Riverhead Revitalization Advances with Grant

Five might be a lucky number for the Town of Riverhead.

After applying five times, the town last month finally won a $24.12 million U.S. Department of Transportation grant that will be used to change the face of the once dusty, aging downtown. Riverhead Town Supervisor Tim Hubbard was emotional when he announced the grant.

“Downtown Riverhead will have a different look,” Hubbard told Dan’s Papers.

The funding, from the Rebuilding America Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) program, is to be among the largest revitalization projects in the town’s history. The grant is the largest single funding award in the town’s history.

The largest portion, about $15 million, will help build a new parking garage to shift parking away from the Peconic riverfront. Riverhead officials have for years wanted to clear space so residents and tourists can make use of the riverfront. The parking garage is to be built north of Main Street. Town officials said reclaiming the riverfront is a top priority.

Shifting parking from the riverfront will help make way for a town square with greenspace, a playground and an amphitheater that is to be elevated for flood protection.

Earlier this year, the town had received a $2 million grant from Suffolk County for the project.

Riverhead will also be looking to make the downtown more amenable to walkers and bikers.

About $4.6 million is to be spent on streetscapes — such as safer pedestrian walkways and bicycle paths, crosswalks, lighting and signage. All this, town officials say, will help improve connections from the riverfront and Main Street north toward the Long Island Railroad station. That is where the town plans to build a 243-unit apartment building and retail shops.

Another $4.6 million is to be spent for flood protection in the downtown area.

With an eye toward increasing tourism to the area, the town plans to eliminate vehicle traffic in front of the Long Island Rail Road station and instead open up an artistic gateway into the downtown. That, town officials told Dan’s Papers, will include works of art by local artists, sinage for hikes and bike racks.

The funding is certain to be a shot-in-the-arm to Riverhead’s economy. According to state economic data, Riverhead’s unemployment rate was about 4%, compared with an average of 3.2% on Long Island.

Hubbard said the town has already demolished two old buildings by the riverfront and will soon take down a third as work on the project gets underway.

“If you look at some other revitalizations around Long Island, in Patchogue, Huntington, they turned out wonderful,” Hubbard said. “But ours is going to be the best.”

Hubbard said plans call for construction to start in the spring. He said he hopes the project will be completed within the next two years.

Hubbard’s enthusiasm is shared by Connie Lassandro, president of the Riverhead Chamber of Commerce.

“It’s a grand slam,” Lassandro told Dan’s Papers. “It’s a prenominal start” to revitalizing a downtown that, after the pandemic, had seen stores close and foot traffic decline. But, Lassandro said, in more recent months, about half a dozen new restaurants have opened in Riverhead, and some small shops as well. The renovated Suffolk Theater also opened a few years ago.

“It’s hard to come back after something like that,” she said of the pandemic, “But people are spending again, cautiously, but they are spending.”

Downtown Riverhead also suffered when major retailers such as Tanger Outlets opened, as well as other big box stores located on busy Route 58. Staples has also opened an outlet on Route 58.

Dawn Thomas, Riverhead’s director of the department of economic development and planning, noted that the town began seeking the federal funding in 2020. She called the application process “complex,” and said that her staff had “been relentless in improving the application” over the last few years.

In an announcement, Schumer said the grant will “supercharge Riverhead’s renaissance” by reclaiming the Peconic riverfront, installing flood mitigation, and making the down safer and more enjoyable for pedestrians and bikers.

According to the U.S. DOT, RAISE grants are given to programs that seek to improve transportation, climate change, and equity. A large chunk of RAISE funding is used to improve rural areas, such as Riverhead.