Government

Three years after 25A study, commercial projects in the works in Wading River

Wading River

It’s been just over three years since the Riverhead Town Board adopted a Wading River Corridor Study aimed at curbing the amount of commercial development along Route 25A in the northwest part of town.

But a routine check of current planning applications shows that commercial development may be coming to Wading River in the not-too-distant future.

The $42,000 study was launched in 2011 after residents and environmentalists criticized the number of large developments proposed for the stretch of state highway running from the Brookhaven Town line to the intersection of Sound Avenue. When the study was completed in mid-2012, five parcels were rezoned to what officials said would allow a less intense type of development.

The owners of two of those properties later sued the town; those cases are still pending.

The five rezoned properties comprise 16 acres. While rezoning eliminated the potential for over 140,000 square feet of new retail, the possibility of 200,000 square feet remains.

The Riverhead Town Planning Board’s agenda is now starting to repopulate with commercial applications on Route 25A in Wading River — though most of the development is proposed for parcels that were not rezoned after the study.

Sid Bail, president of the Wading River Civic Association, says his group has no problem with applications that conform to the new zoning the town adopted in 2012.

“But we’ve yet to see if there really is a market for these projects,” he said.

Click on the tab below to read more about the current applications for Route 25A in Wading River.