Community Development Department
Community Development Agency
2007 CDA
Annual Report
2006 CDA
Annual Report
Development of Historic District
Guidelines
Historic Preservation
Design Guidelines
Bulk Study of the DC-1 Zoning District
The Community Development Department is responsible for the economic development and
workforce housing functions in the Town of Riverhead. Projects including downtown
revitalization activities, historic restoration, business development incentives and urban
renewal programs are initiated and implemented by CD staff. Grant procurement and
administration is a primary function of the department including capital projects such as
downtown waterfront revitalization, Calverton park development, infrastructure development
to encourage business growth, the restoration of the Vail Leavitt Theatre and Suffolk
Theatre, home improvement programs to assist senior citizens and low to moderate income
homeowner-occupants with emergency home repairs, and projects to improve the environment
and the quality of life of the Riverhead Town residents.
Community
Development Downloadable Forms
Home Improvement
Application
Contractor Vendor
Application
Contractor Bid
Proposal
Main Street Application
Standard Specifications for Home Improvement Projects
Suffolk
County Down Payment Assistance Program Guidelines
The
Home Affordable Refinance Program gives up to 4 to 5 million
homeowners with loans owned or guaranteed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac
an opportunity to refinance into more affordable monthly payments. The
Home Affordable Modification Program commits $75 billion to keep up to 3
to 4 million Americans in their homes by preventing avoidable
foreclosures.
The consumer website,
www.MakingHomeAffordable.gov, provides homeowners with
detailed information about these programs along with self-assessment
tools and calculators to empower borrowers with the resources they need
to determine whether they might be eligible for a modification or a
refinance under the Administration's program. Through this website,
borrowers can also connect with free counseling resources to help with
outstanding questions; locate homeowner events in their communities;
find a handy checklist of key documents and materials to have ready when
making that important call to their servicer as well as FAQs from
borrowers in similar circumstances; and much more.
Downtown
Revitalization Efforts
Peconic Riverfront
Pedestrian Walk state and federal grants funded
replacement of deteriorated bulkheading, extend the pedestrian boardwalk
and improve the public parkspace along the riverfront for enjoyment of
residents and visitors.
Grangebel Park Improvement Project
over $1,000,000 in federal funding was awarded for the replacement of
bulkheading, installation of lighting and pedestrian walkways,
landscaping and other amenities to improve safety and utilization of the
park.
Main
Street Program
– The Town of Riverhead recently implemented a $200,000 state grant
award for the refurbishment of Main Street facades, building renovations
and the encouragement of residential uses in the downtown area.
Riverhead was one of only two Long Island communities that received this
award.
Main Street Application
Vail
Leavitt Music Hall
–1881 National Register Landmark site at 18 Peconic Avenue renovated
through over $400,000 in grant funding. The theatre officially reopened
in June 2004 and hosts community events on a regular basis, including
Riverhead Idol, Opera in the Hamptons, River Theatre Company and many
other outstanding acts. For additional information, contact (631)
727-5782 or
www.vail-leavitt.org.
East End Arts Council
– Located at 131 and 133 East Main Street in downtown Riverhead on
property owned by the Town of Riverhead, the EEAC is a vital component
of the downtown economy. Over the past decade, the CD Department has
procured more than $500,000 in grant funds to renovate the historic
Benjamin and Corwin Houses that are home to the arts and music programs
offered by the arts council as well as site improvements and currently
renovations to the historic Carriage House in order to provide
additional year-round space for programming. For additional information,
contact (631) 727-0900 or
www.eastendarts.org.
Suffolk Theatre
–
The 1933 Art Deco Suffolk Theatre
is historically significant structure that was constructed in just 2½
months during the Roosevelt Administration as a National Recovery Act
Project, the two-story, 896-seat theatre was a major entertainment venue
on the East End until its closure in 1987. Significant interior
features include brass lighting fixtures and chandeliers in Art Deco
designed frosted glass panels etched with a swan mural depicting the
rural culture of eastern Long Island. The original tile water fountain
and oak ticket booth remain intact, as do most of the murals and
original Art Deco features.
Railroad Station
– The Community Development Agency procured a $1,000,000 grant from the
MTA to successfully restore the 1910 Dutch colonial style station
building in 2003.
Railroad
Avenue Corridor Activity
- the
CDA board designated Vintage Group, LLC, as a Qualified & Eligible
Sponsor for the purchase and development of the parking lot owned by the
Town of Riverhead located on Court Street together with the acquisition
and development of some or all of the properties located on the adjacent
block bordered by Railroad Street, Griffing Avenue, Court Street and
Cedar Avenue, for redevelopment consistent with the Town of Riverhead
Urban Renewal Plan/Railroad Street Corridor adopted April 4, 1997.
Downtown
Urban Renewal Plan
– Town staff continued work on the update of the 1993 East Main Street
Urban Renewal Plan and to prepare a generic Environmental Impact
Statement in conjunction the comprehensive planning process as
authorized by the CDA board in 2006. The Urban Renewal Plan and final
GEIS will be completed in Fall 2008 and was funded by Riverhead
Renaissance LLC, the entity with which the CDA entered into a Master
Developer Designation Agreement in 2006 for redevelopment of the East
Main Street Urban Renewal Area.
Grangebel Park Comfort Station Project
– A county grant in the amount of $60,000 was procured through the
Community Development Department on behalf of the Business Improvement
District for the renovation of the Grangebel Park Comfort Station.
Peconic Avenue
Pedestrian Crossing – A $50,000 grant from the
Suffolk County Legislature proposed by the County Executive following
his Day in Riverhead in March 2004 will be utilized by the town to
improve the pedestrian crossing on Peconic Avenue from the Riverfront
Park to the Grangebel Park.
Safe
Routes to Schools
The Town of Riverhead with the Riverhead Central School District secured
$475,000 in federal funding for sidewalks and other pedestrian safety
improvements along School St., North Griffing Avenue and Cranberry
Street in the vicinity of the Pulaski Street School, Riverhead Middle
School and Riverhead High School.
Local Waterfront
Revitalization Program
The Town of Riverhead and New York State Department of State are
finalizing a comprehensive planning document for stewardship and
management of the town’s waterfront areas. Initiated with a $20,000
grant procured from the Department of State, the plan has incorporated
input and information from the Riverhead Conservation Advisory Council,
Riverhead Planning Board, Bay Constable, and other interested parties
and will be the subject of a public hearing prior to adoption by the
Town Board and Department of State. A draft copy will be on file at the
Office of the Riverhead Town Clerk prior to a public hearing.
Housing Programs
The Town of Riverhead Community Development Department has operated a
Home Improvement Program for homeowner-occupants for more than 30
years and recently has received several state grants to augment the
federal funding for this program. Based on HUD-stipulated income limits,
the program provides deferred grants and loans to owners for emergency
repairs and improvements to correct deficiencies such as roof
replacement, electrical or plumbing problems, window replacement and
heating system repairs.
Several affordable housing/workforce housing projects have been
undertaken since 1988 totaling approximately 200 units of new, single
family detached housing for low to moderate income purchasers. In
2004-2005, 17 new units were completed and sold by lottery to first-time
homeowner-occupants. Approximately 10 units are expected to be completed
in 2008 and have been awarded to individuals by lottery.
Peconic
River and Estuary Improvements
The Town of Riverhead and Suffolk County Office of Ecology have worked
in partnership to prepare and submit numerous grant applications to
state and federal funding agencies for a variety of projects affecting
the Peconic River and Estuary system.
Since the beginning of 2005, The Town of Riverhead has secured and
acted as the centralized administrator for over $700,000 in grants
(state, federal and others) for dam safety, fish migration and watershed
management projects at locations from Peconic Avenue to Connecticut
Avenue and targeted to restore over 300 acres of historic diadromous
fish habitat within the Peconic River. In an effort to restore this
historic fish habitat, The Peconic Estuary Program (PEP)
http://www.peconicestuary.org/News.ARNOAA.html, the Town of
Riverhead, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS),
FishAmerica
www.fishamerica.org, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA) Restoration Center, the New York State Department
of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC), and the Peconic River Fish
Restoration Commission (PRFRC) joined forces. The funding will not
only support a restoration of the fish passage, but will also allow long
awaited improvements within Grangebel Park itself to move forward in
Spring 2009.
In addition, funding from NYS and Suffolk County funded the purchase of
a marine pumpout vessel to augment the two stationary marine pumpout
facilities available in the Town of Riverhead and pumpout vessels
provided by neighboring municipalities. The vessel was operational
beginning in 2004 from Memorial Day through Labor Day. The goal of these
facilities is to reduce the disposal of effluent into the Peconic Bay to
improve the water quality in this area.
The Community Development Department procures and administers over
$20,000 per year in state funds to support the STOP program of the Town
of Riverhead which enables residents to dispose of pollutants at the
Youngs Avenue disposal site free of charge several times per year.
Calverton Enterprise Park
By Public Law of 1994 the United States Congress authorized the United
States Navy to transfer the former Naval Weapons Industrial Reserve
Plant to the Town of Riverhead Community Development Agency for economic
redevelopment. The Town has successfully redeveloped the 500 acre
industrial park portion of the site, has extended public water to the
industrial park with a federal grant from the Economic Development
Administration in the amount of $1,800,000. This redevelopment has
generated several hundred jobs and tax revenues in excess of the
$1,000,000 per year paid by the Grumman Corporation.
In 2007, the
CDA Board entered into contract with REPCAL LLC for the sale of
approximately 300 acres in response to a Request for Proposals (“RFP”)
to select an experienced developer for the redevelopment of
approximately 600 acres of land zoned for industrial and office uses at
Calverton Enterprise Park.
In 2008, the
CDA Board entered into a contract with Riverhead Resorts LLC for the
sale of approximately 755 acres in response to a RFP to select an
experienced developer for the redevelopment of approximately 755 acres
as a Hotel Conference Center and/or other commercial-recreational uses
as permitted by zoning.
The CDA has
allocated a 62 acre portion of the site for a town recreational facility
and a plan has been developed and accepted by the town board to include
athletic fields, tennis courts, basketball and soccer facilities,
playground areas, restrooms, a community center with the possibility of
a pool and other amenities. A grant of $350,000 from New York State
Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation partially funded
the design and construction of a first phase of improvements which are
expected to be completed by early 2009. This will provide additional
baseball fields to augment the facilities available currently at Stotsky
Park.
Empire Zone
In 1997 an application was prepared and submitted by the CDA for
designation of the Calverton site as a NYS Empire Zone. This designation
was authorized in 1998 and has provided important NYS tax credits to
businesses locating at this facility. Specific benefits include:
· Sales Tax Exemptions:
Eligible projects are granted a 10-year exemption from state sales tax
on purchase of goods and services (including utilities) used
predominantly in such zones.
· Sales Tax Refund:
Purchases of building materials to be used for improvements to or
construction of commercial or industrial real property located in an
Empire Zone are eligible for a refund of New York State sales tax.
· Real Property Tax
Credit: Eligible projects are allowed a refundable
credit against business income taxes equal to a percentage of real
property taxes paid in the zone.
· Real Property Tax
Abatement: For projects not qualifying for the real
property tax credit, the Empire Zone may offer a tax abatement, based on
improvements to real property, for up to 10 years.
· Tax Reduction Credit:
Eligible projects are allowed a credit against business income taxes
equal to a percentage of taxes attributable to the zone enterprise.
· Wage Tax Credit:
This credit is available for up to five consecutive years for companies
hiring full-time employees in newly created jobs. The credit equals
$1,500 per year, or $3,000 per targeted employee per year.
· Empire Zone Investment
Tax and Employment Incentives Credit (ITC-EIC):
Businesses that create new jobs and make new investments in production,
property and equipment may qualify for tax credits of up to 19% of the
company’s eligible investment.
· New Business Refund:
Businesses new to NYS are entitled to a 50% cash refund of unused Empire
Zone Wage Tax Credits and Investment Tax Credits. Other businesses may
carry forward unused credits indefinitely.
· Zone Capital Credit:
A 25% tax credit against personal or corporate income taxes is available
for contributions to an approved community development project within
the Empire Zone or for a direct equity investment in a certified Zone
business.
· Utility Rate Discount:
Businesses that locate in an Empire Zone may be eligible for reduced
electric and gas rates through the local utility provider.
For more information contact Tracy Stark (631)727-3200 x373 or visit
www.riverheadzone.com.