Stonybrook Ambulance Center use variance at 1087 Old Country Road
Town of Riverhead
Summary
Stony Brook wants to base its third mobile stroke unit and store eight ambulances in the former Big Lots space at Staples Plaza. Peconic Bay Medical Center, weeks from opening its own thrombectomy program across the street, argues the unit would bypass the local hospital and send stroke patients 40 minutes to Stony Brook. The ZBA will weigh a code interpretation versus a use variance and decide May 14.
At a glance
- Total mentions
- 2
- Last 30 days
- 0
Last discussed Apr 9, 2026.
Impact analysis
The property owner pays about $437,582 a year in taxes on the center and says the vacant Big Lots space is unrentable without a non-retail tenant.
Stroke patients across Riverhead and the forks could get faster diagnosis and treatment, and the shopping center owner gains a tenant for dead space.
Opponents say shoppers and elderly pedestrians in the parking lot face safety risks from emergency vehicles, and Peconic Bay fears patients will be diverted away from the local hospital.
Mentions & discussions (2)
Zoning Board of Appeals - Apr 9, 2026
Stony Brook wants to base its third mobile stroke unit and store eight ambulances in the former Big Lots space at Staples Plaza. Peconic Bay Medical Center, weeks from opening its own thrombectomy program across the street, argues the unit would bypass the local hospital and send stroke patients 40 minutes to Stony Brook. The ZBA will weigh a code interpretation versus a use variance and decide May 14.
Zoning Board of Appeals - Feb 12, 2026
A proposed ambulance center/garage isn't allowed in the Shopping Center district, and the fight over it has drawn letters from both sides. The Board reopened the hearing after new submissions from the medical center's side and will take it up March 12.
Related development
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