Riverhead to study Route 25A corridor

In an effort to see if zoning in Wading River should be changed to deal with growth in the community, the Riverhead Town Board voted Tuesday to spend $44,000 on a study of the Route 25A corridor from the Brookhaven town line to Sound Avenue.

The town hired BFJ Planning of Manhattan to hold a series of community workshops and then prepare potential changes in the town master plan and proposed zoning changes.

Councilwoman Jodi Giglio cast the only no vote, saying that two earlier studies had provided sufficient information.

“We should be looking at that ...      we should be doing it in-house instead of spending another $44,000,” she said. “It makes no sense to me.”

But Councilman James Wooten pointed out that the corridor is one of the fastest-growing areas in Riverhead Town and that Brookhaven Town recently did a similar study of Route 25A on its side of the town line.

“It’s been more than 22 years since the town has taken a hard look at this area,” he said. “Over the last 10 years, it’s changed.”

The contract calls for BFJ to have representatives at five town board hearings or work sessions, at $2,000 per session, and conduct a required State Environmental Quality Review for proposed zoning changes.