Riverhead officials this week laid out a new construction timeline for the long-planned downtown revitalization project, with work on the riverfront hotel expected to begin this month and major public improvements continuing through 2030.
Planning and Community Development Director Dawn Thomas presented the update at the Town Board’s Aug. 6 work session, saying the town is moving from years of planning into construction on six connected downtown projects: the Town Square, a 94-room Hilton Tapestry hotel, an adaptive playground, a riverfront amphitheater, East Main Street streetscape improvements and a structured parking garage.
“We’re transitioning out of the planning role to a construction role,” Thomas told the board.
The schedule distributed at the meeting shows construction beginning in August 2026 with the hotel, followed by parking garage design this fall, Town Square work in spring or summer 2027, the adaptive playground in summer 2027, East Main Street streetscape improvements in fall 2027 and parking garage construction beginning in fall 2028. The parking structure is projected to be completed in fall 2030.
The timeline appears to push the public components of the project later than earlier expectations. In November 2024, Thomas said construction of the Town Square and playground could begin as early as late summer or early fall 2025. The new schedule instead places Town Square construction in 2027 and its opening in spring 2028, with the adaptive playground opening shortly afterward.
Thomas cautioned that the new timeline is still subject to change, depending on funding, weather, materials and other construction conditions.
The first visible work is expected to be on the riverfront hotel. Thomas said the hotel’s foundation permit should be issued within “the next week or two,” now that the site plan and special permit have been approved. The project schedule distributed at the meeting says hotel construction mobilization begins in August 2026 and the hotel is expected to open in fall or winter 2028.
The hotel project, proposed by master developer J. Petrocelli Development, was revised earlier this year from a mixed hotel-condominium concept to a 94-room Hilton Tapestry hotel.
Thomas said the town is also close to finalizing its RAISE grant contract, which will support streetscape and parking-related improvements. The structured parking garage design is expected to begin this fall. Thomas said the town has $17 million available for that portion of the project, including about $2 million for design, but the total construction cost will not be known until the project is bid.
The garage is currently sized at about 504 spaces, though Thomas said that number could change. Councilwoman Denise Merrifield noted that the town’s 1995 downtown vision plan contemplated a garage with 589 spaces. Thomas said the final size, construction method and circulation plan remain to be determined, and the town is considering whether a modular garage could allow future expansion.
Thomas also said the town is applying for funding for a police substation in the garage.
The streetscape project will run from Peconic Avenue to East Avenue, Thomas said. A future extension from East Avenue east toward the Long Island Aquarium is hoped for, but is not part of the current phase. The work will include narrowing Main Street, widening sidewalks, putting utilities underground, adding lighting and landscaping, and creating more space for outdoor dining and business activity.
Because that construction will disrupt Main Street, Thomas said the town is considering a weekend shuttle from Town Hall to downtown businesses. The shuttle could run every 15 minutes and be funded initially through the parking district, with potential sponsorships or small fares later.
The riverfront amphitheater remains less defined. Thomas said relocation of buildings on the East End Arts property is expected to begin this fall. The Davis-Corwin building at 133 E. Main St. would be moved about 10 feet east, and the Davis-Corwin and Benjamin House buildings would be raised to 13.5 feet elevation to bring them out of the floodplain. The remaining area would become a flexible riverfront performance and gathering space.
Whether that space ultimately includes a fixed amphitheater, a temporary stage, seasonal programming or other features remains undecided, Thomas said.
The Town Square itself is expected to begin construction in spring 2027, initially serving as staging for the hotel. As hotel construction progresses, underground drainage, electric, Wi-Fi, cable and fiber infrastructure would be installed, followed by pavers and public programming elements.
Thomas said the Town Square may also include a veterans memorial component, aided by the town’s pending acquisition of 111 E. Main St. and funding transferred from the boathouse project that did not move forward.
Town Supervisor Jerry Halpin said Thomas will begin giving regular updates at work sessions so residents and downtown businesses can track the schedule and construction impacts.
Thomas said the town should also hold public engagement sessions, post updates on the town website and social media, and possibly install a time-lapse camera downtown so residents can follow construction progress online.
The project schedule calls for seven public engagement sessions between September 2026 and 2030, beginning with a downtown update meeting next month and ending with a “grand transformation” celebration after completion of the parking garage.
Thomas said the downtown effort builds on a 1995 community vision plan, a 2016 update and the more recent Downtown Revitalization Initiative planning process. She said many of the same ideas have appeared repeatedly over the past three decades, including wider sidewalks, traffic calming, a hotel, public riverfront space and structured parking.
“The big theme of our project and the reason we were awarded the RAISE grant, which is actually a transportation grant, is alternative transportation,” Thomas said. “We want people to park their car once and walk. We want them to feel comfortable walking. We want the sidewalks to be welcoming. We want outdoor dining. We want it to feel like a place where you’re supposed to be instead of where cars are supposed to be,” she said.
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