A new restaurant might open on East Main Street, according to Councilwoman Jodi Giglio.
She said at today’s work session the owners of the aquarium were thinking about a “Jedediah Hawkins-type” restaurant there.
The Long Island Aquarium’s parent company purchased vacant house at 428 E. Main St. last summer. At the time, L.I. Aquarium and Exhibition Center executive director Bryan DeLuca told RiverheadLOCAL the building would be razed and the lot used in the short term for much-needed parking.
“Nothing is set in stone, but we’ll probably look to build some retail space and apartments there in the future,” DeLuca said then.
He said today the company is exploring “all options right now.”
“It could be a restaurant, it could be a whole litany of things – we’re exploring every opportunity right for now.
“We will turn it into a business and we will create jobs,” he said.
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Town Board members have come to a tentative agreement on flyboarding legislation – again.
The board has been struggling since summer with drafting regulations to govern the new extreme water sport, which involves propelling people into the air with a high-perssure water hose, tethered to a jet ski or other personal water craft.
Flyboard Long Island began operating out of Treasure Cove Marina downtown last year, prompting noise complaints by neighbors and leading to the issuance of more than 40 summonses by the town bay constable. Neighbors and environmental advocates have also expressed concerns about potential environmental impacts of the activity, which churns the river bottom in the shallow cove with the force of the propulsion.
The proposed town code amendments would force the flyboard operation out of the Peconic River east of the Route 105 bridge.
Flyboarders would also need to stay at least 300 feet offshore and away from other water vessels, including other flyboarders. For commercial flyboarding operations only, an “observer” must be present to take responsibility for the rider’s safety, and this observer must have CPR certification.
Board members agreed to schedule a public hearing on the proposed code amendment at the Jan. 21 town board meeting.
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The town board met today with two prospective buyers for the East Lawn building on East Main Street.
Both Isabelle Gonzalez and Robert Castaldi submitted proposals to buy the building, which has fallen into disrepair under town ownership. The buyer should restore the historic building to its original “historic grandeur,” Supervisor Sean Walter said.
“This house needs substantial work,” he said. “I want this building to be handled beautifully.”
Castaldi, owner of Castle Restoration and Construction, has offered $150,000 for the property, which he would like renovate for commercial office use. Castaldi has extensive experience restoring historic buildings, including his recent restoration of the Suffolk Theater on East Main Street.
“It’s the challenge I do it for,” Castaldi said during the work session. “To me, these buildings are worth saving. They’re part of history.”
Gonzalez, owner of a destination marketing company called I’m A Ruralpolitan and member of the Riverhead BID Management Association board of directors, is offering $250,000 for the building. Gonzalez would like to keep the first floor as office space for its current tenants — the town historian and Riverhead Chamber of Commerce — and turn the second floor into a residential apartment for use by her sister, vice president of I’m A Ruralpolitan.
They would also be using some of the office space as headquarters for their company, which brings international travelers to rural areas of New York and would bring some of those tourists to visit Riverhead.
“The East End would be their first stop,” Gonzalez said.
Gonzalez’s proposal also offers a year of free rent for the building’s current tenants, followed by five years of rent priced at $18 per square foot. Castaldi said he was unsure if he could match this part of their proposal.
Walter said the board will wait 30 days to make a decision to give Castaldi and Gonzalez time to assess the estimated costs necessary to restore the house to its original state.
Correction: A previously published version of this story misstated the date of the next town board meeting. It is Jan. 21, not Jan. 20.
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