Riverhead Board Eyes Eminent Domain After Science Center Cancels Update

Councilwoman Denise Merrifield and a board majority signaled they are ready to revive condemnation proceedings against the Long Island Science Center after the nonprofit canceled a scheduled March 26 briefing, the latest in a series of setbacks that have tested Riverhead officials and stalled the town's downtown revitalization timeline.

The no-show came as roughly $1 million in grant funding tied to the East Main Street project was nearing its deadline, compounding what board members described as a loss of confidence that the nonprofit would ever deliver on its commitments. Several members said they saw no hope that the promised renovations could be completed on a schedule compatible with activating the Town Square corridor.

The town had already retreated once from seizing the building. After Riverhead previously moved toward condemnation, the science center proposed a two-phase expansion plan paired with a fundraising strategy, which proved sufficient to pause enforcement. That reprieve has not produced visible progress, and board members made clear at the work session that their tolerance for further delays has a hard limit.

The stakes of inaction are not abstract. The East Main Street property sits at the center of the Town Square project, Riverhead's signature effort to anchor its downtown with cultural and commercial activity. Every month the building remains inactive is a month that broader revitalization cannot fully launch, leaving adjacent businesses waiting on foot traffic that has yet to materialize.

If the board advances a formal condemnation resolution, the process would involve judicial review, compensation proceedings and potentially months of litigation before the town could take control of the property and pursue a new use or operator. That legal cost and timeline would need to be weighed against the ongoing loss of watching a $1 million grant expire while the building sits dormant.

The science center still has a narrow path to avoiding seizure. If the nonprofit can quickly produce secured financing, active permits and a credible construction schedule, the town could stand down and pursue coordinated development. But after a canceled update and years of broken milestones, the burden of proof has shifted squarely onto the science center.