Government

Recap: Town may order Courthouse Restaurant knocked down

The former Courthouse Restaurant building as it appeared in January 2012. (Credit: Barbaraellen Koch, file)
The former Courthouse Restaurant building as it appeared in January 2012. (Credit: Barbaraellen Koch, file)

Riverhead Town may require the owner of the vacant and dilapidated Courthouse Restaurant (also known as J.P. Michael’s) on Railroad Avenue to clean up and secure the structure, or else the town will do so itself. 

The town may possibly require it be torn down, according to Councilman John Dunleavy, who is proposing to take action to require the cleanup. He said at Thursday’s Town Board work session that the town fire marshal recently inspected the building and found rodents living in it. It has been vacant for at least eight years and the building reportedly dates back to 1890.

The Town Board on Thursday also scheduled to discuss the use of three Pine Barrens credits for Jedediah Hawkins Inn’s proposal to build seven rooms in an old barn toward the back of the property on South Jamesport Avenue. The developer sought to buy two credits from Southampton Town and one from Brookhaven Town, but Riverhead Town Board members suggested they try to buy credits off land in Riverhead Town first. The credits are needed for Suffolk County Health Department requirements, officials said.

Click below to read a recap of News-Review reporter Tim Gannon’s  live blog of the meeting,  and see the full agenda below that.

Live Blog Riverhead Town Board work session 11-20-2014

 

November_20,_2014_-_Agenda(1) by Timesreview