New West Main Street Apartment House Plan Takes Shape

A new apartment house could be coming soon to West Main Street in Riverhead.

Riverhead architect Martin Sendlewski came before the Riverhead Town board at their weekly work session Thursday to discuss plans for Blue River Estates, a five-story apartment complex proposed to be built by the Tricon Development. 

The apartment house would featue 48 one and two-bedroom units, with the one-bedroom units averaging around 900 square feet. Each unit would have one-and-a-half baths, a laundry room and walk-in closets.

The project would feature an atrium and a glass elevator, Sendlewski said. Parking would be available beneath the building.

Sited where the Long Island Science Center now stands, the goal would be to raze that building and construct the new apartment building, with the Long Island Science Center finding a new location in Riverhead.

The new building, Sendlewski said, could help bolster downtown Riverhead, creating a need for additional retail and promoting foot traffic.

"Main Street is not known for destination retail, so we need to put people in there," Councilman Jim Wooten said.

"This is what we need," Riverhead Town Supervisor Sean Walter said.

The supervisor asked about the height of the buillding; Sendlewski said the structure would comply with the town's zoning code and measure approximately 60 feet.

Walter said he'd like to expedite the project and set up a joint presubmission meeting with the town and the county.

"I'd like to move on this as quickly as possible," he said.

The goal, Sendlewski said, would be to break ground on the project by June, with completion expected in March or April of 2014.

The new building, Councilman John Dunleavy said, would help mitigate problems that now exist with people "hanging out" in the parking lot out back.

Runoff from the site would be maintained by the facility; a rain garden in the atrium might be one good way to do that, Councilwoman Jodi Giglio suggested.