Hearing set for downtown Riverhead eminent domain bid

A public hearing has been set for Wednesday, May 21, at 6 p.m. on the proposed acquisition of two East Main Street properties in downtown Riverhead — the Long Island Science Center building and the cocktail bar Craft’d — that Riverhead Town is interested in acquiring through eminent domain for its Town Square project.

New York State’s eminent domain law allows local governments to seize private property for a public use in exchange for fair compensation as determined by the courts — even if the property owners are not looking to sell. A public hearing must be held to allow for community input before initiating eminent domain procedures.

Science center president Larry Oxman and Craft’d owner Sean Kenna are both claiming Riverhead officials have not been sufficiently communicative about the process.

“This has been a surprise to me and my partner,” Mr. Kenna said at an April 1 Town Board meeting announcing the public hearing. “I was involved with the [Town Square] project from day one and then slowly, but surely, I got excommunicated out of the project in general … I just invested a lot of money downtown, and now I’m getting treated like I didn’t do anything downtown.”

The multi-phase Town Square project includes several primary components: an upper and lower Town Square, an amphitheater, pedestrian improvements, a boutique hotel, and a 12-unit condominium complex and a parking garage. The upper Town Square would be built on the grassy area between the Long Island Science Center and Craft’d buildings, across from The Suffolk. The lower Town Square would be transformed into a public gathering space that includes a proposed playground and splash pad. 

At the end of last year, Dawn Thomas, director of Riverhead’s Community Development Agency, determined groundbreaking for the initial phase would commence this August and September. The goal is to complete site plans and receive SEQRA approvals and all needed permits for the hotel, upper and lower Town Squares, and the playground by May, according to previous reporting.

Mr. Oxman previously said the town’s desire to acquire the Long Island Science Center property came as a surprise to him, as the organization is still interested in keeping the property in order to expand the museum and potentially build a planetarium.

The nonprofit LISC was founded in 1990 and opened in 2019 at its former location at 40 Peconic Ave., on the ground floor of the Summerwind Square apartment building. Several years ago, the group acquired the former Swezey’s building in downtown Riverhead, where it planned to expand. 

The organization is currently operating out of a space at Tanger Outlets and has secured more than $1 million in grants toward the expansion project.

Last summer, the Riverhead Town Board approved a resolution seeking to acquire the East Main Street property for “general municipal purposes” and directed the town attorney to take all actions “necessary and appropriate” to obtain it. 

After completing a full environmental assessment last month, town officials said the science center structure was in violation of building codes, which resulted in “non-responsive actions by the owners.” Officials said the town intends to acquire the site in order to continue with its downtown revitalization and flood mitigation efforts. 

Mr. Oxman previously called out “inaccuracies” within the environmental review and said claims that the “building is crumbling and about to fall down” are false. He provided town officials with a state licensed structural engineer’s report that showed the building is “structurally sound.” That report also recommended repairs that should be implemented in the center’s proposed renovation project to “ensure there is no condition that would result in structural decay to the building.”

Town Councilman Kenneth Rothwell said when Mr. Oxman first put forward the initial conceptual designs for the science center, more than three years ago, he felt they were “absolutely incredible.” He urged the museum president to come up with an immediate proposal for reconstruction of the site.

“I wish they would come to fruition, but I think we’re in a position where we’re looking at the building that has a potential hazard down on Main Street,” Mr. Rothwell said at the April 1 meeting. “We’ll certainly listen to the comments during the public hearing and make a decision on how to go forward.”

Town Supervisor Tim Hubbard said the board wants to see the Long Island Science Center at the East Main Street location, but it has to “prove” that the project is viable.

“There’s a lot of work been going on behind the scenes, but we don’t run and put it into the media, because it gets twisted a lot of times before things are finalized,” Mr. Hubbard said. “We prefer to do our work and when we’re ready, we’ll present it.”

Mr. Oxman had scheduled a meeting with the Town Board during its April 10 morning work session, where he said his presentation will show the Long Island Science Center has the financial ability to conduct the renovations and potentially open their doors this summer or fall.

He added that an online petition is currently circulating, launched by community members who want to “save” the museum. It has gathered nearly 370 signatures so far, he said.

“I believe that the Town Board does not have all the clear facts,” Mr. Oxman said, “and this will be an opportunity for us to present the truth.”