Electric vehicle manufacturer Rivian seeks lease for Woodbury warehouse in pitch to Oyster Bay
The Woodbury site has been redeveloped as a 145,000-square-foot warehouse, said an attorney representing Rockefeller Group, which owns the property. Credit: Newsday/Howard Schnapp
A Woodbury warehouse owner has pitched the Town of Oyster Bay on a plan to lease part of its 9-acre property to Rivian, the electric vehicle manufacturer.
The Woodbury facility would become Rivian's first permanent service center on Long Island. The company would use 41,000 square feet of the warehouse to service vehicles. It will also store vehicles that customers have ordered online and had shipped to the center. The facility previously housed News 12 studios.
"We’ve redeveloped the site as a 145,000-square-foot warehouse," Philip Butler, an attorney representing Rockefeller Group, which owns the property, told Oyster Bay officials at a board meeting last month. Since finishing the renovation, the group has been searching for a new occupant, Butler said. "We are currently in discussions with Rivian."
The earliest the town can vote on the proposal is during its October meeting, said Marta Kane, a spokeswoman for Oyster Bay.
Rivian, founded in 2009, has three vehicle models: a commercial van, a pickup truck and a three-row SUV, but plans to expand its vehicle line. The pickup truck starts around $70,000, while the SUV starts at about $76,000, according to its website.
By the end of 2026, the company expects to add two more models at a lower price range, said Dan Vitale, who represented Rivian at the August board meeting.
For battery replacement repairs, Vitale said batteries are shipped from a factory to a service facility and remain at the location for a maximum of 72 hours. Batteries are otherwise not stored on site, he said.
Rivian previously had an exclusive deal with Amazon that provided the delivery giant with commercial vans, but the manufacturer in 2023 said it would allow other companies to buy the delivery vehicles.
Rivian shares surged sharply in late June after Volkswagen vowed to invest $1 billion in the company. Currently, the electric car manufacturer’s website indicates there are no service centers on Long Island, with the nearest facility in Brooklyn.
Greg Rakovsky, 40, of Oceanside, is on a waiting list for a Rivian vehicle. But he said the lack of a Long Island service center gives him pause.
"Right now, it would be a drive to downtown Brooklyn," Rakovsky said in an interview. "I think it’s critical for them to open on Long Island because there’s a pretty big market. I’m seeing two, three, four Rivians per day now."
There were nearly 65,000 electric vehicles on the road on Long Island as of Aug. 2, according to the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority. Tesla vehicles comprise the vast majority of that total, which included about 620 Rivian passenger vehicles.
The company's push for a lower price point — and a Long Island service center — should expand that total over time, said Rosemary Mascali, a chairwoman for the Drive Electric Long Island Coalition, a nonprofit advocacy group. Having a Long Island service facility should boost Rivian sales on Long Island.
"If you're going to buy a car from a manufacturer, I think it's an important element to know where you're going to service it," Mascali said. "And if the closest is in Brooklyn, I think that would be a blocking factor to people."
A Woodbury warehouse owner has pitched the Town of Oyster Bay on a plan to lease part of its 9-acre property to Rivian, the electric vehicle manufacturer.
The Woodbury facility would become Rivian's first permanent service center on Long Island. The company would use 41,000 square feet of the warehouse to service vehicles. It will also store vehicles that customers have ordered online and had shipped to the center. The facility previously housed News 12 studios.
"We’ve redeveloped the site as a 145,000-square-foot warehouse," Philip Butler, an attorney representing Rockefeller Group, which owns the property, told Oyster Bay officials at a board meeting last month. Since finishing the renovation, the group has been searching for a new occupant, Butler said. "We are currently in discussions with Rivian."
The earliest the town can vote on the proposal is during its October meeting, said Marta Kane, a spokeswoman for Oyster Bay.
Rivian, founded in 2009, has three vehicle models: a commercial van, a pickup truck and a three-row SUV, but plans to expand its vehicle line. The pickup truck starts around $70,000, while the SUV starts at about $76,000, according to its website.
By the end of 2026, the company expects to add two more models at a lower price range, said Dan Vitale, who represented Rivian at the August board meeting.
For battery replacement repairs, Vitale said batteries are shipped from a factory to a service facility and remain at the location for a maximum of 72 hours. Batteries are otherwise not stored on site, he said.
Rivian previously had an exclusive deal with Amazon that provided the delivery giant with commercial vans, but the manufacturer in 2023 said it would allow other companies to buy the delivery vehicles.
Rivian shares surged sharply in late June after Volkswagen vowed to invest $1 billion in the company. Currently, the electric car manufacturer’s website indicates there are no service centers on Long Island, with the nearest facility in Brooklyn.
Greg Rakovsky, 40, of Oceanside, is on a waiting list for a Rivian vehicle. But he said the lack of a Long Island service center gives him pause.
"Right now, it would be a drive to downtown Brooklyn," Rakovsky said in an interview. "I think it’s critical for them to open on Long Island because there’s a pretty big market. I’m seeing two, three, four Rivians per day now."
There were nearly 65,000 electric vehicles on the road on Long Island as of Aug. 2, according to the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority. Tesla vehicles comprise the vast majority of that total, which included about 620 Rivian passenger vehicles.
The company's push for a lower price point — and a Long Island service center — should expand that total over time, said Rosemary Mascali, a chairwoman for the Drive Electric Long Island Coalition, a nonprofit advocacy group. Having a Long Island service facility should boost Rivian sales on Long Island.
"If you're going to buy a car from a manufacturer, I think it's an important element to know where you're going to service it," Mascali said. "And if the closest is in Brooklyn, I think that would be a blocking factor to people."
More rain for LI ... Thanksgiving travel ... Penny trial continues ... FeedMe: Holiday pies
More rain for LI ... Thanksgiving travel ... Penny trial continues ... FeedMe: Holiday pies
