As Riverhead’s downtown revitalization plans take shape, town hires consultants to write a ‘riverfront activation’ plan and update its parking plan 

The Riverhead Town Board has entered into agreements with two previously hired consultants to analyze pending and potential development projects located near the riverfront, as well as parking needs and proposed parking garages in the area.

The Town Board approved a resolution on July 6 authorizing an agreement with Urban Design Associates to develop a “Riverfront Activation Plan,” which will make recommendations on current development proposals and develop an “open space framework” for the riverfront area. The board last month authorized a new agreement with Sam Schwartz Consulting to update the strategic parking plan it developed in 2019-2020.

The new agreements come as the town is finalizing downtown revitalization plans developed with the assistance of a $10 million Downtown Revitalization Initiative grant award from the state. Riverhead has already selected master developers for two major public-private partnerships: one for the town square on East Main Street and the other for a transit-oriented development project to be built on the site of the municipal parking lot between Railroad Avenue and Court Street.

See prior coverage: Downtown advisory committee prioritizes projects, considers funding from $10M grant

UDA, the Pittsburgh-based planning firm previously hired to develop the downtown pattern book and a plan for the town square, will be paid a fee not to exceed $78,500 for the riverfront activation plan. The fee will be paid out of Community Development Block Grant and Empire State Development grant funds, according to the resolution. UDA will subcontract with Phil Myrick, an urban designer based in upstate Pleasantville, who will focus on public space activation, according to the agreement.

The riverfront activation plan will cover the length of East Main Street from Peconic Avenue to the Long Island Aquarium. UDA principal Barry Long will make an in-person presentation of recommendation to the Town Board when the document is complete, around Labor Day, the agreement states.

“The report will be a blueprint for the central riverfront to guide decision making moving forward,” the agreement states.

The agreement will analyze various town and developer-led initiatives in the area, according to the agreement, including the town square, the riverfront park, central riverfront sea level rise mitigation, a boathouse on the Peconic River, Main Street crosswalk at the Suffolk Theater, the East End Arts sea level rise mitigation and parking garages.

Developer-led initiatives to be analyzed include the Suffolk Theater housing, the Long Island Science Center, Joseph Petrocelli’s town square proposal, a destination museum, the Muchnick apartments project (170-unit Metro Group proposal), the Landmark at Riverhead proposal for the former West Marine building, and Hildreth Real Estate Advisors proposals. (Hildreth Real Estate Advisors is a holding company that owns about a dozen downtown properties, but does not currently have applications pending for any new construction.)

The plan will “include details on how the activation program serves different target audiences and tenants, and in what locations.”

“We will also make recommendations on how to synchronize the designs into a cohesive environment that attracts residents and visitors to the downtown and provides them with positive memorable adventures,” the agreement states.

The agreement also includes the creation of an “open space framework” based on the recommendations of the activation plan that “locates all the elements identified in the activation plan and then illustrate them in 3-D for discussions with the town and the stakeholders.” UDA’s existing 3-D model of Downtown Riverhead will also be revised to include the elements of the activation plan.

Sam Schwartz Consulting’s update to the strategic parking plan it previously prepared for Riverhead will analyze impacts and parking needs of new proposed developments downtown. The consultant’s fee, not to exceed $15,000, will be paid out of Community Development Block Grant funds. The work is to be completed within one to two months.

The agreement specifically mentions that the update will provide “an understanding of future parking needs in and around the train station/revitalization area.”

Town-designated master developer, RXR and Georgica Green, have proposed a five-story mixed-use building on the municipal parking lot across from the Long Island Rail Road station. The proposal features 243 apartments above ground-floor parking, amenity and commercial spaces, as well as a public plaza space between the proposed building and the train station.

The RXR proposal now also includes a mixed-use building with 30 workforce apartments, ground-floor retail space and a parking facility with 332 public spaces, to be built on the county-owned parking lot at the corner of Griffing and Railroad avenues. The building is now on the short list for $2.75 million in funding from the Downtown Revitalization Initiative $10 million grant.

When first presented, the building’s principal use was proposed to be a parking garage, with 420-520 parking spaces. The proposal was changed to give it a better shot at state DRI funding, officials said during a DRI public outreach meeting last Monday.

See prior coverage: Riverhead approves master developer for Railroad Avenue area redevelopment

The agreement states that “Sam Schwartz understands two, and possibly a third, parking garages are proposed. The analysis will evaluate parking needs assuming two new garage facilities. Sam Schwartz will also evaluate the needs of the possible third garage location.”

The two “garages” referenced in the agreement are the mixed-use development on Griffing Avenue and a parking facility on First Street, which would be built on the property of the current parking district lot, according to Community Development Director Dawn Thomas. These facilities will also be reviewed in UDA’s activation plan.

Thomas said the third parking structure mentioned might be an error in the agreement. “There’s only two that I know of,” she said.

“The question is, how many spaces does it need to be given all the things that we have percolating?,” Thomas said about the potential First Street garage.

The agreement will include a parking allocation plan with specific recommendations for the parking structure on First Street.

“Previous recommendations will be evaluated to determine if they are still applicable and updates as necessary. New recommendations may be developed to reflect new and proposed redevelopment in Riverhead,” the agreement states