Rivian service center plan approved for Woodbury at former News 12 studios
1 Media Crossways in Woodbury, the proposed site for a Rivian customer pickup and service center. Credit: Newsday / Howard Schnapp
The Town of Oyster Bay approved a plan to convert a Woodbury warehouse into a service center for Rivian, the electric carmaker.
The town board voted 7-0 on Tuesday to allow Rivian to use part of a 145,000-square-foot warehouse to service its vehicles. Customers that buy the vehicles online will be able to pick up their vehicles at the service center. Rivian's nearest service center is in Brooklyn.
Rivian, founded in 2009, plans to use 41,000 square feet of the site — the former News 12 studios — to work on vehicles and service battery replacements. The Rockefeller Group, which owns the 9-acre property, had sought a special use permit for the plan.
"We welcome Rivian’s multimillion dollar investment in our Town and the jobs they’ll create for our community," Oyster Bay Supervisor Joseph Saladino said in a statement.
Rivian declined to comment on the town’s approval.
Close to 65,000 electric vehicles traveled Long Island roads in August, according to state data. Nearly all of them were Tesla vehicles, while Rivian had more than 600 vehicles on the road, according to the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority.
The company has not provided a timeline for the service center's opening.
Dan Vitale, who represented Rivian at the town’s August board meeting when the proposal was presented, said then that batteries would be shipped directly from an outside factory and stored in Woodbury for 72 hours at most.
The company has three vehicle models, including a pickup truck with prices starting at $70,000 and an SUV that starts at about $76,000, according to Rivian’s website.
Vitale said the company expects to introduce additional models at a lower price range by the end of 2026.
The Town of Oyster Bay approved a plan to convert a Woodbury warehouse into a service center for Rivian, the electric carmaker.
The town board voted 7-0 on Tuesday to allow Rivian to use part of a 145,000-square-foot warehouse to service its vehicles. Customers that buy the vehicles online will be able to pick up their vehicles at the service center. Rivian's nearest service center is in Brooklyn.
Rivian, founded in 2009, plans to use 41,000 square feet of the site — the former News 12 studios — to work on vehicles and service battery replacements. The Rockefeller Group, which owns the 9-acre property, had sought a special use permit for the plan.
"We welcome Rivian’s multimillion dollar investment in our Town and the jobs they’ll create for our community," Oyster Bay Supervisor Joseph Saladino said in a statement.
Rivian declined to comment on the town’s approval.
Close to 65,000 electric vehicles traveled Long Island roads in August, according to state data. Nearly all of them were Tesla vehicles, while Rivian had more than 600 vehicles on the road, according to the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority.
The company has not provided a timeline for the service center's opening.
Dan Vitale, who represented Rivian at the town’s August board meeting when the proposal was presented, said then that batteries would be shipped directly from an outside factory and stored in Woodbury for 72 hours at most.
The company has three vehicle models, including a pickup truck with prices starting at $70,000 and an SUV that starts at about $76,000, according to Rivian’s website.
Vitale said the company expects to introduce additional models at a lower price range by the end of 2026.
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