Consulting firm to conduct study on proposed parking garage in downtown Riverhead

Does downtown Riverhead need a parking garage?   

That will be the subject of a feasibility study the town is developing with a consulting firm from Nassau County. 

The Town Board, at its Nov. 15 meeting, authorized Supervisor Yvette Aguiar to sign an agreement with Level G Associates of Old Bethpage to conduct a feasibility study on the plan to build structured parking garage in the First Street parking lot, which is located between Roanoke and East Avenues, and north of the former Woolworth building.

The study limits the cost Level G Associates is paid to $14,500. 

The parking garage would replace parking lost through the redevelopment of the central riverfront area as public space, officials say.   

“We’re looking into this now and seeing how much it’s going to cost,” said Councilman Tim Hubbard, who is the liaison to the town’s Parking District Advisory committee. “We will look to see if we can find some public/private partnerships. It’s all part of the plan for a town square.”

A parking garage is also being planned off Railroad Avenue, where there’s a proposal for a mixed-use development with 243 apartments. Mr. Hubbard said this is a separate proposal.

The parking garage on First Street was discussed last month as Phase 2 of the town square development. Barry Long, the president and CEO of Urban Design Associates, said during that presentation the garage is the “key that unlocks a whole lot of additional things.”