Riverside revitalization plan gets boost from $5M sewer project grant
A rendering of what the Riverside area could look like after a revitalization plan, which local officials say got a boost recently because of a $5 million federal grant to help build a sewer system, is seen here. Credit: Town of Southampton / Riverside Rediscovered
Plans to revitalize the long-impoverished hamlet of Riverside will get a boost from a $5 million grant the federal government recently gave Southampton Town to put toward a sewer system that could spur investment and development in the area, according to local officials.
The grant funds, part of the federal omnibus bill, have been earmarked for a two-phase sewer system project that's seen as the linchpin of the Riverside Action Plan — a vision for revitalization incorporated into the zoning code in 2015.
Phase one of the project involves construction of a sewer plant, infrastructure and pumping stations while phase two would connect an estimated 682 pipes needed for the sewer system, according to town officials.
Janice Scherer, Southampton’s planning and development administrator, told Newsday that while the costs of the sewer system are roughly $40 million, the new grant money will be a catalyst for pushing the project forward.
“It will work to not only facilitate new development, but a major part of the plan is to connect existing development so that the burden on the Peconic Estuary is decreased greatly,” Scherer said.
A sewer system would provide environmental benefits by reducing the amount of nitrogen loading into the Peconic Estuary by 4,924 pounds per year, according to town estimates.
From a business standpoint, a sewer system is key to fostering the proposed high-density and mixed-use development throughout the Flanders-Riverside business corridor along Flanders Road, according to town officials and civic groups.
They say such a system would prompt investment such as the construction of new buildings while also supporting existing development in the hamlet, which traditionally has suffered from blight, degraded housing stock and crime.
Angela Hunealt, vice president of the Flanders Riverside and Northampton Civic Association, told Newsday the grant “continues to fuel the hope for the revitalization of Riverside.”
Hunealt, who works for Riverside Rediscovered, a company helping in the redevelopment of the area, added: “Without a sewer district, there is no revitalization. Everybody here is on cesspools. The capacity that is needed for the action plan couldn’t go on the little systems that are there now."
The town previously received $250,000 through Suffolk County’s Water Quality Improvement Program to put toward a hamlet sewer system.
Looking ahead, the town is working on a map and plan for the sewer district and applying for several grants, including seeking $10 million from the state in order to raise the rest of the project funds, according to Scherer.
If funding comes through, she said the town “hopefully” could request bids for construction by next year.
Plans to revitalize the long-impoverished hamlet of Riverside will get a boost from a $5 million grant the federal government recently gave Southampton Town to put toward a sewer system that could spur investment and development in the area, according to local officials.
The grant funds, part of the federal omnibus bill, have been earmarked for a two-phase sewer system project that's seen as the linchpin of the Riverside Action Plan — a vision for revitalization incorporated into the zoning code in 2015.
Phase one of the project involves construction of a sewer plant, infrastructure and pumping stations while phase two would connect an estimated 682 pipes needed for the sewer system, according to town officials.
Janice Scherer, Southampton’s planning and development administrator, told Newsday that while the costs of the sewer system are roughly $40 million, the new grant money will be a catalyst for pushing the project forward.
“It will work to not only facilitate new development, but a major part of the plan is to connect existing development so that the burden on the Peconic Estuary is decreased greatly,” Scherer said.
A sewer system would provide environmental benefits by reducing the amount of nitrogen loading into the Peconic Estuary by 4,924 pounds per year, according to town estimates.
From a business standpoint, a sewer system is key to fostering the proposed high-density and mixed-use development throughout the Flanders-Riverside business corridor along Flanders Road, according to town officials and civic groups.
They say such a system would prompt investment such as the construction of new buildings while also supporting existing development in the hamlet, which traditionally has suffered from blight, degraded housing stock and crime.
Angela Hunealt, vice president of the Flanders Riverside and Northampton Civic Association, told Newsday the grant “continues to fuel the hope for the revitalization of Riverside.”
Hunealt, who works for Riverside Rediscovered, a company helping in the redevelopment of the area, added: “Without a sewer district, there is no revitalization. Everybody here is on cesspools. The capacity that is needed for the action plan couldn’t go on the little systems that are there now."
The town previously received $250,000 through Suffolk County’s Water Quality Improvement Program to put toward a hamlet sewer system.
Looking ahead, the town is working on a map and plan for the sewer district and applying for several grants, including seeking $10 million from the state in order to raise the rest of the project funds, according to Scherer.
If funding comes through, she said the town “hopefully” could request bids for construction by next year.
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