Full
Submission for June 10 hearing on Peconic Hotel
by John McAuliff
It will not surprise you that I urge the Town Board to reject
Mr. Petrocelli’s special permit and site plan applications. My skepticism has only increased as we arrive
at this penultimate stage. I have come
to think of this hotel as Riverhead’s version of the Trump ballroom, too big,
too flashy and an insult to our heritage. The destruction of Craft’d is
not as consequential as the demolition of the East Wing, but the arrogant
spirit is analogous.
There are two reasons I urge you to stop this runaway train:
1)
The
process that brings us to tonight has been badly flawed
2)
The hotel
will have a terrible impact on the Town Square and downtown Riverhead
First, I have detailed in my submission to the Master
Developer Qualified and Eligible hearing and the eminent domain hearing for
Craft’d, the four year process in which the board and the director of
development decided without real public discussion the key question of whether
the people of Riverhead, instead of “open vistas from Main Street to the
Peconic River”, wanted another five story box separating Main Street from
the Peconic River. Suffice to say, a
hotel was not part of, in fact contrary to, the extensive civic discussions of
the Pattern Book and the Comprehensive Plan.
Although not legally required, it is significant that at no
stage was a public competitive bid process utilized. Instead insiders talked to insiders. By the time decisions were made, the hotel
was presented as a fait accompli justified by the advice of a hired
consultant. The closed system of one
party small town politics made a significant campaign donor the only game in
town. Tonight we will be told that the
agenda is narrow and implementational.
The public may raise deeper questions, but there is little reason to
believe they will be heard or affect the decision.
The expressed goal in resolution 399 adopted on August 4,
2020, was “creation of a public gathering space with pedestrian connectivity
and open vistas from Main Street to the Peconic River, together with
encouragement and pursuit of private financing, public and private
partnership(s), federal, state and local funding, subsidies and capital grants
to design and construct commercial and retail uses compatible with public space
all consistent with the urban renewal policies and goals recited above”.
There was no hint of a hotel in the resolution or of
reselling part of the land until after Mr. Petrocelli proposed informally his
two building hotel and condo project fifteen months later, October 18,
2021. It is clear from the original town announcement seven months
earlier, March 22, 2021, and even from the first description by the director of
development six months after Petrocelli’s proposal, April 14, 2022, that the
Sigal Craft’d building would be modified but not replaced. The town square was
initially conceived as a singular concept to provide open vistas with several
public and potentially private functions within it. The argument
that was later introduced of hotel rooms being the most remunerative private
space made the assumption that the goal was financial gain, even if that were
at the cost of public utility. If that choice was debated
privately, the public was not informed.
Second, the character of the hotel has evolved. In 2022 it was to be four stories, compatible
with the pattern book. Then it became
five stories with 76 hotel rooms and twelve condominiums on the top floor. At least condominiums brought the benefit of
upper range housing for long term downtown residents. Instead they have added 18
rooms for additional transient visitors.
The hotel takes as much space as the Town Square, it will
occupy 18,480 square feet vs 19,939 sq ft for the town square. Its
five modern stories overwhelm and dominate the three story art deco Suffolk
Theater. It hides the historic 19th
century buildings of the East End Arts Council and blocks sunlight to its
galleries. The amphitheater will not be
visible from Main Street.
“Parking for
guests/patrons will be provided at designated offsite location(s) in accordance
with the Master Developer Agreement. These spaces will be located behind the
Suffolk Theater and eventually be carried over to the First Street Parking
Garage once the garage is completed”
Presumably those are reserved spaces. Will they be
located right behind the theater or at the far end of the lot, the north and
west sections? Who has priority for convenience, the patrons of the
Suffolk, Maximus Gym, Robert James Salon and Goldberg’s deli or transient hotel
visitors?
Hotel guests coming directly from the LIE will line up at
the hotel entrance on the south side of Main Street, hopefully without needing
to double park. Folks coming from the
east via routes 105 and 25, or coming south on Roanoke who are required to turn
east before Main Street, will be driving west and have to make a U turn across
traffic to access the hotel.
The premise that a luxury hotel with a fancy restaurant will
lead many families to stay in town after a visit to the aquarium is
dubious. The Science Center that the Board is also
determined to destroy for private profit provides a far better motive to walk
down Main Street. An East End Arts
Council whose historic buildings are not hidden between Summerwind and the
hotel is also a bigger aesthetic draw. Local
restaurants are hoping that hotel clients will become their customers, but Mr.
Petrocelli is not likely to welcome that loss of business from in house facilities.
And there is also a legal question. Mr. Russo tonight referred several times to
the hotel adjoining the “town park”. He
is correct with the clear implication that the property where the hotel is
being built was taken from the same town park.
That should require special procedures under New York State law about
the alienation of public park land to private owners.
Finally, there is a different path still available if you
have the vision and courage to take it.
I asked to show slides just as did proponents for the hotel but was
denied equal opportunity. So the best I
can do is show this expensive color print.
(attached below for the record)
My point is that as a rank amateur I was able to create with
ChatGPT attractive alternatives for a Town Square without a hotel that is far
more resident friendly. I suspect that
if you polled the people of Riverhead, many would prefer that option, which
corresponds better to the original goal, “open vistas from Main Street to the
Peconic River”
Submitted by John McAuliff, Roanoke Landing, Riverhead
Riverhead Watch
jmcauliff@gmail.com
For
additional reference
“Underlying Problems of the Town Square Hotel”
Responses to October 23, 2025 Town Board Work Session
Denunciation of Critics
https://saveepcal.blogspot.com/2025/11/town-board-attacks-critics.html
“Submissions to the Q & E for Joseph Petrocelli” https://saveepcal.blogspot.com/2025/08/submissions-on-q-e-for-petrocelli.html
Appendix of
three pictures with annotation
This is as close as I could come to the existing features on
ChatGPT. Proportions are wrong and the
buildings are notional but it provides a good sense of community space..
This is a more imaginative version produced by ChatGPT
This is the current Petrocelli plan. Note that the three story art deco Suffolk
Theater is completely overshadowed by the massive modern five story hotel box and
the historic buildings of the East End Arts Council are hidden. The amphitheater will not be visible from
Main Street.
Study the pictures and decide which best illustrates
the kind of Town Square most appropriate as a permanent defining fixture of
Riverhead. Tell the Town Board how you
feel. The Supervisor announced the hearing
record will remain open until June 20th, but to be safe send your
e-mail submission by Friday, June 19th.
