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Zoning board holds Stony Brook ambulance/mobile-stroke unit appeal in reserve after broad local support
Summary
Stony Brook Medicine proposed converting a rear portion of a large shopping center in Riverhead into an ambulance station and mobile stroke unit hub. Riverhead volunteer ambulance leaders supported the move; the board set a reserve decision pending Suffolk County review for Feb. 12, 2026.
Stony Brook Medicine told the Riverhead Zoning Board on Jan. 8 that it wants to convert about 13,500 ft² in the rear of a large shopping-center building at 1087 Old Country Road into space to store ambulances and to station a mobile stroke unit (MSU) serving the East End.
Counsel for Stony Brook argued the proposal fits the town's shopping-center definition and therefore is a permitted business establishment located within an existing shopping center; alternatively, counsel said the parcel's configuration created unique leasing hardship that would justify a use variance. The applicant said the site is roughly 9.3 acres, served by a large parking field, and is positioned with direct access to Old Country Road for rapid east'west travel.
Representatives of the Riverhead Volunteer Ambulance Corps and other local EMS agencies spoke in favor. Patrick Ugliata, representing Riverhead Volunteer Ambulance, said the MSU would shorten stroke-response times on the east end and that Stony Brook has offered temporary use of facilities while Riverhead builds its own facility. "Time is brain," Ugliata said, urging approval for improved coverage.
Stony Brook representative Steven Slovenky described current storage at a smaller Riverhead facility and said the new site would accommodate up to eight ambulances plus one MSU, provide staff and training space, and would generate roughly 14'16 jobs. The MSU is planned to operate 12 hours daily (8 a.m. to 8 p.m.) with an estimated three calls per day; Stony Brook said no engine repairs would occur on site and that staff parking would be in the main lot to limit activity near residences.
Board members asked detailed questions about circulation paths from the rear of the shopping center to Old Country Road, signage, whether the MSU would be dispatched from the site (Stony Brook said yes for stroke-like calls), and how many vehicles would be stored overnight (the applicant said up to nine spaces including the MSU). Counsel stressed the rear portion of the building is largely "dead space" for retail and that Stony Brook is investing about $2 million privately in the MSU and interior alterations.
The board moved to set a reserve decision pending a Suffolk County Planning Commission determination; the motion carried with recorded abstentions. The reserve decision is scheduled for Feb. 12, 2026.
