Riverhead Town Board

A State Supreme Court judge in Albany County has sided with the Town of Riverhead in a decade-old lawsuit challenging regulations adopted by the State DEC in 2010 to protect endangered species. The court ruled on Feb. 18 the new regulations are null and void because the Department of Environmental Conservation failed to hold a public hearing prior to adopting them.

The Riverhead Town Board will vote next week to prevent nonresidents from obtaining beach parking permits this year, continuing a suspension that started in 2020 in the early weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic.

At issue, Riverhead Supervisor Yvette Aguiar says, is what happens if the buyer does not gain approval from Riverhead IDA. Triple Five attorney Christopher Kent denies his client is reneging on anything and says they are simply trying to work out the details.

The new projected completion date is at least seven months beyond the completion date set forth in an amendment, approved by the town board last July, to the Jan. 2, 2020 agreement with planning consultants AKRF. The July 2021 amendment extended the contract period 12 months, to Aug. 31, 2022.

Riverhead Town has established two separate grant funds with federal American Recovery Plan Act money to assist certain local businesses and nonprofits impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. A $100,000 fund will support entities serving para-able adults and a $150,000 fund will assist those in the arts/entertainment and hospitality sectors.

The town board on Tuesday voted unanimously to accept the recommendation of a committee it appointed last year to name RXR/Georgica Green Ventures as master developer for the transit-oriented redevelopment, which includes a town-owned, two-acre municipal parking lot located between the State Supreme Court building on Court Street and the railroad station.

The second Riverhead Town water forum will be held in the town board meeting room on Wednesday. The forum aims to facilitate an informal discussion between town officials and residents on issues pertaining to the Riverhead Water District and Riverhead’s public water supply.

Riverhead officials have chosen a master developer for transit-oriented development whose plan aims to transform the long-blighted train station area into a pedestrian-friendly center with shops and apartments.

The Riverhead Volunteer Ambulance Corps is looking to switch its emergency dispatch provider from the Riverhead Police Department to Suffolk County Fire Rescue and Emergency Services. Riverhead Town officials don't consent to the move.

The intersection at Edwards Avenue and Middle Country Road in Calverton is slated for a $5 million improvement project for widening, realignment and the addition of turning lanes on all approaches.