Featured Letter: Time for Town Board to take a stand

The proposal for an assisted-living facility in Riverhead is wrong in so many ways.

The over-developed area where the site is proposed is already overburdened. This facility will most likely not be of service to the majority of people who live in this area. These facilities are expensive and not covered by Medicare insurance. Unless the resident is covered by an independent policy for this particular care or has sufficient income to support this, they will not be using this facility. Second, and more important, are the roads adjacent to this facility. Mill and Middle roads already are experiencing traffic and can’t bear the increased traffic 160 additional residences will bring.

Mill Road has already become the shortcut route for many Route 58 travelers to avoid congestion by heading to Sound Avenue. In addition, we will lose more of the wooded and farm acreages that make our community picturesque.

When Brixmor Property Group clear-cut the area along Route 58 where Costco is located, it was to build taxable real estate in both Phase 1 and then Phase 2. Aside from Costco, the majority of Phase 1 sits vacant. Now, more farm acreage is proposed to be cleared.

It is time for the Riverhead Town Board to take a stand. People do not want all this construction when we already have so much land that goes undeveloped. Let’s first make use of all the parcels along Route 58 with signs for proposed buildings before we allow more of nature to be destroyed. Let us stop overcrowding the secondary streets that cannot afford more traffic and become a potential danger to our drivers, walkers and bike riders.

Paul Spina, Calverton