A new community organization has been formed to focus on social change and economic development in Riverside and downtown Riverhead and its fiscal partner has already won a grant to help fund a part-time community organizer position.
The Peconic River Community Development Alliance, Inc. was incorporated in January. Its mission is to facilitate social change and economic development through the arts, education, and the coordination of broad range community resources including local businesses, municipalities, and other non-for-profit organizations, according to the group’s website.
The Flanders-Northampton-Riverside Community Association, fiscal sponsor of the new group, won a $20,000 grant through the Long Island Community Foundation, the alliance announced today. The alliance will be publishing a job description and employment listing for a part time community organizer after its next board meeting in May, according to board member and spokesperson Diane Tucci.
The organization grew out of the group of people working to bring Waterfire on the Peconic to the Riverhead/Riverside community, Tucci said. “We grew out of the Waterfire effort but it’s much broader than that,” she said.
Southampton Town Deputy Supervisor Frank Zappone is the president of the new group’s board of directors; Flanders-Riverside-Southampton Community Association president Vince Taldone is the group’s treasurer. Tucci is its secretary. Riverside Rediscovered community outreach organizer Siris Barrios, Riverhead Town community development director Chris Kempner and real estate broker Larry Oxman round out the board of directors.
The organization will be looking for one more board member, Tucci said.
The new nonprofit has an application pending with the IRS for tax-exempt status, according to Tucci.
Commonalities transcend artificial boundary lines
There has long been recognition of an alignment of interests — and problems — in downtown Riverhead and Riverside, but this is the first time some there has been some formal attempt to bring the communities together for social and economic change.
Riverhead Councilman John Dunleavy in 2010 called for an exploratory committee to look into establishing a village that would straddle the Riverhead-Southampton town lines, but that got no support from fellow board members and died on the vine.
Former Greenport Mayor Dave Kapell, who is credited with the renaissance of the incorporated seaport village on the North Fork, called for the annexation of Riverside by Riverhead Town in March 2010 speech to Riverhead government and business leaders.
“Southampton Town has historically shown little interest in addressing problems on their side of the river,” Kapell said. “In contrast, Riverhead has enjoyed significant success addressing similar problems in Riverhead.”
That changed a few years later when Southampton Town in 2013 hired master developer Renaissance Downtowns to redevelop the Riverside hamlet. Renaissance Downtowns initiated the Riverside ReDiscovered revitalization effort, hired Barrios as community outreach coordinator and opened an office on Peconic Avenue. Renaissance Downtown’s efforts led to the adoption in December 2015 of a new zoning overlay district that would allow, contingent on the construction of new wastewater treatment infrastructure to serve the hamlet, high-density, mixed use development in the hamlet.
Riverside, which Renaissance Downtown’s revitalization action plan calls “the most ignored, underserved, voiceless community on Long Island,” is ranked as the most economically distressed community in Suffolk. Riverside’s property values are one-third of Gordon Heights and the median income of its residents is $20,000 per year less than Wyandanch, the second and third most distressed communities, respectively.
The master developer envisions a total transformation of the hamlet, which boasts four miles of waterfront, 1,000 acres of preserved lands and proximity to “spectacular ocean, bay, sound and fresh water beaches; world class vineyards, farms, artisan food production venues and micro-breweries; live music, the Long Island Aquarium and world class shopping.”
Downtown Riverhead revitalization has made progress over the last six years, with the opening of the Hyatt Place East End hotel, new restaurants and workforce housing rental apartments. Two more mixed-use apartment buildings downtown are in the works, as is a new “boutique hotel” opposite the Hyatt Place, currently planned by the owners of the Hyatt. Riverhead Town officials have turned their attention to the residential areas north of Main Street, discussing zoning changes and a new historic district that would provide tax incentives for rehabilitation and restoration of the many historic homes in that area.
Tucci said in an interview this morning that the founders of the new Peconic River Alliance believe the communities on both sides of the river would benefit from coordination and collaboration.
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