Riverhead sets hearing on condemning science center’s building in 3-2 vote

A split Town Board voted Tuesday to take first steps toward acquiring the Long Island Science Center’s building, setting a May 20 public hearing on the proposed condemnation of its long-vacant building.

The board voted 3-2 to schedule the May 20 hearing, with Supervisor Jerry Halpin and Council Member Bob Kern dissenting.  

The resolution authorizes the hearing on the proposed condemnation of the parcel “for general municipal purposes.”

The vote came after several residents urged the board against moving forward, arguing the town has still not publicly explained what it intends to do with the property and questioning whether eminent domain is justified against a nonprofit that says its redevelopment effort remains active.

Cindy Clifford of Riverhead asked the board to table the resolution and instead commit to working with the science center to bring the project to fruition.

Kathy McGraw said the hearing notice was deficient because it cited only “general municipal purposes” without specifying whether the town intends to demolish the building, reuse it or pursue some other plan for the site.

“How can we the public make a meaningful response to this proposed taking during a public hearing?” McGraw, of Northville, asked the board.

Riverhead resident John McAuliff questioned how much it would cost the town to pursue eminent domain and, if it prevails, to acquire the property. He also asked whether town officials or the town square master developer, Joe Petrocelli, have already had conversations with potential buyers.

Ron Hariri of Aquebogue argued the town is in no financial position to take on the science center property and accused town officials of subjecting the nonprofit to disparate treatment.

Tuesday’s vote comes less than three weeks after science center representatives returned to Town Hall to present what they described as a new phased approach to redeveloping the building, which they said has been slowed by a complicated mix of reimbursement-based grants, bridge-loan requirements and the need to coordinate stormwater, access and construction timing with the adjoining town square and hotel development.

At that April 2 work session, science center project architect Jordan Rogove of DXA Studio said the team had concluded that the redevelopment must proceed in phases rather than all at once, with a first phase focused on opening about 4,000 square feet fronting Main Street and a second phase to follow later.

The goal, he said at the time, was to open the first phase this fall and use it to “open the doors, turn on the lights and have a presence within the building,” while leaving the rear of the structure available as a staging area for the later phase.

But a majority of the board remained unconvinced, pointing to years of delay, shifting plans and the continued vacancy and deterioration of the building.

The issue surfaced again in materials submitted before Tuesday’s meeting.

In a letter included in the agenda packet, the science center’s construction manager, Alex Lipsky, said the redevelopment remains active, though in a technically complex pre-construction stage.

Lipsky wrote that the project is moving through permit preparation, consultant coordination and phased planning, with the first phase intended to activate the building and a later phase to incorporate the planetarium and expansion components. He also wrote that the roof was replaced in summer 2024 at a cost of $116,000 and said visible construction activity will follow once permits are secured.

That account echoed comments made by science center representatives at the April 2 work session, when they said the lack of visible progress did not mean the project was dormant.

Board members supporting more aggressive town action have framed the issue differently, arguing the property has remained vacant and blighted for too long and no longer fits the timetable of the town’s broader downtown redevelopment effort.

Under the state’s Eminent Domain Procedure Law, a hearing must be held to establish a public purpose for the acquisition. The government has 90 days from the conclusion of the hearing to publish a “determination and findings” regarding the acquisition. After that, it must make a written offer for 100% of the appraised value of the property —which is considered “just compensation” as required by the constitution. If the property owner does not accept the offer, the government can petition the State Supreme Court to authorize acquisition with the filing of an acquisition map with the county clerk. 

Riverhead Town previously authorized the required appraisal and retained outside counsel to handle the proceeding.

The May 20 hearing is scheduled for 6 p.m.