Plans to revitalize the long-impoverished hamlet of Riverside are being bolstered by a $5 million grant the federal government recently awarded to Southampton Town for a sewage system that could boost investment and development in the area, local officials said.
The grant funds, which are part of the federal omnibus law, are earmarked for a two-phase sanitation system project that is believed to be the linchpin of the Riverside Action Plan — a vision for revitalization that was incorporated into the zoning code in 2015.
Phase one of the project includes the construction of a sewage facility, infrastructure and pumping stations, while phase two would connect an estimated 682 pipes needed for the sewage system, according to city officials.
Southampton planning and development administrator Janice Scherer told Newsday that while the cost of the sewage system is about $40 million, the new grant money will be a catalyst in moving the project forward.
“Not only will it facilitate new developments, but a big part of the plan is to connect existing developments so that the stress on the Peconic Estuary is significantly reduced,” Scherer said.
A sewage system would provide environmental benefits, the city estimates, by reducing nitrogen pollution in the Peconic Estuary by 4,924 pounds per year.
From a business perspective, a sewage system is key to fostering the proposed high-density, mixed-use development throughout the Flanders-Riverside business corridor along the Flanders Road, according to city officials and civic groups.
They say such a system would encourage investment such as the construction of new buildings, while also supporting existing development in the hamlet, which has traditionally suffered from rot, run-down housing and crime.
Angela Hunealt, vice-president of the Flanders Riverside and Northampton Civic Association, told Newsday that the grant “continues to fuel hope for Riverside’s revitalization”.
Hunealt working for Riverside Rediscovered, a company helping to rehabilitate the area, added: “Without a sewerage area, there is no revitalization. Everyone here is on cesspools. The capacity needed for the action plan might not be possible on the small systems that are in place now.”
The city previously received $250,000 through the Suffolk County Water Quality Improvement Program to put into a hamlet sewer system.
Looking ahead, the city is working on a map and plan for the sewer area and is applying for several grants, including seeking $10 million from the state to help raise the rest of the project’s funds, Scherer said.
If funding pulls through, she said the city “hopefully” will be able to get bids for construction by next year.
Plans to revitalize the long-impoverished hamlet of Riverside are being bolstered by a $5 million grant the federal government recently awarded to Southampton Town for a sewage system that could boost investment and development in the area, local officials said.
The grant funds, which are part of the federal omnibus law, are earmarked for a two-phase sanitation system project that is believed to be the linchpin of the Riverside Action Plan — a vision for revitalization that was incorporated into the zoning code in 2015.
Phase one of the project includes the construction of a sewage facility, infrastructure and pumping stations, while phase two would connect an estimated 682 pipes needed for the sewage system, according to city officials.
Southampton planning and development administrator Janice Scherer told Newsday that while the cost of the sewage system is about $40 million, the new grant money will be a catalyst in moving the project forward.
“Not only will it facilitate new developments, but a big part of the plan is to connect existing developments so that the stress on the Peconic Estuary is significantly reduced,” Scherer said.
A sewage system would provide environmental benefits, the city estimates, by reducing nitrogen pollution in the Peconic Estuary by 4,924 pounds per year.
From a business perspective, a sewage system is key to fostering the proposed high-density, mixed-use development throughout the Flanders-Riverside business corridor along the Flanders Road, according to city officials and civic groups.
They say such a system would encourage investment such as the construction of new buildings, while also supporting existing development in the hamlet, which has traditionally suffered from rot, run-down housing and crime.
Angela Hunealt, vice-president of the Flanders Riverside and Northampton Civic Association, told Newsday that the grant “continues to fuel hope for Riverside’s revitalization”.
Hunealt working for Riverside Rediscovered, a company helping to rehabilitate the area, added: “Without a sewerage area, there is no revitalization. Everyone here is on cesspools. The capacity needed for the action plan might not be possible on the small systems that are in place now.”
The city previously received $250,000 through the Suffolk County Water Quality Improvement Program to put into a hamlet sewer system.
Looking ahead, the city is working on a map and plan for the sewer area and is applying for several grants, including seeking $10 million from the state to help raise the rest of the project’s funds, Scherer said.
If funding pulls through, she said the city “hopefully” will be able to get bids for construction by next year.
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