A Stat Health urgent care clinic is preparing to open at the former Pizza Hut site on the Route 58 traffic circle.
The Pizza Hut has been shuttered since a car crashed into the building in September. It was the second time in two years that a vehicle crashed into the Pizza Hut, doing major structural damage each time. On the afternoon of May 15, 2015 an SUV plowed into the restaurant, injuring the driver and two customers inside. The restaurant was closed on Sept. 17 when a 92-year-old Bronx man drove his Mercedes into the building at 2 a.m.
The new tenant plans to change the roof of the building so that it doesn’t look like a Pizza Hut, architect Richard Searles told the Architectural Review Board at its meeting last week.
“Stat Health does not want to be stigmatized by being in the Pizza Hut building, so we’re changing the roof to a more traditional roof line, just to clean it up,” Searles said.
The new tenant wants to paint all the brick and wood trim white and plans to build a new 7-foot by 8-foot vestibule to create a new main entrance to the building facing Route 58, Searles said. The new roof would be a dark blue shingled roof and would be built a little higher to accommodate mechanical equipment, he said.
Pizza Hut is a subsidiary of the American fast food giant Yum! Brands Inc. based in Louisville, Kentucky. There are more than 17,000 Pizza Hut restaurants world-wide and a dozen remaining on Long Island after the closing of the easternmost location in Riverhead.
The survival of local journalism depends on your support.
We are a small family-owned operation. You rely on us to stay informed, and we depend on you to make our work possible. Just a few dollars can help us continue to bring this important service to our community.
Support RiverheadLOCAL today.
