Suffolk County Community College is moving to purchase the downtown Riverhead building that houses its Culinary Arts and Hospitality Center, a major institutional presence on Main Street that the college has leased for nearly two decades.
The college’s Board of Trustees on Thursday authorized the college president or a designee to negotiate and execute a purchase-and-sale agreement for the approximately 30,000-square-foot building at 20 East Main Street.
Under the proposed transaction, Suffolk County would acquire the property in trust for the college’s use. The agreement would involve the college, the county, the Suffolk County Industrial Development Agency and Culinary Arts Riverhead LLC, according to the resolution adopted by the trustees.
The resolution does not disclose a purchase price or anticipated closing date.
Suffolk County’s adopted 2027 capital program budgets $7.5 million for the acquisition, with half to be financed through county borrowing and half through state aid. The County Legislature has not yet adopted a separate resolution approving the purchase or appropriating the money. The college’s resolution says the proposed acquisition will be submitted to the Legislature for approval.
The county’s capital plan says purchasing the center would eliminate $950,000 in annual lease payments from the college’s operating budget. The college’s lease runs through July 31, 2028.
The building was constructed in 2005 and has been maintained by its current owner, according to the county budget documents. Its roof was replaced in 2024, and the college owns the major built-in equipment and furnishings used by its culinary and baking programs.
The acquisition is not yet final. It remains subject to approval by the Suffolk County Legislature and the State University of New York Board of Trustees, as well as the availability of county and state funding.
The County Legislature has not yet passed a resolution authorizing the purchase, but contract negotiations have been underway, said First District Legislator Greg Doroski.
“I’m a big fan of Suffolk Community College and very supportive of that program,” Doroski said in a phone interview Friday afternoon. “I have a number of friends that have been through the program, he said.
“When we look at the economy out here, hospitality and tourism, it’s important that people have good training, and to be able to do that at Suffolk Community College, which is very affordable compared to private culinary schools, it’s a great opportunity,” he said. Doroski said he was an advocate for the purchase when the legislature was going through the capital budget process, and will be and will be an advocate for it “to make sure it gets done.”
The college must also complete an appraisal, title review, property survey, environmental assessment, engineering review and physical inspections. The trustees authorized the college to pay for those reviews and any other professional services needed to evaluate and complete the transaction.
In a related resolution adopted Thursday, the trustees completed a review under the State Environmental Quality Review Act and determined that acquiring the existing center would not have a significant adverse environmental impact. The college does not propose a change in use, construction or other physical alterations as part of the acquisition.
The Culinary Arts and Hospitality Center is affiliated with the college’s Eastern Campus and houses its Culinary Arts and Baking and Pastry Arts programs. The facility includes commercial teaching kitchens, classrooms, a demonstration theater and the student-operated Baker’s Workshop cafe and retail bakery.
Classrooms in the building are also used for general-education and continuing-education courses, according to the college’s catalog.
Ownership of the property has local tax implications, although the building is not currently a conventionally taxable commercial property.
The Suffolk County IDA holds title under a sale-and-leaseback arrangement with Culinary Arts Riverhead LLC, which leases the property to the college. The IDA’s ownership makes the property exempt from ordinary real estate taxes, while the private company is responsible for payments in lieu of taxes under an IDA agreement.
The PILOT agreement currently calls for annual payments totaling $36,826 through the 2027-28 tax year. Those payments are distributed among affected local taxing jurisdictions.
If Suffolk County acquires the property and continues to hold it for use by the public college, it would generally remain exempt from town, county and school property taxes. Once transferred to the county, the PILOT agreement, which was signed by the private property owner, would terminate. Certain special-district capital charges may still apply.
The culinary center occupies a prominent downtown site near the intersection of East Main Street and Roanoke Avenue. College officials said in the acquisition documents that ownership would ensure the continuity of its programs, support workforce development and deepen the college’s role in downtown Riverhead.
The Board of Trustees approved the purchase authorization and environmental determination at its Sept. 17 meeting.
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