New Life For Woolworth Building in Downtown Riverhead

After years of standing empty, a new day is dawning for the former Woolworth building in downtown Riverhead.

The building, located at 130 East Main Street, was the subject of a public hearing at Tuesday's town board meeting.

A special permit is needed to allow Woolworth Revitalization, LLC to develop a new gym as an indoor recreational use at the site.

Riverhead attorney Martin Sendlewski, representing the applicant, spoke at the public hearing and said the new owner has closed on the parcel and plans are in the works for the new gym.

The special permit would grant a change of use for the majority of the first floor of the building, approximately 18,000 to 20,000 square feet, for the facility. 

Sendlewski said in order in order for a lease agreement for the gym to move forward, town board approval of the special permit was necessary.

In addtion to the gym on the first floor, an additional 6000 to 8000 feet of retail space facing Main Street is available, Sendlewski said; retail and residential uses are permitted at the site.

The Woolworth building has been the center of debate for years in downtown Riverhead.

One proposal, for a movie theater to be built at the site, fell through: The site was bought by the Apollo Group, a development firm, in 2006 for $4.3 million. The group had planned to use the Woolworth building as a centerpiece for their economic development, but that plan collapsed in 2007 as the economy crashed.

Next, developer Ron Parr was reportedly in talks with the Apollo Group to buy the property, and hosted representatives from Regal Entertainment Group, who visited downtown to tour the area in 2011.

Parr proposed a 35,000-square-foot multiscreen movie theater on the site.

Following his re-election, Riverhead Town Supervisor Sean Walter said getting the movie theater in the old Woolworth building was a top priority, and said progress was being made on a deal.

But on Tuesday, Walter said he was thrilled that the new owner had closed on the building and the gym was coming. 

"I'm loving it already," Walter said.

Are you excited to see the Woolworth building reborn with a gym? Share your thoughts in the comments section.