The Town Board on Tuesday set a hearing on zoning code changes requested by the Family Community Life Center and the First Baptist Church of Riverhead two years ago. If the changes are adopted, the development of a 12.5-acre site along Northville Turnpike, adjacent to the church could be developed with approximately 80 affordable rental apartments and five owner-occupied condominium units.
The major change to the zoning, an overlay zoning district first adopted in 2016, is the elimination of the mandate that all rental housing meet the income requirements for “workforce” housing. The new income eligibility range is between 50% and 130% of the area median income. The “workforce” designation required a minimum of 80% of the area median income — an unrealistic minimum for many residents, according to representatives of the Family Community Life Center, who requested the change at a June 2023 Town Board work session.
The 2025 HUD Area Median Income (AMI) for Nassau-Suffolk is $164,900 for a four-person household, $148,400 for a three-persons household, $131,900 for a two-person household, and $115,450 for a one-person household.
The lower minimum income also makes the development eligible for specific federal tax credits and other affordable housing programs.
The Family Community Life Center, a nonprofit affiliated with the First Baptist Church, is partnering with residential developer Georgica Green Ventures on the project, called Northville Commons. The nonprofit and the church agreed to construct low-income housing in a master development agreement they signed with Georgica Green Ventures in October 2020.
The Town Board scheduled a public hearing on the proposed zoning amendments for Aug. 5 at 2 p.m.
Family Community Life Center President Shirley Coverdale was optimistic after the board’s vote Tuesday. “We’re happy [the town is] moving it forward to a hearing, so that we can really contemplate going forward to bringing our vision to fruition,” she said in an interview after the meeting.
The Town Board got a preview of what the Aug. 5 public hearing may bring, as several speakers at Tuesday’s meeting voiced strong support for the Northville Commons project and encouraged the board to adopt the zoning amendments.
“The dream of the Coverdales is now decades old, and as partners with expert developers in this arena, we are not seeing foreign investors swooping in to make a killing on Riverhead’s need for housing,” said Mark Haubner of Aquebogue. “This is not a developer who begrudgingly carves out 10% of their profit just to oblige the rules for places for working people to live. This is a carefully planned, intentional and comprehensive plan of its own, completely for the benefits of the people of Riverhead.”
“I see parts of this project becoming a template for something either in another area of town or perhaps EPCAL as we’ve discussed in the past,” he added.
Cindy Clifford, president of the Heart of Riverhead Civic Association, said the group fully supports the project. “Riverhead town has long decried the need for affordable housing opportunities. The FCLC project will literally open doors to help our retirees and our children remain here in the town we love, sparing them having to move away in search of a place they can afford,” she said.
Leah Jefferson, director of affordable housing and community development for Suffolk County, said the county is behind the project.
“I’ve known the Coverdales for several years and everything that they do in the community. They’re amazing; their congregation is amazing and the people of Riverhead really do deserve this community center that has been long, long awaited,” Jefferson said.
MORE COVERAGE: Affordable housing project near First Baptist Church of Riverhead wins $1M state grant
The overlay district would apply not only to the church-adjacent property, but also to any parcel or contiguous parcels town-wide that are at least 10 acres in size and have at least 800 linear feet of frontage on a state or county arterial highway.
Developers using the overlay district would be required to file a development plan outlining the project, which may include clustered housing, an on-site community center and other nonresidential uses. Developers are allowed one unit per 40,000 square feet of development area, with the opportunity to add 10 more units per 40,000 square feet by purchasing preservation credits that protect other Riverhead properties from development.
The proposed code changes also incentivize the development of homeownership units, including single family homes, townhouses and condominiums. The developer is permitted to build as many of those units as possible, in addition to the rental units. Creating designated affordable homeownership units would also reduce the number of preservation credits needed to increase the density rental units.
In addition to community centers, the code allows for the construction of day cares, nursery schools, outdoor recreational facilities and houses of worship. Changes would allow accessory uses like coffee shops, small food stores and beauty parlors to be built as a part of the community center or on the first floor of multifamily residential buildings.
Other key provisions of the amendment include establishing architectural design standards, reducing open space requirements, and lowering the maximum building height from 50 feet to 35 feet. Properties must either be served by the Riverhead water and sewer districts or be capable of constructing the necessary infrastructure.
Board members briefly discussed the zoning amendment with planning staff during the July 10 work session, where they expressed support for the zoning amendment and emphasized the need for more affordable housing.
Supervisor Tim Hubbard said the project will benefit the local population, especially younger people who are just getting out of school.
“I think this is a great idea. I’m glad we’re finally getting to this point and I hope the public is encouraged by this, also, as much as I am,” he said.
Also during the July 15 meeting, the Town Board:
- Celebrated the 75th anniversary of the Modern Snack Bar in Aquebogue. Hubbard presented a proclamation to Otto and John Wittmeier, who took over the restaurant from their parents. The town presented a Riverhead In Action video about the restaurant at the meeting.
- Authorized an application to a New York State Consolidated Funding Application grant program for $1.3 towards the town’s Riverfront Amphitheater project in downtown Riverhead. If the grant is won by the town, it promises to match 20% of the funding towards the amphitheater project, the resolution says.
- Established a new capital project to resurface the pickleball courts at Veterans Memorial Park in Calverton. The board allocated $25,000 of the sales tax collected from recreational cannabis products from shops within the town.
- Approved a license agreement with East End Arts for the nonprofit to use the building next to Town Hall, located at 206 Griffing Avenue, for its offices and gallery. The town is charging a cost of $1 a year, while its campus on East Main Street is under construction. The East End Arts campus is owned by the town; it will be modified as a part of the town square project to be the site of the new Riverfront Amphitheater, as well as for a flood mitigation project. One historic home on the property will also need to be moved to accommodate the construction of the hotel on the town square proposed by Joe Petrocelli, town officials have said.
- Approved the special event applications of the following; Iglesia Pentecostal Familia de Dias Prayer Walk (Sept. 28); Darkside Haunted House (Sept. 26 through Nov. 2); Wading River Chamber of Commerce Fall Festival (Sept. 28); Summer Foodie Fest at Tanger Outlets (Aug. 30 and 31); Hallockville Museum Farm Country Fair (Sept. 27 and 28); Riverhead Police Department National Night Out and BBQ (Aug. 5); and Long Island Railroad Museum Riverhead Railroad Festival (Aug. 24).
- Scheduled a public hearing for Aug. 5 regarding an alleged unsafe structure located at 40 17th Street in Wading River.
- Adopted a local law creating a town Traffic Violations Bureau, which will adjudicate violations of the New York State’s school bus stop camera safety program. The bureau will be headed by an administrative law judge appointed by the town.
- Authorized the sewer district superintendent to make an application to the State of Pennsylvania Regulatory Authority to meet requirements for the disposal of sludge cake in Pennsylvania.
- Extended an agreement with D&B Engineers and Architects of Woodbury to maintain and monitor the Young’s Avenue Landfill until Sept. 30, 2026.
- Approved the recommendation of the Riverhead Beach Advisory Committee to have live music at Wading River Beach on July 26 from 6 to 8 p.m.
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