Dan's Papers - July 11, 2008 - Major Development Could Revive Flanders

A development planned for nearly 65 acres along Route 24, including the site of an abandoned drive-in movie theater in Flanders, could rejuvenate and unite Flanders with the nearby communities of Riverside and Northampton.

The creation of the Riverside Hamlet Center, a plan spearheaded by Southampton Town, would create a vibrant, 24/7 environment by bringing to the area affordable housing, offices, stores and, hopefully, a 15,000-square-foot supermarket. So far, nothing like this exists in the area.

"That area has been rundown for some time and nobody wants to go there," said Southampton Town Councilman Dan Russo. "Every hamlet has its own hamlet center, but Riverside doesn't. We hope to give the community its own face." Russo said that in addition to the supermarket, he hopes to eventually see the justice court and police department come to the planned complex to anchor the community.

But this isn't the only plan that could rejuvenate a decrepit area. Another planned development is Rivercatwalk (eight years in the making), a hotel/conference center on about 19 acres, which is also slated for the Route 24 area in Riverside. Another project, which would be on the site of the former home of the Riverboat Diner located in the Riverhead traffic circle, might include a Bridgehampton National Bank or an International House of Pancakes (IHOP), which residents prefer. Both businesses are duking it out for location rights. And, if all goes well for the area, Five Towns College, which owns nearby radio towers, could create more of a presence there with a satellite campus for extension classes and a new home for its graduate programs.

"It would boost up the whole area in there," said Michael Brewer, president of the Flanders, Riverside and Northampton Civic Association. These developments would be convenient for residents of the area who don't want to make the trip up to the traffic horror of Country Road 58. "It would create an identity and services for all of us. Not everyone wants to go up to 58 and deal with that craziness."

The town has been planning to redevelop the area since 1999, as part of its overall master plan. In 2003, the town completed the Flanders/Northampton/Riverside Revitalization Study. The revitalization of the area began last year, with the relocation of the Big Duck to its original site on Route 24, a move that utilized money from the Community Preservation Fund. "We got the Big Duck back," said Brewer, who said parks in the area have been fixed up. "Now we need to get some retail services. Between the old drive-in, the catwalk, IHOP and other plans, it could revive the area."

The creation of hamlet business districts, most notably the Riverside Hamlet Center, is a major component of the study. Not only would local retailers and commercial businesses be drawn to the area, but there would also be a pedestrian walkway connecting the center to the Riverhead downtown area, as well as to local schools. "Once the plan gets going and the area gets cleared up, businesses are going to want to come to this area," Russo said. For this project, new streets will be created in order to limit the traffic impact on Route 24, new open spaces will emerge and an independent sewage treatment system will be implemented.

The plan for the hamlet center is still in the beginning stages, however, and the first public hearing on the matter was held at the end of June. The first thing the town needs to do in order to make this happen is change the zoning for the site, which is currently zoned for Light Industrial. Zoning would need to be changed so that the site will fall under the Riverside Hamlet Center Mixed Use Planned Development District. Russo says the legislation for the zone change is currently before the town board and could be voted on by the end of the summer, which could quickly move the project along. "It's a matter of the town providing the zone changes necessary to allow the property to develop," he said. "There's no reason this shouldn't move forward."