Minor changes can boost downtown parking by 57 stalls, architect tells advisory group

A plan that would add about 57 parking stalls to existing municipal lots in downtown Riverhead “at minimal cost” was endorsed by the Riverhead parking district committee at a meeting in Town Hall Thursday afternoon.

Architect Martin Sendlewski sketched out proposed changes to the the lot lying north of East Main Street, between Roanoke and East avenues to show how removing several islands and reconfiguring the lanes of travel would add 47 new parking stalls in the lot.

An additional 10 stalls would be gained by undertaking similar measures in the south west portion of the riverfront parking lot south of East Main Street, Sendlewski said. He sketched those changes on a drawing of the riverfront parking lot.

Councilman John Dunleavy, town board liaison to the committee, said he would take the idea to the board for its approval.

Committee members also discussed a proposal to limit parking to three hours in 60 stalls in the northern portion of the riverfront parking lot, between Cody’s and Tweed’s restaurants, between the hours of 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. on weekdays.

The proposal is scheduled for a town board public hearing on Tuesday, April 16 at 7:15 p.m.

The restriction is needed, Dunleavy said, to preserve parking spaces nearest to the restaurants for restaurant patrons, with the Summerwind Square apartments and retail stores nearing completion. The concern is that residents in Summerwind’s 52 rental apartments might park their vehicles in those spots for extended periods, he said.

“We already have time limits in other places,” Dunleavy said, noting that stalls in the municipal lot behind Barth’s Drug Store are restricted to two-hour parking.

Summerwind partner Ray Dickhoff, at last week’s town board meeting, told board members the idea of time limits is not a real solution. Downtown needs increased parking capacity, Dickhoff said.

“Since 2003 you’ve had zoning for five-story buildings and a plan for 500 apartments downtown. If you have 750 parking spaces, that’s not enough,” Dickhoff said. “Every day you’re courting developers downtown. But in 10 years nothing’s been done to address the parking.”

In the past few years, the town has purchased a site on East Avenue as well as the former fire department site on Second Street with the idea of creating more downtown parking spaces. It also purchased a private parking lot between Maple and Union avenues for additional parking to serve the stores and restaurants in that area. But so far, the town hasn’t moved forward to develop new parking spaces in any of those locations. See parking district map, below.

Dunleavy suggested the district look into purchasing a vacant lot on Roanoke Avenue, opposite Railroad Street, which Suffolk County National Bank recently put on the market.

Not everyone agrees that there’s a parking shortage downtown.

“Yes, we do have a parking problem in downtown Riverhead,” parking district advisory committee member and former councilman Vic Prusinowski said yesterday.

“We have too many empty parking spaces all the time,” Prusinowski said.

He said now that downtown is becoming a tourist destination, the town needs to concentrate its effort on making visitors feel safe. The town needs to improve lighting and install the security cameras that had been discussed.

Committee member Ray Pickersgill said he will have three proposals for security cameras to present at the next advisory committee meeting.

“We’re putting new lights in the parking area behind the [Suffolk] theater,” Dunleavy said. He also noted that police are stationed in the area before and after each show.

“Police protection has been great,” Prusinowski said. In response to a spate of incidents, the police chief has reassigned extra patrols to the downtown area and has two officers on foot patrol downtown as well.

The parking district advisory committee advises the town board on matters pertaining to the downtown parking district, a special tax district, including maintenance, management and future development of areas within the district. The members of the town board sit as trustees of the district. Its members are representatives of property owners and tenants within the district boundaries.

In attendance at yesterday’s advisory committee meeting, in addition to the councilman, were: Pickersgill, owner of Robert James Salon and president of the Riverhead Business Improvement District Management Association; Prusinowski, manager at Cody’s BBQ; Kim Folks, events manager at the Suffolk Theater; Edwin Tuccio, owner of Tweed’s Restaurant; Vincent Cangiano, VP, Suffolk County National Bank. Also in attendance were Sendlewski and Deputy Supervisor Jill Lewis.

Photo captions (from top): 1. These islands in the municipal parking lot on the north side of East Main Street, near East Avenue, would be removed in a parking lot configuration that would add 47 new parking stalls, if a plan endorsed by the parking advisory committee meeing is approved by the town board. 2. Parking stalls to the north of the light posts in the Peconic Riverfront parking lot would be designated as a three-hour zone under a proposal going to a public hearing on April 16.  RiverheadLOCAL photos by Denise Civiletti

Downtown Riverhead Public Parking Lots