Pulaski Street proposal starting to look a bit more Polish

What do you do when you’re told the building you’re looking to construct in the heart of Polish Town doesn’t quite fit the look of the area?

If you’re the developers behind the proposed two-story mixed-use building on the northwest corner of Osborn Avenue and Pulaski Street, you go back to the drawing board to make it look a bit more Polish.

The applicant said last week that it has redesigned the building to better reflect the Polish heritage of that area.

The proposal — on 0.483 acres on 406 Osborn Avenue — calls for a 4,556-square-foot building on the first floor that will be for retail use and 4,458 square-feet on the second floor, which will be residential apartments. 

A total of six apartments, ranging in size from 508 to 688 square feet, are proposed. 

At a meeting in November, Planning Board member Ed Densieski criticized the proposed look of the building. 

“It doesn’t incorporate any of the heritage of Polish Town,” he said. “I don’t find the building attractive and I really want to stop approving projects that don’t look good in the Town of Riverhead.’

Last Thursday, Tom Cramer, the applicant’s representative, presented the Planning Board with the redesigned look.

The one his client preferred called for red and white shutters around the building in a flower design. A welcome map that says “Witamy” is also proposed, and the sign on the property that reads “Polish Town USA” will be relocated closer to the corner.