Smithtown taps Tritec of East Setauket for downtown revitalization push

Smithtown has tapped the company behind projects in Ronkonkoma, Bay Shore, Lindenhurst and Patchogue to revitalize its downtown, including by helping bring in sewers and making it more walkable.

Tritec, of East Setauket, will rely on community input before finalizing details of the plan, Chris Kelly, vice president of marketing for Tritec, said in an interview Friday. The project's cost has not yet been determined, he said.

The development will be guided by the town's comprehensive master plan, which is scheduled to be adopted by April, said Smithtown Supervisor Ed Wehrheim.

While there are no definite boundaries for the project yet, the development area will likely be limited to the “triangle” between Main Street to the south, Landing Avenue to the east and the Long Island Rail Road tracks to the north and extending as far west as Town Hall, according to Peter Hans, the town's planning director.

Wehrheim said the area can offer quick access to the business district while being close to the LIRR station.

“It's a perfect location for transit-oriented development,” Wehrheim said. “We're trying to find locations primarily in or near the business district. And we're fortunate in Smithtown because Kings Park, Saint James and Smithtown have a Long Island Rail Road station in every one of those business districts, which is a huge advantage.”

Tim Small, president of Smithtown United Civic Association, said Tuesday the group supports transit-oriented development and would like to see revitalization along the railroad. 

While he does not yet know the full scope of Tritec's plans, Small suggested they include ideas such as remapping some streets to make them more pedestrian friendly. He also suggested consolidating town offices in the area into a nearby building on New York Avenue and using the remaining space for redevelopment.

“Community engagement is paramount to making everything work,” Small said, adding he would like to sit down with Tritec officials in the future to discuss his group's ideas. 

Both Tritec and Small say connecting sewers to downtown Smithtown will be key in creating any kind of development and revitalization.

In May, the town received $13 million in Suffolk County water infrastructure funds, with $10 million of it going to the town's business district for its sewer connectivity project. Local officials said at the time that a sewer connection would play a key role in spurring economic growth for the area near the LIRR station.

Tritec has previously worked on multifamily rental unit projects in Islip Town, a mixed-use apartment and retail project in Patchogue known as New Village At Patchogue, and Station Yards, a $1 billion mixed-use project in Ronkonkoma near its LIRR station that is currently in its second phase.

In a proposal submitted to Smithtown in June, the firm promised to seek community engagement on the project, secure construction debt financing, and work with the town and Suffolk County to complete necessary infrastructure improvements.

The next step in the process is for Tritec to complete a market analysis, study blight in the area and complete a development plan, which they will pay for, according to Hans.

The town board unanimously selected Tritec out of four proposals at a November board meeting.

Wehrheim said that in the next few months, Tritec will “come up with information on precisely how long they think it would take, what they think is involved, what the town's participation is,” Wehrheim said. “Then we'll be ready to move forward from there.”

Kelly said the town and Tritec started preliminary discussions last month and they intend to continue discussions after the holidays.