NY Grants $10M for Downtown Riverhead Revitalization

New York State officials issued $10 million in Downtown Revitalization Initiative award grants to fund eight projects intended to revitalize the downtown Town of Riverhead, officials announced on Tuesday.

The awards will enhance streetscapes and public spaces, expand arts and cultural activity as well as increase housing and business opportunities in the region, officials said.

“These investments will create a more walkable, vibrant downtown that will benefit generations of New Yorkers who call Riverhead home,” Gov. Kathy Hochul said. “

The state awarded another $10 million in DRI to the Village of Amityville the same day. 

In Riverhead, the DRI grants that fund public spaces are $3.2 million for the project to build a new town square connecting Main Street and the Peconic Riverfront with a park, $245,000 for a playground at Peconic Park, $750,000 to improve pedestrian safety on Main Street and $250,000 to construct a floating boat launch facility in the Peconic River with space to maneuver and launch crew boats.

Riverhead’s DRI grants for cultural facilities are $250,000 to have local artists build permanent public artwork downtown, $2 million to expand The Suffolk theater and $215,000 to build a new entrance and welcome center for the library.

And Riverhead’s DRI grants for housing and business opportunities are $2.7 million to create a new mixed-used development consisting of workforce housing and retail/commercial space lining a public parking structure on Griffing Avenue.

“For millions around the world, this is the season for believing,” Riverhead Supervisor Yvette Aguiar said. “Thank you Governor Hochul, for believing in the future of downtown Riverhead.”

Renderings of all the downtown Riverhead revitalization projects can be found here.