This recent decision marks the end of the town’s months-long eminent domain pursuit of 127 E. Main St. and allows for the Town Square and hotel project to move forward. Supreme Court Justice John J. Leo granted a vesting order filed on Aug. 27 by the town’s defense attorney Frank Isler. This allows for the transfer of ownership of the leasehold interest property of Craft’D to Riverhead Town.

The town board previously approved a budget adjustment to make a $120,000 settlement offer to Craft’D’s owner, SNR Bar 25 Corp. Officials are expected to approve the newly agreed to settlement and $50,000 budget adjustment increase at the Sept. 16 town board meeting.

Craft’D made a social media post about its closure on Aug. 28, the day after the acquisition was approved. The owners invited its patrons to raise a glass with them at a final celebration on Saturday, Sept. 20.

Court documents stated that the Craft’D owners must vacate the premises by Sept. 30, and Riverhead Town must pay the restaurant owners the full settlement no later than Oct. 15.

Attorney Craig Blanchard, who represented SNR Bar 25 Corp., said in an email he and the Craft’D owners were pleased to reach a resolution with Riverhead Town.

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Supreme Court Justice John J. Leo granted a vesting order filed on Aug. 27 by the town’s defense attorney Frank Isler. This allows for the transfer of ownership of the leasehold interest property of Craft’D to Riverhead Town.

Riverhead Town Attorney Erik Howard confirmed in an email a settlement agreement is pending review by the counsel of Craft’D’s owner, SNR Bar 25 Corp. The town board previously approved a budget adjustment to make a $120,000 settlement offer, however, it is unclear if this figure has changed.  

Craft’D made a social media post about its closure the day after the acquisition was approved. The owners invited its patrons to raise a glass with them at a final celebration on Saturday, Sept. 20.

They will offer $3 draft beers and canned beers, and other discounted drinks. A buffet will be open after 6 p.m.

“After six incredible years of cooking, serving, laughing and sharing memories, our time here has come to an end due to the town’s decision to move forward with their project,” read the statement posted on the Craft’D Facebook page. “The bar has been so much more than a place to drink and eat. It’s been our home, your gathering spot, and the backdrop to countless first dates, birthdays, wedding after parties and reunions. We’ve made lifelong friends behind the bar. And we’ve felt the love from this community every single day.”

Sean Kenna, co-owner of Craft’D, strongly debated with Riverhead Town officials at a public hearing back in May and urged them to consider delaying its eminent domain proceedings until he tried to find a new space for his restaurant.

It has not been confirmed if Craft’D will relocate or reopen elsewhere in Riverhead. As of press time, Mr. Kenna has not responded for requests for comment. He and his business partner, Robert Manolio, will continue to operate Cucina 25 at 12 West Main St.

“This isn’t just the end of a chapter — it’s the closing of a beautiful book,” the statement read. “One that we’ll cherish forever.”

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Days after Riverhead officials announced they would no longer pursue eminent domain proceedings to acquire the Long Island Science Center building — allowing the organization to move forward with expansion plans at 111 East Main St. — Mr. Kenna posed one question for the Town Board: “How did we get left out of that conversation?” 

“I feel like it’s happening very fast, without the communication,” Mr. Kenna said to the board. “I’m all about the [Town Square] project — we have to somehow come to an agreement, where it comes to make sense, because I feel like I’m getting pushed to the curb.” 

Supervisor Tim Hubbard stressed that officials are working with Craft’D to find a new location on Main Street, and several properties have been considered. At the federal level, Dawn Thomas, the town’s community development administrator, said the town has also consulted with the Department of Housing and Urban Development to investigate the possibility of securing Community Development Block Grant funds to assist in the restaurant’s relocation. 

“We have worked with a possible location, a possible tenant or owner of a building, and hopefully we ‘re very close to making that happen … there’s still time left that we could try to make this work out,” Mr. Hubbard said. “If it does in a timely fashion, we will be able to stop the condemnation and actually let this process flow naturally, where [Craft’D] can move into a different location and hit the ground running again.”

Ms. Thomas said Craft’D is one of three properties acquired by the town in 2021 for the Town Square development. At the time, the 127 East Main St. building was purchased for $2.65 million. In 2022, two of the three purchased buildings adjacent to the Science Center storefront were demolished to open a greenspace for the public. 

These two buildings were vacant when they were acquired, while Craft’D was still under a lease, Ms. Thomas added. As the Town Square project plan was refined through public engagement, she said, it became clear the Craft’D building needed to be removed for the project to go forward, which required the condemnation of the leasehold interest of Craft’D’s operating entity, SNR Bar 25 Corp. 

The 127 East Main St. building is the planned location for the proposed redevelopment of nearly 76 hotel rooms, 12 condominium units and restaurant and retail space. Ms. Thomas said that a 2021 market study conducted by StreetSense recommended a hotel on the Town Square as the “highest and best use of the property to generate the most economic activity.” 

Mr. Hubbard previously said at a recent LI Science Center press conference that it’s anticipated these plans will be presented by the appointed master developer — J. Petrocelli Development Associates — before the public in a qualified and eligible sponsor hearing in early July. 

Town attorney Erik Howard said that under general municipal law, the Town Square properties are “urban renewal properties” and do not require a Request for Proposal, or RFP, to be issued. Four years ago, the town attorney’s office did get authorization to begin negotiations with Mr. Petrocelli, but even though he was selected, the developer still needs to go through the qualified and eligible hearing. 

“In order to demolish 127 East Main St., whether you have a deal with the qualified and eligible sponsor or not, we need to condemn that leasehold; that’s what this proceeding is,” Mr. Howard said. “It wasn’t going to happen if [Mr. Kenna] agreed to terminate [the] lease early. That’s the only way that this wouldn’t be happening.”

Following the public hearing, Frank Isler of Smith, Finkelstein, Lundberg, Isler and Yakaboski LLP, the attorney hired by the town to represent them in the eminent domain proceedings, said town officials have 90 days to adopt a resolution determining whether to go forward with the acquisition and if this decision is in the public interest. 

Once the resolution is adopted, the town attorney’s office can then file a proceeding in the Supreme Court that grants Riverhead Town an order from a judge to direct Mr. Kenna to terminate the leasehold by a specific date. Once that happens, the leasehold title will be in the town’s name, giving officials full control of the building. 

The town is required to pay the owners of Craft’D “just compensation” for the value of the balance of the leasehold interest. Mr. Kenna expressed his concern about not being able to obtain a new lease agreement within the 90-day timeframe, and urged the Town Board to consider extending the court filing. 

He also stressed he and his business partner, Robert Manolio, were supportive of the Town Square project from the beginning, but felt they were slowly being “pushed out” and any claims they knew they were “getting bought out” were false. 

When Mr. Kenna alleged that Craft’D was no longer included in the redevelopment plan for the proposed food and beverage space in the proposed hotel, Mr. Hubbard said Mr. Petrocelli offered the Craft’D owners the space over two years ago, but Mr. Kenna turned it down. 

Mr. Kenna denied this, saying he hasn’t spoken to Mr. Petrocelli in over two years and even if there had been conversations about the potential use of this space, the restaurateur claimed he never received or signed an actual lease agreement with Mr. Petrocelli. 

“I fully understand where [the Town Board] is coming from. I’m all about the project, but me and Rob are gonna lose in this scenario because we don’t know what’s going to happen,” Mr. Kenna said. “We invested a lot of money downtown between Cucina 25 and Craft’D — we were going to build another spot … no way; until this gets rectified, there’s no way.” 

Although a determination must be made within 90 days, Mr. Isler said town officials can stop the eminent domain process at any point and can negotiate anything it wishes with Craft’D. 

John McAuliff questioned the motives of Town Board officials in its decision-making, specifically how Mr. Petrocelli’s potential campaign contributions may be impacting this push for the eminent domain process. He also urged the Town Board to reconsider the redevelopment plan in terms of how the additional five-story building on the east side of the Town Square will impact the “vista” of the Peconic River.

“Eminent domain is inherently for public good, not for private profit,” Mr. McAuliff said. “If you’re on the other side of the street, or you’re experiencing the Town Square, the difference of a five-story building sitting there versus a two-story building is the vista question, is the feel — and I just urge all members of the [town] board to take a walk down there before you finalize this.”

Mr. Howard confirmed any town official who received $1,000 or more during an election cycle must disclose that figure, however, they are not required to recuse themselves from voting on certain matters. 

When other community members pressed further on these campaign contributions, Mr. Hubbard said Mr. Petrocelli is “far from [his] biggest campaign donor,” adding that he has only received $500 from the developer.

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Town Supervisor Tim Hubbard confirmed at a joint press conference with the LISC on Monday afternoon that, because of the nonprofit’s “satisfactory” expansion plan, the board will vote on a resolution to cancel the eminent domain public hearing that was scheduled for Wednesday, May 21, and end plans to acquire the building.

“Despite having endured periods of uncertainty,” the LISC’s recent efforts to hire a design professional and create a feasible, fundable and phased out plan that addressed the building’s “glaring issues” and flooding concerns were sufficient in swaying the board, Mr. Hubbard said.

“Make no mistake, the location of a Town Square here is no coincidence: It’s located directly across from Suffolk Theater, down the street from the [Long Island] Aquarium, a few miles from Splish Splash, and was originally envisioned to be constructed adjacent to a newly expanded Long Island Science Center — all family friendly attractions,” Mr. Hubbard said. “The Town Square was always focused on creating a regional, family friendly destination that would serve as a logical extension of other area amenities geared towards families, and the Science Center has always been part of that equation.”

LISC president Larry Oxman said support from community members — who previously launched an online petition to “save” the museum — “means everything.” He said as soon as the science center receives its building permits, construction can begin immediately.

“I’m very glad that [the town] has had a change of direction. I think that we’ve shown what we can do here,” Mr. Oxman said. “Very happy that the community stepped forward and really voiced their opinion. I think it made a big difference.”

Jordan Rogove, the architect for the project and president of Manhattan-based architecture firm DXA Studio, outlined the project’s two phases in a previous town board work session. The first would be to conduct minimal restoration on the science center’s storefront, and the second phase would focus on building a planetarium and other renovations in coordination with Riverhead’s Town Square redevelopment, which is set to break ground this summer. 

The goal is to complete the first phase of the project and open the museum’s doors in the fall, Mr. Rogove said.

“Phase one will use the building as it currently exists with new cladding and exhibition space on the ground floor, and then in anticipation of the town square opening, we will move the primary entrance to the museum to be off the plaza,” Mr. Rogove said. “In thinking about activation of the plaza in the sense of vitality that an urban center needs to thrive, I can think of nothing better than the voices of children gathering outside of the museum and coming to the museum for a field trip day.”

The architect further explained the remedial structural work in the first phase will stabilize the building to prepare for the more long-term, foundational work. The Town Board previously put a stop work order on the construction, citing structural concerns, and one of the main issues was water damage caused by the drainage system.

Mr. Hubbard said the current expansion plan will rectify the water damage by hooking the science center up to the drainage system underneath the property that will be used for the Town Square.

The second phase of the project is “quite ambitious,” Mr. Rogove noted, as it includes the installation of a 150-seat planetarium and building as part of a second-story exhibition and event space.

Through the expansion, the LISC wants to provide hands-on exhibits, a ‘makerspace,’ classrooms, and a hall of innovation and technology that showcases all the inventions conceived here on Long Island, Mr. Oxman said.

For the first phase of the expansion, LISC has secured roughly $1.8 million in grants — specifically $1 million from the Suffolk County JumpSMART program and $775,000 from the New York State Empire Development program, Christine Kempner, the LISC’s development and grant writing consultant, confirmed.

A $1.23 million New York State Market NY grant and a $492,000 grant through the New York State Council for the Arts Capital Project Funds have been acquired for Phase 2 of the project. Once the storefront opens, the Science Center plans to launch a capital campaign to kickstart further fundraising. 

“The concept that Lucy [Barnes] had come up with to anchor the science center here as an activity for children and families was very visionary — take something old and make it new again — which really aligns with the history of Riverhead and the way it’s redeveloping,” Mr. Kempner said.

Several community members attended the news conference and applauded the decision to cancel the eminent domaine proceedings. Mark Woolley, who is running for Riverhead Town Board in the fall, called the announcement “a victory” for Riverhead residents.

“I testified before the Town Board encouraging them to reverse their plan. Town residents rose up against their plan for more condos and five-story apartment buildings,” Mr. Woolley said. “They wanted a Science Center of learning for their children, they were tired of seeing their downtown destroyed — the board seems to have had an epiphany in an election year.

“The Science Center has been in the works since 2018 and will continue now that the town board has finally listened to Riverhead residents,” Mr. Woolley continued.

The eminent domain public hearing for 127 East Main St. — home of the cocktail bar Craft’d — is still on the schedule for Wednesday’s Town Board meeting. Mr. Hubbard said it is anticipated the proposed redevelopment of nearly 76 hotel rooms, 12 condominium units, restaurant and retail space on the east side of the Town Square will be presented before the public in a hearing in early July.

“I know we are all excited to see construction begin here in the future Town Square,” Mr. Hubbard said, “and look forward to seeing the science center come to life here.”

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New York State’s eminent domain law allows local governments to seize private property for a public use in exchange for fair compensation as determined by the courts — even if the property owners are not looking to sell. A public hearing must be held to allow for community input before initiating eminent domain procedures.

Science center president Larry Oxman and Craft’d owner Sean Kenna are both claiming Riverhead officials have not been sufficiently communicative about the process.

“This has been a surprise to me and my partner,” Mr. Kenna said at an April 1 Town Board meeting announcing the public hearing. “I was involved with the [Town Square] project from day one and then slowly, but surely, I got excommunicated out of the project in general … I just invested a lot of money downtown, and now I’m getting treated like I didn’t do anything downtown.”

The multi-phase Town Square project includes several primary components: an upper and lower Town Square, an amphitheater, pedestrian improvements, a boutique hotel, and a 12-unit condominium complex and a parking garage. The upper Town Square would be built on the grassy area between the Long Island Science Center and Craft’d buildings, across from The Suffolk. The lower Town Square would be transformed into a public gathering space that includes a proposed playground and splash pad. 

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

Mr. Oxman previously said the town’s desire to acquire the Long Island Science Center property came as a surprise to him, as the organization is still interested in keeping the property in order to expand the museum and potentially build a planetarium.

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 operating out of a space at Tanger Outlets and has secured more than $1 million in grants toward 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 it. 

After completing a full environmental assessment last month, town officials said the science center structure was in violation of building codes, which resulted in “non-responsive actions by the owners.” Officials said the town intends to acquire the site in order to continue with its downtown revitalization and flood mitigation efforts. 

Mr. Oxman previously called out “inaccuracies” within the environmental review and said claims that the “building is crumbling and about to fall down” are false. He provided town officials with a state licensed structural engineer’s report that showed the building is “structurally sound.” That report also recommended repairs that should be implemented in the center’s proposed renovation project to “ensure there is no condition that would result in structural decay to the building.”

Town Councilman Kenneth Rothwell said when Mr. Oxman first put forward the initial conceptual designs for the science center, more than three years ago, he felt they were “absolutely incredible.” He urged the museum president to come up with an immediate proposal for reconstruction of the site.

“I wish they would come to fruition, but I think we’re in a position where we’re looking at the building that has a potential hazard down on Main Street,” Mr. Rothwell said at the April 1 meeting. “We’ll certainly listen to the comments during the public hearing and make a decision on how to go forward.”

Town Supervisor Tim Hubbard said the board wants to see the Long Island Science Center at the East Main Street location, but it has to “prove” that the project is viable.

“There’s a lot of work been going on behind the scenes, but we don’t run and put it into the media, because it gets twisted a lot of times before things are finalized,” Mr. Hubbard said. “We prefer to do our work and when we’re ready, we’ll present it.”

Mr. Oxman had scheduled a meeting with the Town Board during its April 10 morning work session, where he said his presentation will show the Long Island Science Center has the financial ability to conduct the renovations and potentially open their doors this summer or fall.

He added that an online petition is currently circulating, launched by community members who want to “save” the museum. It has gathered nearly 370 signatures so far, he said.

“I believe that the Town Board does not have all the clear facts,” Mr. Oxman said, “and this will be an opportunity for us to present the truth.”

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The resolution directs the town attorney to take all actions “necessary and appropriate” to obtain the land. 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.

The owners of the LISC property say they were surprised by the town’s resolution and are still interested in keeping the property in order to expand the museum and potentially build a planetarium, according to Larry Oxman, president of the Long Island Science Center.

“I was very surprised by the resolution,” he said. “This came out of left field.”

Mr. Oxman said he had not heard from the town before the board’s vote on the resolution.

Supervisor Tim Hubbard disputed Mr. Oxman’s claim that he wasn’t aware of the town’s plans. “He had an idea what’s going on,” Mr. Hubbard said. “I don’t know if anyone specifically told him per se. But he wasn’t surprised.”

Asked about the town’s plans for the LISC building, Mr. Hubbard directed the question to Dawn Thomas, who handles economic development issues.

Ms. Thomas also declined comment. The building at 111 East Main St. is in the area where the town has begun a multi-phase project to build a new Town Square. Two other buildings have already been demolished to create a green open space across from The Suffolk.

The nonprofit Long Island Science Center was founded in 1990 and opened in 2019 at its current location at 40 Peconic Ave.— on the ground floor of the Summerwind Square apartment building, which formerly housed BNB Bank.

Several years ago, the LISC acquired the former Swezey’s building in downtown Riverhead, where it planned to expand. Currently, LISC is using space at Tanger Outlets. LISC has been awarded more than $1 million in grants toward the expansion project.

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