Riverhead Town is poised to come up a big winner in the next round of state economic development grants to be funded through the regional economic development councils.
“We in Riverhead stand to get the largest award in Suffolk County,” Supervisor Sean Walter told fellow town board members yesterday during the board’s work session.
Luminati Aerospace, the unmanned aerial vehicle manufacturer that opened up in Calverton this year, has been nominated by the L.I. Regional Economic Development Council for $2.5 million state grant funding. Luminati Aerospace plans an $80 million expansion of its facilities at the Enterprise Park at Calverton.
The East End Food Market on East Main Street in Riverhead — a proposal by Woolworth Revitalization developer Michael Butler to build a food market, production kitchens, restaurant and workforce housing at the long-vacant former West Marine building — has been nominated for $513,150 in state grant funding.
Walter said yesterday the Luminati and Butler projects combined would also receive $8 million in incentives.
In addition, the Family Community Life Center, the workforce housing and community center development proposed for Northville Turnpike in Riverhead has been nominated for a $10,000 grant to help fund a required study for a sewer pump station system.
“We’ve been invited to the Economic Development Council awards,” Walter said. He would be traveling to Albany for that next Thursday and asked board members if they objected to canceling next week’s regular work session.
“When your town’s going to be getting something like $10 million, you want to be there to say ‘Go, Governor Cuomo. Thank you!’” Walter said.
This year marks Round Six of the state Economic Development Council awards, made through a network of 11 regional economic development councils disbursed across the state.
The L.I. Regional Economic Development Council in October released its 2016 update to the “Strategic Economic Development Plan for Long Island” consisting of its annual progress report, its Round Six project recommendations, a regional economic analysis and the council’s first Downtown Revitalization Initiative award (which went to the Village of Westbury.
Each year since 2011, New York’s Empire State Development has made more than $700 million in grant awards to projects across the state.
In 2015, Suffolk County saw more than $30 million in Round Five funding, including $1.85 million for projects in the Town of Riverhead.
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