Riverhead Town Board members repeatedly defended a proposed eminent domain taking of the former Swezey’s building Wednesday night during a contentious public hearing that exposed sharp divisions over the future of downtown redevelopment, the town square project and the Long Island Science Center’s stalled plans for the property.
The nearly three-hour hearing on the proposed condemnation of 111 E. Main St. frequently blurred the line between public testimony and board debate, with board members openly rebutting critics, questioning speakers and arguing the merits of the taking from the dais.
Town officials argued the long-vacant building is a critical piece of the town square project and must be brought under town control to ensure proper flood mitigation and “activation” of the downtown public space. Opponents countered that the town had failed to identify a specific public use for the property and accused officials of using eminent domain powers to advance broader redevelopment interests.
“This is not about the science center,” Council Member Bob Kern said during the hearing. “This is about the blighted building at 111 East Main Street.”
The hearing was held under New York’s Eminent Domain Procedure Law, which requires municipalities to hold a public hearing before condemning private property. No decision was made Wednesday on whether to proceed with condemnation. The board voted at the end of the hearing to close oral testimony while leaving the record open for written comments for 10 days.
The property was purchased in 2020 by A Place for Learning Inc., a nonprofit corporation that operates as the Long Island Science Center, for a proposed downtown science center and planetarium project. Town officials initially supported the plan enthusiastically as part of the broader downtown revitalization effort.
Community Development Director Dawn Thomas outlined the town’s case for acquisition in a lengthy presentation tracing more than 30 years of downtown revitalization planning.
Thomas said the town square project — now advancing with millions in state funding and a planned hotel development by master developer J. Petrocelli Riverhead Town Square LLC — depends on activating both sides of the new public gathering space.
She said the science center’s original 2020 proposal for a roughly 24,000-square-foot facility with a planetarium, restaurant, gallery and retail uses facing the square aligned with those goals. But she said the project repeatedly shrank over time and failed to advance despite years of extensions and support from the town.
“What came to light at that meeting, and through further research, was that the entity was experiencing financial difficulties and could not promise that the funding was available,” Thomas said, referring to an April work session where the science center presented revised plans.
Source: RiverheadLOCAL
