaissance is Ms. Thomas and her community development team.

“In communities like ours, the only way for us to grow and revitalize and change — is with grant money,” said Kristy Verity, executive director of Riverhead’s downtown BID, who works closely with the town community development team to plan projects eligible for county, state and federal funding.

“I have the highest regard for Dawn; she’s done a fantastic job,” said Riverhead Town Councilman Tim Hubbard. “She has a very personal commitment to Riverhead. She really lives it.”

What’s more, he said, “we have the best [community development department] around — [assistant community project supervisor Joe Maiorana] and [associate administrator Carissa Collins], [grants analyst Frank Messina] … they’re unbelievable. They’re constantly working on grant money, putting grant applications together and submitting them [for projects] all over town.”

Ms. Thomas said that when she joined the community development department in 2017, “we had lots of high-level theoretical planning, but not detailed, strategic planning.

“So, we took the planning down from 100,000 feet down to 100 feet and said, ‘Okay, this is what we want, but what do we really, actually want and how do we get that?’ ” 

Ms. Thomas said that an enormous amount of work, thought and planning goes into each grant application. 

“Grants are like icebergs,” she said. “They look great on top and they’re just this giant pile of work below. That’s not easy work. That’s hard work.”

Persistence is also key to grant writing. 

Ms. Thomas said before Riverhead was awarded a $10 million state Downtown Revitalization grant last year, “we’d been applying since 2017.” 

Each successive year’s application was tighter and more fine-tuned, she said. 

“We always get mad when we don’t get it. But every year that we move further into the plan, we’re like, ‘I’m glad we didn’t get it last year, because now we know this.’ So, we were happy it took a long time because our plans were so distilled by that point, they were practically shovel-ready.”

Ms. Thomas said the very first step of the grant writing and application process is the simplest. Successful grant applications “always start with a vision — so what do you want?” 

“I always like to say, when you go to the grocery store, do you take your coupon book and buy things that you don’t need because they’re on sale? Or do you find the things you need, and then find the coupons for the things you need?’” 

Ms. Thomas said the projects and funding revolving around redevelopment of properties adjacent to the LIRR station are a good example of how Riverhead plans and executes development projects. 

“This is the worst area in town, by far,” Ms. Thomas said. “So how do you get someone to invest in that? What can we do as a town to draw in investments? We can give IDA benefits and we can give development yields,” she said, referring to tax breaks and increased density allowances for development projects, over and above what the area is zoned for. “We have to give something to get something.”

A transit-oriented grant in 2018 allowed the community development department to hire a planning consultant who did a detailed strategic plan and traffic analysis for how best to develop the area. 

With that information in hand, Ms. Thomas and her team presented a plan and the necessary zoning changes to the town board — which endorsed the proposal and passed the necessary zoning changes, “and within a month we had a developer” interested in the project, she said.

The project is well underway, she said. “So that’s how fast you can make it happen if you focus strategically.” 

Ms. Thomas repeatedly cited the town’s current Town Board and Supervisor Yvette Aguiar as key to Riverhead’s grant funding successes.

“This board has been incredibly brave … because they’ll pull the trigger on stuff,” she said. “Because the grants don’t just come in at 100% — it’s usually a match — so we have to pony up half to show that we have skin in the game, and they have to authorize that. 

“This is a very poor town,” she added. “The budget is to the skin at all times, and you never know what’s going to happen, so to say to them, ‘Okay, I want $60,000,’ I better be able to show why it makes sense.”

Ms. Thomas said increasing home and apartment ownership in Riverhead is a crucial part of revitalizing the area.

“For all these young kids in the 20- to 30-year-old range, it’s hard to afford a single-family house in Riverhead,” she said. 

“So young people can start at the apartment, move to the condo, and then move to the single-family home, while the older people are moving out of their single-family houses and going back to the condo or the apartment, or wherever they want.” 

Looking ahead, Ms. Thomas said her development department has for years been pursuing a $24.6 million grant — and may be close to winning it. 

“It’s a federal [Department of Transportation] grant, but we [want to] use it for downtown revitalization, as an alternative transportation network — it’s all walk and bike [lanes].

“This is our fourth round. We want people to be able to come to Riverhead, get off the train, see the … beautiful train station, feel welcome and know where they are going, so it’s about lighting, signage, pleasant sidewalks. We want people to understand where this path leads. 

Ms. Thomas — whose dedication to Riverhead is well-known around town hall — grew emotional when talking about her admiration for the Army Corps of Engineers as her eyes welled up with tears.

“The Army Corps of Engineers is just the most amazing agency the government has ever spawned,” she said, describing how the corps worked closely with town officials in 2020 and 2021 to create and partially fund a flood planning management study. 

Ms. Thomas said Riverhead’s portion of the funding came from grant money.

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