This morning Riverhead Town Supervisor Phil Cardinale made a presentation on the planning and restoration projects in Riverhead. There are a number of things being planned, including riverfront improvements, Calverton airport redevelopment, and Rt 58 transportation improvements.

    In the downtown Main Street, which is relatively small, there are plans for the restoration of the theater. Mr. Cardinale would like to see the parking be located on the north side of Main Street, leaving the riverfront available for park-like amenities. A three part zoning plan would accommodate retail, commercial, and residential uses in the downtown area.

    Much of the cost that would ordinarily be borne by the municipality, is being shouldered by the winning redevelopment company. That company, Apollo, is a multi-billion dollar company that will have an opportunity to earn back some of their outlay from other development companies that may appear in the next three years. This arrangement has been applauded by the supervisor because all the risk falls on the shoulders of the developer.

    Later in his presentation Mr Cardinale gave us some insight on the redevelopment of Calverton. There appears to be no attempt to destroy the excellent runways at the airport. We told him that this was important to us, because they can accommodate any size aircraft and would be essential if their were an emergency that warranted their use. The airport development will be multiple use. They expect to build out 7.5 million square feet in industrial park space, and commercial space.

   I asked about rail freight, and light rail for passenger movement. There has been some planning and thought on that issue, but other than a rail spur in Calverton, I did not get the impression that that planning had been given high priority.