Second downtown design forum set for Feb. 13

A second community forum on the design of downtown Riverhead will be held on Thursday, Feb. 13, Supervisor Yvette Aguiar announced today.

All residents are invited to participate in the forum with Urban Design Associates, the planning consultants hired by the town to develop downtown design guidelines.

Urban Design Associates will present their preliminary design guideline ideas based on community input gathered in the first public forum held in November. The designers will make a presentation followed by questions and answers.

The forum will take place at the Riverhead Senior and Human Resource Center at 60 Shade Tree Lane in Aquebogue from 6:30 to 8 p.m. on Feb. 13.

The goal of these meetings is to hear from as many residents as possible, the supervisor said.

“I urge all residents to participate in this important community event. Everyone’s opinion and ideas are welcomed,” Aguiar said.

“I look forward to continuing to work with Barry Long to ensure this effort comes to a productive conclusion for Riverhead,” the supervisor said. “I met with Mr. Long in November and provided him with a list of concepts which have been incorporated,” she said.

Councilwoman Catherine Kent, liaison to the Downtown Revitalization Committee said she urges every resident to participate in the process.

“We need to effectively breathe life into our Riverhead downtown area. Downtown should be a place where residents from all our hamlets can congregate and have shared experiences,” Kent said.

In order to gather as much input from the community as possible, an online survey will also be available via the town’s website from Jan. 31 through Feb. 14. All residents are urged to participate in the survey.

“As a result of everyone’s effort, we will have a comprehensive plan in place providing stability, predictability and confidence to move our town forward,” the press release said.