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.”

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Arthur Rast remembers visiting the library as a kid, and now the firm he works for as an architect, Sendlewski Architects P.C. on Roanoke Avenue, is building the new entrance. 

“We’re a local firm and we’ve done several projects for the library, some of which have been pro bono, and everyone in the firm grew up in Riverhead, so we consider this a personal project,” he said. 

Mr. Rast predicted with new housing nearby, the second entrance will be a draw to bring more people into the library. New landscaping will go up along the walkway to freshen up the current aesthetic. At the new entrance there will be an additional circulation desk area to supplement the primary one at the main entrance. “There will also be a new set of automatic sliding doors for the new entrance vestibule,” he said.

“When you come to the library from Center Drive and see the front of the library, people think — where is the entrance?” said Kerri McMullen-Smith, Director of the Riverhead Library. “We do have a sign there, but now we’ll have a new entrance with a welcome center that will tell people about all the goings-on at the library and in town.” She estimates the construction project, which broke ground in October, will be finished by the end of the year. 

The $215K grant for the project is part of a $10 million grant Riverhead Town received from New York State as part of the Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI).

“It’s such a pretty building in the front, and you’ll soon be able to walk there if you live nearby as opposed to getting in the car. A lot of foot traffic is being generated throughout downtown because of the grant,” said Dawn Thomas, director of Community Development for the town. 

The project may wind up costing about $430K; the library’s capital improvement fund will provide the remainder of the funding according to Ms. McMullen-Smith. 

“It is not an expensive project and it will have a big impact on bringing in more people,” Ms. Thomas said. “The new entrance is prominently located, and it’s good advertising of the library’s programs.”

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This follows a $10 million Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) grant for similar projects from New York State that Riverhead was awarded in 2022.

This time it was a RAISE grant, which stands for Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity, a federal program that municipalities nationwide can apply for.

RAISE funds will facilitate the reclamation of the downtown riverfront for three transportation projects, officials said. 

The majority of the grant funding has been earmarked for the construction of a new parking garage to shift parking away from the riverfront, town officials said. 

In addition, $4.8 million will be allocated for flood protection and $4.6 million will go towards improving area streetscapes.

“I am beyond excited that downtown Riverhead was awarded federal RAISE funding in a highly competitive selection process,” Mr. Hubbard said in a press release. “I am grateful that the application prepared by the community development team was so well received by the federal Department of Transportation after being strongly supported by our entire Congressional delegation.

“On behalf of the entire Riverhead Town Board, and more importantly every Riverhead resident, I want to thank Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and Congressman Nick LaLota for their diligent advocacy and support of Riverhead’s application,” Mr. Hubbard continued.. “It is bipartisan efforts such as this that prove that government on all levels can come together for the betterment of residents.”

The town has applied for the RAISE  grant every year since 2020, said Dawn Thomas, Riverhead’s director of economic development, planning and building. “The complex application was entirely undertaken by town staff,” who have “been relentless in improving the application each of the last five years,” she added.

Ms. Thomas said the RAISE grant is the largest single funding award in town history.

The RAISE program provides funding for investments in surface transportation infrastructure that will have a significant local or regional impact, officials said.

The funding will allow Riverhead to reclaim the Peconic riverfront for public enjoyment, install necessary flood mitigation measures, spur mixed-use development and make downtown safer and more accessible for pedestrians, cyclists and motorists, officials said. 

“I have been glad to work with Riverhead leaders to secure funding for these improvements because I know they will supercharge Riverhead’s renaissance,” Sen.Schumer said.

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The county had received 24 applications for the funding.

“As we move ahead with our economic development agenda, we will continue to make quality investments to create the robust, vibrant downtowns that make Suffolk County the perfect place to live, work and play,” Mr. Bellone said in a press release.

The three North Fork recipients are:

• Riverhead Business Improvement District Management Association received $16,737 for the  installation of light sculptures along the well of the alleyway connecting East Main Street and the Town-owned parking lot (on Peconic Riverfront). 

The town is currently developing a Town Square across from the Suffolk Theater.

• Southold Historical Museum was awarded $37,500 for replacement of sidewalk and retaining wall along State Route 25, in front of the Southold Historical Museum’s Maple Lane Complex. 

The retaining wall is located in front of the Thomas Moore house, which is across from the Southold Fire Department.

“The wall is leaning toward Route 25 and it needs to be replaced as does the sidewalk in front of it,” said Deanna Witte-Walker, the executive director of the museum. 

The Thomas Moore House is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. 

• Friends of Mitchell Park received $29,899 to update the public restroom facility at Mitchell Park in the Village of Greenport.

Since 1997, Suffolk County has awarded over $12 million in funds for Downtown Revitalization initiatives. Among the various projects that are eligible for grants are curb and sidewalk construction, pedestrian walkways, street lighting, public restrooms, disabled accessibility, and renovations to existing structures, and recreational facilities.

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