Summerwind Square Expected to Break Ground in Two Weeks

Summerwind Square, a proposed 8,000 square foot apartment complex on Peconic Avenue, is set to break ground in the next couple of weeks, Councilwoman and investor Jodi Giglio said.

The private $4 million project, which has been in the works for over two years and includes 52 apartments and a restaurant, was planned to break ground in mid-July, but the starting date was pushed back due to the poor economy, she said. The project will be built on the property next to the Vail-Leavitt Music Hall, formerly the site of Club 91.

Giglio said the project should bring about 100 construction workers to the site every day for the year-long construction period at the site.

"We want to get it going," she said, adding that "Bridgehampton National Bank has partnered with us for this great project, as has the county."

Two hundred and ninety-four people from Riverhead alone have already asked to fill the 52 apartments of workforce housing at Summerwind, Giglio said. The  housing will be offered to Riverhead residents first, Giglio said, with the requirement that a tenant's income not exceed 80 percent of the median annual income for Suffolk County, roughly $60,000 a year for single renters.

She added that parking shouldn't be a concern, since the parking requirements for Summerwind are less than those required for the old Club 91. The leaders of the project also don't expect Summerwind to add any school children to district schools.

Giglio, whose three oldest children have moved away from Long Island due to high taxes and rent, said the project is an important way to revitalize downtown while keeping young adults from leaving Riverhead.

"We hope to keep our youth here so we can continue to get volunteers for our fire departments and our ambulance corps, have kids stay close to home, near Mom and Dad," she said. The official start date of the construction will hopefully be announced shortly, Giglio said.