Downtown Maps

Map 1  Map 2  Map 3  Map 4 Map 5 Map 6 Map 7 Map 8

Riverhead BOA Creative Placemaking Study

1 CPMP Combined Map 2 Venues Capacities 3 Downtown Riverfront 4 Proposed Road Closures 5 East
6 Historic District Walk to Train 7 West 8 Sight Lines from Train Station 9 Bicycle and Paddle Loop
10 Shuttle 11 Food Venues 12 Lodging 13 Installations and Street Closures 14 Elevations
Appendices Appendices (1) Appendix E-U Riverhead BOA Creative Placemaking Study March 30-1

Analysis of the Opportunity for the Revitalization of the Main Street Corridor

Railroad Urban Renewal

Peconic River / Route 25 Corridor Brownfield Opportunity Area Creative Placemaking Supplement

1993 East Main Street

Revitalization Strategy for Downtown Riverhead (2000)

Vision Plan

Downtown Riverhead Town Assisted Projects

Downtown Riverhead Historic Tax Credits Program

Downtown Riverhead Public Parking Lots

2020 Strategic Parking Plan

Empire State Development Corporation (ESD) RESTORE New York Round III Grant – The Town of Riverhead was awarded a Round 3 RESTORE New York Grant for $2.4 Million from ESD (Restore New York Spotlight TPA Times) to assist the Atlantis Marine World Aquarium located on East Main Street in Downtown Riverhead to expand its facility to include a 5-story 100 room Hyatt Place Hotel, a 27,000 s.f. changing exhibit gallery and catering hall. Atlantis Marine World Aquarium opened in June 2000 and was the first large-scale aquarium to open in New York State in more than 35 years. It is situated on 6.5 acres along the Peconic River, and is also home to The Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation, New York's only authorized marine mammal and sea turtle rescue and rehabilitation center.  ESD and the Town identified a need, consistent with the East Main Street Urban Renewal Plan, for the successful revitalization of underutilized areas on the aquarium property that would enhance the aquarium’s Main Street facade and to serve as the gateway to Long Island’s East-End wine country and the Hamptons for visitors from the tri-state area and beyond.

Peconic Riverfront Pedestrian Walk state and federal grants funded replacement of deteriorated bulkheading, extend the pedestrian board walk and improve the public parkspace along the riverfront for enjoyment of residents and visitors.

Grangebel Park Improvement Project over $1,000,000 in federal funding was awarded for the replacement of bulkheading, installation of lighting and pedestrian walkways, landscaping and other amenities to improve safety and utilization of the park.

Main Street Program – The New York State Office of Community Renewal awarded the Town of Riverhead a $250,000 New York Main Street grant to continue the town’s downtown revitalization efforts. The 2012 Main Street Program will focus on provided housing above existing retail, as well as other commercial building improvements within the downtown Business Improvement District. The Town of Riverhead recently completed a $500,000 New York Main Street Grant, as well as two previous awards of $200,000 each in 2006 and 2009.  Including the most recent award, the Town of Riverhead has received $1,150,000 in Main Street funding.

Main Street Application

Vail Leavitt Music Hall –1881 National Register Landmark site at 18 Peconic Avenue renovated through over $400,000 in grant funding. The theatre officially reopened in June 2004 and hosts community events on a regular basis, including Riverhead Idol, Opera in the Hamptons, River Theatre Company and many other outstanding acts. For additional information, contact (631) 727-5782 or www.vail-leavitt.org.

East End Arts Council – Located at 131 and 133 East Main Street in downtown Riverhead on property owned by the Town of Riverhead, the EEAC is a vital component of the downtown economy. Over the past decade, the CD Department has procured more than $500,000 in grant funds to renovate the historic Benjamin and Corwin Houses that are home to the arts and music programs offered by the arts council as well as site improvements and currently renovations to the historic Carriage House in order to provide additional year-round space for programming. For additional information, contact (631) 727-0900 or www.eastendarts.org.

Suffolk Theatre – The 1933 Art Deco Suffolk Theatre is historically significant structure that was constructed in just 2½ months during the Roosevelt Administration as a National Recovery Act Project, the two-story, 896-seat theatre was a major entertainment venue on the East End until its closure in 1987.  Significant interior features include brass lighting fixtures and chandeliers in Art Deco designed frosted glass panels etched with a swan mural depicting the rural culture of eastern Long Island.  The original tile water fountain and oak ticket booth remain intact, as do most of the murals and original Art Deco features.

Railroad Station – The Community Development Agency procured a $1,000,000 grant from the MTA to successfully restore the 1910 Dutch colonial style station building in 2003.

Railroad Avenue Corridor Activity - the CDA board designated Vintage Group, LLC, as a Qualified & Eligible Sponsor for the purchase and development of the parking lot owned by the Town of Riverhead located on Court Street together with the acquisition and development of some or all of the properties located on the adjacent block bordered by Railroad Street, Griffing Avenue, Court Street and Cedar Avenue, for redevelopment consistent with the Town of Riverhead Urban Renewal Plan/Railroad Street Corridor adopted April 4, 1997.

Downtown Urban Renewal Plan – Town staff continued work on the update of the 1993 East Main Street Urban Renewal Plan and to prepare a generic Environmental Impact Statement in conjunction the comprehensive planning process as authorized by the CDA board in 2006.  The Urban Renewal Plan and final GEIS will be completed in Fall 2008 and was funded by Riverhead Renaissance LLC, the entity with which the CDA entered into a Master Developer Designation Agreement in 2006 for redevelopment of the East Main Street Urban Renewal Area.           

Grangebel Park Comfort Station Project – A county grant in the amount of $60,000 was procured through the Community Development Department on behalf of the Business Improvement District for the renovation of the Grangebel Park Comfort Station.

Peconic Avenue Pedestrian Crossing – A $50,000 grant from the Suffolk County Legislature proposed by the County Executive following his Day in Riverhead in March 2004 will be utilized by the town to improve the pedestrian crossing on Peconic Avenue from the Riverfront Park to the Grangebel Park.

Safe Routes to Schools - The Town of Riverhead with the Riverhead Central School District secured $475,000 in federal funding for sidewalks and other pedestrian safety improvements along School St., North Griffing Avenue and Cranberry Street in the vicinity of the Pulaski Street School, Riverhead Middle School and Riverhead High School.

Local Waterfront Revitalization Program
The Town of Riverhead and New York State Department of State are finalizing a comprehensive planning document for stewardship and management of the town’s waterfront areas. Initiated with a $20,000 grant procured from the Department of State, the plan has incorporated input and information from the Riverhead Conservation Advisory Council, Riverhead Planning Board, Bay Constable, and other interested parties and will be the subject of a public hearing prior to adoption by the Town Board and Department of State. A draft copy will be on file at the Office of the Riverhead Town Clerk prior to a public hearing.

Peconic River and Estuary Improvements 
The Town of Riverhead and Suffolk County Office of Ecology have worked in partnership to prepare and submit numerous grant applications to state and federal funding agencies for a variety of projects affecting the Peconic River and Estuary system.

Since the beginning of 2005, The Town of Riverhead has secured and acted as the centralized administrator for over $700,000 in grants (state, federal and others) for dam safety, fish migration and watershed management projects at locations from Peconic Avenue to Connecticut Avenue and targeted to restore over 300 acres of historic diadromous fish habitat within the Peconic River.  In an effort to restore this historic fish habitat,  The Peconic Estuary Program (PEP)http://www.peconicestuary.org/News.ARNOAA.html, the Town of Riverhead, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), FishAmerica www.fishamerica.org, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Restoration Center, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC), and the Peconic River Fish Restoration Commission (PRFRC) joined forces.   The funding will not only support a restoration of the fish passage, but will also allow long awaited improvements within Grangebel Park itself to move forward in Spring 2009.

In addition, funding from NYS and Suffolk County funded the purchase of a marine pumpout vessel to augment the two stationary marine pumpout facilities available in the Town of Riverhead and pumpout vessels provided by neighboring municipalities. The vessel was operational beginning in 2004 from Memorial Day through Labor Day. The goal of these facilities is to reduce the disposal of effluent into the Peconic Bay to improve the water quality in this area. 

The Community Development Department procures and administers over $20,000 per year in state funds to support the STOP program of the Town of Riverhead which enables residents to dispose of pollutants at the Youngs Avenue disposal site free of charge several times per year.