Effort to halt Wading River development

About two dozen officials, environmentalists and residents said Thursday they had taken the first step toward stopping development of a 17.8-acre site at the end of Wading River's business district.

Speaking at the site, they said they should know within a year if their efforts have worked.

The property, owned by developer William Zoumas, is zoned for use as a shopping center, and his application to build it is working its way through Riverhead Town Hall.

But Thursday, Suffolk Legis. Edward P. Romaine (R-Center Moriches) said Zoumas has agreed to sell the land to the county instead, if a price can be agreed upon.

The agreement does not stop Zoumas from still trying to get approval for the shopping center. Romaine said such a dual-track effort was not unusual.

The developer's plans for a Central Square shopping center calls for 56,000 square feet of commercial or office space, including a 4,000-square-foot bank and a 5,000-square-foot restaurant.

Current zoning does not permit that much construction, but Zoumas could apply for additional density if he does not build homes on the part of the property zoned for residential use.

Romaine said that no purchase offer had been made by the county, because the price must be determined by a formal appraisal and review, which he said can take appraisers and attorneys six to 12 months. "We [the legislature] get involved at the beginning, then at the end," he said.

Project opponents such as Mike Harrigan say a shopping center would add to traffic problems in the area. Harrigan, a Wading River resident for 17 years and president of the community's civic association, said he has seen more and more businesses open on Route 25A until about half the busy road is built up.

"We're the gateway to the Town of Riverhead, and the gateway to wine country, and the gateway to the pumpkin season . . . it's very hard to deal with the traffic," he said, adding that having the property preserved rather than developed as a shopping center was "one less obstacle in the big picture."