The president of the Riverhead Chamber of Commerce said concerns regarding revitalization plans for a portion of the downtown area have been addressed by the Town of Riverhead.
Prior to a Riverhead Town Board meeting on July 2, Connie Lassandro, the president of the Riverhead Chamber of Commerce, wrote a letter stating concerns from many businesses about the location of a proposed park in the plans for a town square.
They said it would obstruct the views from restaurants and businesses of the Peconic River, defeating the purpose of the revitalization efforts to connect Main Street to the waterfront area.
The town square would be built between East Main Street and Heidi Behr Way, an area of town that is currently a parking lot.
On Wednesday, a public meeting was held where design concerns were addressed about the upcoming project.
Lassandro she attended via Zoom and said she believed it answered questions businesses had surrounding the revitalization efforts and issued this statement:
"The Riverhead Chamber of Commerce DOES NOT take a stand either for or against the proposed adaptive playground. We forwarded a letter to the Town Board at the request of some of our member businesses downtown expressing their concerns to offer feedback prior to the public information session. We have always worked collaboratively with the Town Board and Community Development Agency and will continue to do so. We appreciate all their hard work and procurement of grants in order to revitalize our beautiful, historic Downtown."
The town board said construction will begin next year on the town square.