Riverhead's downtown summit may yield fruit
'Major developer' in talks to buy Main Street land
9 comments below
The hope leading into last month's town-organized downtown business summit in Riverhead was that the meeting would help plant seeds for future economic development in the struggling downtown.
Some buds have already begun to form, town officials say.
"One major developer has made some offers" to Riverhead Enterprises, the group that owns most of downtown's empty building stock, Riverhead Supervisor Sean Walter told the News-Review this week. These offers signal a potentially huge breakthrough in years of failed efforts to jump-start the area.
"They're working on it," he said of a possible deal.
Still another organization is eyeing the area for an extension of a business school based in western Long Island, he said. An assisted living development has also been discussed, and small businesses -- including a new branch of a popular East End bakery chain and a high-end nail spa -- may be looking at downtown Riverhead, according to the supervisor.
"One of my central focuses is to try to foster business downtown," Mr. Walter said, "and also to make sure that nobody goes out of business."
People started biting immediately, Mr. Walter said. "Right after the meeting."
The town's director of community development, Chris Kempner, agreed. Her phone has been ringing steadily since February, she said.
"There's a lot of energy and excitement and momentum downtown," Ms. Kempner said. "And I think, moving forward, every month is going to bring something new, new development, a new groundbreaking. This definitely has some momentum behind it and we should start seeing some results in the spring."
As for negotiations between developers and landowners, such as Riverhead Enterprises -- a Nassau County-based group that has gotten heat for years for not taking proper care of its properties -- Mr. Walter said town officials will be keeping tabs on all potential players.
"We're planning a sit-down meeting with Riverhead Enterprises," he said. "We want to find out where they are going and what plans they have. And if we have to be that 800-pound gorilla in the room during any negotiations, then we will. But we hope we don't have to."
Sheldon Gordon of Riverhead Enterprises, who hosted the summit in one of his buildings, was out of town and could not be reached for comment.
As for the potential bakery, the owners of Blue Duck Bakery, which has shops in Southold and Southampton, said they are looking to expand and are considering sites on East Main Street.
"We are looking at a few locations, Riverhead downtown is one of them," said Keith Kouris, who runs the company with his wife, Nancy. "We think Main Street could be great for us. There's a lot of positive things going on downtown and it would be exciting to be a part of that. It certainly puts Riverhead in a good position."
He said the company is considering both buying or renting space, depending on price and availability.
"We should know in the next couple of weeks," Mr. Kouris said.
mwhite@timesreview.com
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9 comments found
Oh My Nails! : 3/19/2010
Yes!
A new high end nail salon will rescue downtown. That's exactly what I've been waiting for. Thank you Sean Walter, my nails are a mess and so is downtown but with a new salon all will be right in the world. Thank goodness.
God Bless Main Street and God Bless Riverhead.
East End Arts : 3/19/2010
How about supporting the EEAC with the tax break money. THEY need the support .
re: Decades pass, no change : 3/19/2010
"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." --George Santayana
Interesting that of the three towns cited, Greenport and Port Jefferson, have, in large part, succeeded or at least appear to have done so in the general public's eye.
decadence present, no chance : 3/18/2010
Gordon's buildings and the like, should have been demolished long ago, and he and the other downtown cohorts should have been escorted to the town line, whipped,tarred, feathered and sent on their way. Sean, people had hope, with you aboard, but now you'll just be lumped with the other idiots that stole from the homeowners,ie: stark, cardinale, smith and big joe. The only thing Gordon is open for, is money. Tax breaks for Mom and Pops? laughable and WHY NOT.
Sincerely,
Johnny Nova
Decades pass, no change : 3/18/2010
Read your history, and see what little change there has been. This is from a NY Times article over 11 years ago, in December 1998:
Towns Turn to Art To Help Downtowns
By VIVIEN KELLERMAN
Published: December 6, 1998
CAN mom and pop be saved by the arts? A growing number of communities think so and are altering zoning rules to allow the formation of arts districts downtown to fill vacant space and spur business.
Port Jefferson, Greenport, and Riverhead are creating the districts mainly by relaxing zoning requirements so that commercial space can be converted into residential and/or studio space for artists.
Riverhead, whose mom-and-pop businesses have been struggling to compete with the Tanger Outlet Center, became interested in establishing an arts district in 1994. Envisioning a community where artists worked in lofts above galleries, networking with other artists, and where art shows would draw visitors, local business groups lobbied the town for a zoning change
A feasibility study paid for by the improvement district and the East End Arts Council concluded that Riverhead would be an ideal setting for an arts district. It was the county seat, had a central eastern Suffolk location, a diversified population, a Long Island Rail Road train station, a historic downtown, and a small renovated downtown theater. Most importantly, it had too much vacant commercial space.
The Vail-Leavitt Music Hall on Peconic Avenueis an example of the kind of attraction proponents of the arts district hope to create.
In 1997, the Riverhead Town Board approved an arts district. The board gave the owners of commercial property in a 1.5-square-mile area around Main Street the zoning that allowed them to convert the second and third floors of their buildings into residential-studio space for artists, as long as occupants were tied to the production of art. Under previous zoning, residential use of the space was not permitted.
But a year later, landlords still have not converted their space for artists to use. Landlords say that conversion is expensive and there is no guarantee the space will be rented out.
Sheldon Gordon owns nine buildings in Riverhead and said he believes in the concept of an arts district. He said one of his buildings, with five bathrooms on one floor, is ideally suited for conversion. However, he said he could not do it under the rent guidelines of $5 to $7 a square foot. Taxes alone, he said would be about $2 a square foot. He said it would cost him $30 a foot to fix it up.
''I would be happy to encourage the arts district, even if we broke even, even if it took a few years to do it. But unlike a commercial tenant where you can raise the rents after awhile, I'm not sure it can be done with an untested artist,'' he said.
Mr. Gordon said he is open to solutions, including grants, tax incentives, government subsidies, or even to make adjustments if a tenant were willing to do some or all of the work.
trader joe's : 3/18/2010
while trader joe's would be a great addition, they would run green earth grocery out of town in a week! we don't need more big businesses chasing the moms and pops away... we need businesses that complement what we've already got! NO?
Bring Trader Joe's into downtown : 3/18/2010
There is a definite need for a Trader Joe's in Riverhead and it would definitely bring some life back into the downtown Riverhead. Reasonable prices with quality merchandise is needed to offset the monopoly held by regular supermarkets.
Re: Working on it : 3/18/2010
Johnny,
Spot on. The only thing I'd correct is thirty, not twenty years of this nonsense.
They're working on it, : 3/18/2010
They're working on it. More tax breaks for the rich and higher taxes for the homeowners. Sheldon Gordon ,and his posse, of Riverhead Enterprises, are the most significant part of main streets problem. His buildings are ugly, his rents are thru the roof. This has been going on for 20yrs. They have no interest in downtown. This is not their bread and butter. They like to posture up, so they can get a little attention and say "Ooo, look at me. I wealthy and your weak and poor." Pulleeeeeeese. Condemn these properties, and the like, immediately, and you'll see down town growth. One day,but not in my lifetime, they'll be a supervisor and board, who will do the peoples bidding but, not now or in the near future. So sad.
Sincerely, Johnny Nova
