Grant to help clean up Riverside site

Southampton received a $236,900 grant from the state to revitalize a blighted portion of Riverside, the state announced on Thursday.

The money will be used to complete a plan for the 468 acres that includes 15 brownfield sites.

The Town of Southampton and Suffolk County have been working on plans to renew the area, next to Riverhead. That includes plans to build a pedestrian bridge over the Peconic River, connecting Riverside to Riverhead, a core 11-acre business area and a sewage-treatment plant.

“This is terrific news and precisely the kind of grant we need to further our revitalization efforts in Riverside,” Southampton Supervisor Anna Throne-Holst said in a statement.

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced $10 million in grants for “Brownfield Opportunity Areas” for 26 communities in the state where development has been hampered by the polluted areas.

Riverside is one of the poorest areas of Southampton. The town is seeking a master developer from the private sector to help develop the area.