Residents Question Wading River Development

Residents fearful about burgeoning development in Wading River brought their concerns to the Riverhead Town board Tuesday night.

Dominique Mendez, president of the Riverhead Neighborhood Preservation Coalition Inc, stepped up the podium during the public portion of Tuesday night's town board meeting to ask about a proposal for the North Shore Country Plaza, a project proposed on the Condzella/Partridge family property for a three-building shopping center, including restaurants, that would be sited on the north side of New York State Route 25A in Wading River.

"This is very alarming," Mendez said.

The matter is scheduled for discussion at a Riverhead Town planning board meeting Thursday night.

Riverhead Town Supervisor Sean Walter said the concensus of the board is to move forward on proposed zoning changes. "If we move forward as I think the board is planning to, that shopping center ain't gonna happen," he said.

The proposed shopping center, Mendez said, is approximately 45,000 square feet and includes two restaurants. Of particular concern, Mendez said, is one proposed building that she said would be over 22,000 square feet, or nearly five times the size of a CVS across the street, that would be built on "prime agricultural land."

Her concerns center on the possibility "that the town board will allow yet another shopping center to move forward in Wading River," Mendez said. She added that "since the town board to halt the progress of these projects" while conducting a Wading River corridor study, the town "has approved Knightland," a project proposed by developer Kenn Barra, "and has backed off rezoning the Zoumas parcel," a project called Central Square, just east of the CVS shopping center, citing that progress was too far along on the project.

Mendez said residents were fearful the town board would use the same rationale to "back off their supposed concensus to rezone that parcel so it could only be developed with condos or offices." 

A cumulative impact study is necessary, as well as an environmental review, Mendez said. "To say that these projects have no relation to each other is absurd," Mendez said. 

One prime concern, she said, was that the town board would approve the over-22,000 square foot building when the intent of the zoning in place was to limit buildings in that area to 10,000 square feet; something the board said was being fixed in the wording of the town code.

Mendez said she did not understand why the town's planning board was even formally reviewing the project when it did not meet town code requirement; under rural neighborhood business zoning, or BCR, a small cluster of at least four buildings is required and the current plan for the proposed shopping center has only three, she said.

"Why is planning putting this on the schedule prematurely?" Mendez asked.

Walter said the planning board it would be "improper" for the planning board not to process the application.

Mendez said "you would think" that the traditional pre-submission conferences would have been held to discuss code requirement such as the four building cluster.

"You would think," Walter said.

Mendez told the board that while a was commendable, "If this town board doesn't move foward in adopting zoning and code changes, you're likely to put yourself in a position to do very little to improve the future of Wading River."

Sid Bail, Wading River Civic Association president, said he shared many of Mendez' concerns. He said he thought the intent of the Wading River corridor study financed by the town would be to consider the amount of business allowed on Route 25A.

Recently, he said, a resident came up to him concerned about a letter he had received from the developers of the proposed shopping center.

Walter said one problem is that he and others from the town have spent a lot of time in Albany working on Enterprise Park at Calverton issues. "We've been pushing very hard on EPCAL, but you can't do everything."

The supervisor said the Wading River corridor study would be discussed at a town board work session on Thursday.

Nick DiPierro of Wading River was also concerned about traffic on Route 25A. "I don't carry that much weight here but I would like to have some input. Route 25A is very congested." DiPierro suggested the town consider petitioning the state to lower the speed limit in the business district, similar to what was done in Mattituck on Route 25.

Councilman John Dunleavy assured him his concerns would be addressed. "You do have a voice here," he said.

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