Peconic Paddler Owners Scale Back Project, Ask To Tap Into Riverhead Sewer District

The developers behind a proposal to build a four-and-a-half-story hotel at the former site of the Peconic Paddler in Riverside have significantly scaled back their project to include only a single-story cafe.

Although the site plan application—which is currently before the Southampton Town Planning Board—still shows a hotel, featuring a rooftop bar overlooking Grangebel Park, the property owners have said that it is a “future hypothetical.”

The initial phase of the project includes renovating the Peconic Paddler building and constructing a new 24-seat coffee shop on the 4-acre property adjacent to the town’s waterfront park.

The Peconic Avenue site is located within the Town of Southampton and fully complies with zoning restrictions in the town code, according to property owner Tom Fredette, who said that the town asked the new owners to include phase two in the site plan so as to not fragment the review.

The new owners, Fredette Svendsen LLC—a group headed by Mr. Fredette, James Svendsen and Brendan Fredette, who bought the property from longtime owner Jim Dreeben in April 2017 for $700,000—are asking Riverhead Town officials for permission to temporarily tap into the municipality’s sewer system.

Mr. Fredette has estimated that the out-of-district connection would be needed for approximately five years—until Southampton Town’s planned 800,000-gallon sewer district serving the Riverside area is constructed. The hotel, phase two of the project, would be completed only once Southampton Town’s sewer system is up and running.

In the meantime, Mr. Fredette added, his company can proceed with phase one without the requested sewer connection by installing a low-nitrogen septic system. However, he stressed that due to the site’s proximity to the Peconic River, he would rather enter into an agreement to connect to the existing sewer system.

“We can build this—we can do it now,” Mr. Fredette said at a recent Riverhead Town Board work session. “It’s going to come. It’s just a question of trying to do the right thing for the environment.”

Under Suffolk County Department of Health standards, the proposed coffee shop would be permitted to handle roughly 600 gallons per day in sewer flow—a standard that Mr. Fredette said he is fully committed to.

Following concerns raised at the meeting by Riverhead Town Sewer District Superintendent Michael Reichel, who said that the numbers would be closer to 800 gallons per day, Mr. Fredette said that he is willing to scale down the project even further to adhere to the restrictions set forth by the Health Department.

Currently, Riverhead Town has one out-of-district sewer connection with the Suffolk County Center, jail and courts, from which the town has yet to receive any money this year, according to Councilwoman Jodi Giglio. “We’re having a hard time getting them to hold up to the agreement,” she said.

Board member Tim Hubbard shared her concerns at the meeting last week: “I’m not interested in opening up Pandora’s box and letting an outside agency connect to our sewer.”

In a letter addressed to the Town Board, the Riverhead Business Improvement District Management Association also expressed opposition to the sewer connection, arguing that the town’s sewer capacity should be prioritized for development in downtown Riverhead, rather than Southampton.

“The BIDMA would like to see Riverside move in a positive direction, but it should not be at the expense of downtown businesses and our revitalization efforts,” BIDMA President Steve Shaugher wrote.

Councilwoman Catherine Kent agreed: “You have to understand we have to give priority to our business owners.”

She recommended that the property owners meet with Mr. Shaugher, who also serves as the general manager of Hyatt Place Long Island on Main Street in Riverhead, on April 17 to discuss the project further.

Mr. Fredette argued at the recent work session, however, that the proposed project would bring more business to downtown Riverhead and further contribute to its revitalization.

“Having this is a business case for Riverhead, not for the business folks of Southampton, which is miles and miles away,” he said. “Whatever it is that you need to legally bind us to the extent that we are connected to the sewer district of Riverhead, we’ll give it to you. Having this in the most environmentally friendly way is better for everyone.”