Now more than ever, local news matters.

Now more than ever, local news matters.

Suffolk County’s Department of Social Services office in Riverhead is moving to the former Kmart building on Route 58.

County legislators yesterday authorized a 20-year lease of 38,555 square feet of the vacant big box store on the corner of Route 58 and Northville Turnpike.

The Riverhead DSS office is currently located at 893 E. Main Street, where the county’s lease expired Nov. 13. The county occupies 23,365 square feet at its current location. File photo: Peter Blasl

The county will pay a base rent of $19.75 per square foot for the space for the first five years, which works out to $63,455 per month. The lease calls for a 10% rent increase in years six through 10, and every five years thereafter, should the county exercise its right to renew for an additional 10-year period.

The landlord will construct the office space to meet the county’s needs and all improvements will be undertaken in compliance with prevailing wage and other laws applicable to county construction, real estate broker David Panetta of Cushman and Wakefield told legislators yesterday.

The 108,720-square foot building is owned by the Feil Organization of New York City. Riverhead Town officials had been negotiating a possible lease of the whole building but eventually decided against it.

The resolution did not state and legislators did not discuss the date DSS would begin occupancy of the new building. The survival of local journalism depends on your support. We are a small family-owned operation. You rely on us to stay informed, and we depend on you to make our work possible. Just a few dollars can help us continue to bring this important service to our community. Support RiverheadLOCAL today.

The survival of local journalism depends on your support. We are a small family-owned operation. You rely on us to stay informed, and we depend on you to make our work possible. Just a few dollars can help us continue to bring this important service to our community. Support RiverheadLOCAL today.