Southampton Town has been awarded a $19 million federal grant for the Riverside wastewater treatment system project, Southampton Supervisor Maria Moore announced Tuesday.
Southampton hailed the award as a “critical funding milestone” in its years-long quest to revitalize the hamlet of Riverside.
The funding, from the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, was approved Oct. 30 by the New York State Environmental Facilities Corporation as part of a statewide $135 million initiative to support critical water infrastructure projects.
“This award from EFC will allow the Town to proceed with this critical infrastructure project that will enhance water quality by removing thousands of pounds of nitrogen from our waterways each year, and will aid in revitalizing the Riverside community,” Moore said in a press release.
The $19 million grant is the second major pot of funding awarded to the project in two months. Last month, the town was awarded a $5 million grant through the Environmental Protection Agency’s Community Grants program. The EPA grant was one of 715 water infrastructure projects totaling $1.47 billion under the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023, according to the town.
Completion of the Riverside wastewater treatment project is a critical component of the Riverside revitalization initiative begun a decade ago with the adoption of zoning in 2015 to allow high- and medium-density mixed-use development in the hamlet, one of the poorest in Suffolk County.
The wastewater treatment plant will also improve and protect water quality by replacing outdated and insufficient septic systems.
Moore commended the Town’s Department of Land Management, led by Planning and Development Administrator Janice Scherer, for its dedication in identifying and pursuing federal, state and local funding opportunities for this project.
“Janice Scherer and her team have been relentless in their pursuit of funding for this initiative,” Moore said. “Their diligence and expertise have been instrumental in positioning Southampton to receive this historic level of investment,” she said.
“This project has been a true team effort,” the supervisor added. “The Town Board’s consistent commitment to improving water quality and infrastructure has laid the groundwork for this success.”
With the wastewater project moving toward the finish line, the town has ramped up planning and development efforts in the hamlet.
Last month, the Town Board approved a $2.4 million grant from the Southampton Town Community Housing Fund to assist Georgica Green Ventures in the development of a 40-unit affordable housing project on Flanders Road in Riverside.
Georgica Green Ventures will use the grant money to purchase three blighted commercial properties just east of the Riverside traffic circle. The company plans to build apartments that would rent for roughly $1,400 to $3,000 per month, along with ground-floor commercial space.
Georgica Green Ventures is a familiar developer in the Town of Riverhead, where it has built and owns the 116-unit Riverview Lofts on East Main Street and McDermott Avenue in Riverhead. It also has three other projects at at various stages of development: “The Vue,” a 133-unit five-story mixed use complex; “Northville Commons,” consisting of 80 subsidized rentals, five owner-occupied condominiums and a community center on a 12.5-acre site adjacent to First Baptist Church of Riverhead; and a residential development on Griffing Avenue that will provide “ownership opportunities,” for which GGV won a $2.75 million New York State Downtown Revitalization Initiative grant.
Southampton Town is working with the Manhattan-based planning and architecture firm Historical Concepts to develop plans for a new hamlet center in Riverside, with the goals of creating a walkable community and equitably distributing available wastewater treatment capacity throughout.
See plan presented to the Southampton Town Board last month.
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