Riverhead Moves Closer to Seizing Stalled Science Center Site

Riverhead Town Board closed the public comment period Wednesday on its proposed condemnation of 111 E. Main St., the former Swezey's department store building long designated as the future home of the Long Island Science Center, as a nearly three-hour hearing exposed sharp divisions over the town's direction for its downtown.

The board voted to close oral testimony on the proceeding under New York State's Eminent Domain Procedure Law while leaving the written record open for 10 days. A final decision on whether to formally proceed with seizure of the property is expected once that comment period closes.

Town officials argued the building at 111 E. Main St. is in an unsafe condition requiring a complete structural overhaul and that the Long Island Science Center has not demonstrated the funding necessary to complete the project after years of delays. Environmental consultants retained by the town added that the parcel is a critical component of a flood mitigation system tied to an integrated redevelopment of the block, which also encompasses a planned hotel, a town square improvement and a proposed arts campus.

The Science Center's representatives responded at the hearing with a revised phased plan, targeting a ground-floor public opening by fall 2026. Supporters in the hearing room argued the town was pursuing condemnation without a clear replacement plan, and that seizing the building before the nonprofit had delivered on its revised commitment was premature. Critics from the other side questioned whether extended inaction on a blighted downtown building served anyone.

"We've been waiting for this building to open since before my kids were born," said one Riverhead resident during public comment. "Now you want to take it away before they've had a chance to see what it could become."

The condemnation process has a long backstory. The Long Island Science Center has sought a permanent home on the East End for years. In 2025, the Town Board held off on seizure after the Science Center presented a two-phase expansion proposal, earning a temporary reprieve. That plan did not materially advance, and the town reintroduced condemnation proceedings in early 2026, with a 3-2 board vote in April authorizing the formal public hearing held this week.

The split vote that set the hearing reflects genuine disagreement on the board. Two members have argued that proceeding without a defined alternative tenant or plan risks leaving the parcel vacant or tied up in court for years. The three affirmative votes have framed continued inaction on a blighted central property as its own cost to the surrounding blocks and to the town's broader redevelopment ambitions.

Riverhead's downtown has seen new investment in recent years, with restaurants and retail opening along East Main Street and along the waterfront corridor north of the railroad tracks. Science Center supporters pointed to those openings at the hearing as evidence the neighborhood is recovering and that a museum anchoring the most prominent vacant building on the block would accelerate that momentum further.

The 111 E. Main St. building is the former home of Swezey's, a family department store that anchored Riverhead's Main Street for generations before it closed. The building has sat vacant since, becoming one of the most visible symbols of the town's ongoing effort to revitalize its downtown core.

Written comments on the condemnation proceeding can be submitted to Riverhead Town Hall, 200 Howell Ave., through June 2. The full board meets again June 3.