The biggest change on Wading River's stretch of Route 25A this year is a shopping center that will not be built. Meanwhile, the new places to eat opened in storefronts that were already there, and the hamlet's oldest gathering spot, the Duck Ponds, now has money to be fixed.
Taken together, 2026 kept the hamlet's shape and filled it in. It added a juice bar here, a bakery there, and funding for ponds that had been silting up for years. The December calendar happens in those same few places.
The shopping center that is becoming open space
For years, the 6.34 acres on the south side of Route 25A, west of Wading River-Manor Road, carried a plan for Venezia Square. That was a proposed 37,000-square-foot, campus-style shopping center. On July 14, 2026, the Suffolk County Legislature voted unanimously to buy the five parcels from Venezia Corporation for $4.42 million, RiverheadLOCAL reported. The vote ends the prospect of a shopping center there.
The price works out to $16 per square foot. The money comes from the open-space part of the Suffolk County Drinking Water Protection Program. The county plans to transfer the land to its Department of Parks, Recreation and Conservation for passive recreation. The purchase still depends on a final survey, so the land is approved for preservation but the sale has not closed.
Two Riverhead Town Council members who live in Wading River, Ken Rothwell and Denise Merrifield, spoke before the legislature in favor of the purchase. Rothwell told legislators the shopping center would have added to congestion on a part of Route 25A that already backs up often, according to the same RiverheadLOCAL report.
That matters for everyday errands. Without a 37,000-square-foot retail campus on that frontage, the 25A traffic you already know stays roughly as it is. Any new shops and restaurants also have to fit into buildings and centers that already exist. This year, they did.
Where the new food actually landed
Each of this year's new and returning food stops opened in an existing storefront.
- The Eastern Squeeze Juice & Sandwich Shoppe, at The Shoppes at East Wind, 5768 Route 25A. The Quimi sisters held a grand opening in August. The menu covers juices, smoothies, sandwiches, bowls and matcha lattes, Northforker reported.
- For Goodness Cakes Co. opened its first brick-and-mortar bakery on May 23, 2026, after starting out as a food truck. The Riverhead News-Review reported hours of Friday through Sunday, noon to 4 p.m., so plan a weekend visit.
- Ravaa's Bagels, 6278 Route 25A, reopened in August. It had been closed after smoke and water damage from a November 2025 fire at a neighboring restaurant. Northforker listed daily hours of 5:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., which covers anyone grabbing breakfast before an early commute.
The Eastern Squeeze joins long-standing East Wind tenants that Northforker profiled in February, Cheese & Spice Market and Wines by Nature. That center now covers a juice-and-sandwich lunch, a cheese board and a bottle to go with it.
East Wind also hosted the hamlet's fall gathering this year. The Wading River-Shoreham Chamber of Commerce's free Fall Festival was held there on Oct. 18, with vendors, food trucks, live music, line dancing, face painting and a bounce house, according to TBR News Media.
The Duck Ponds get funding and a work order
If East Wind is where Wading River shops, the Duck Ponds are its original center. They sit along North Country Road and Zophar Mills Road, right on the line between Brookhaven and Riverhead. Sediment buildup has made the water shallow and contributed to algal blooms, TBR News Media reported. Because the ponds sit in two towns, fixing them has always taken both.
On Tuesday, Oct. 27, Brookhaven Town Highway Superintendent Daniel Losquadro announced $850,000 in Brookhaven funding for a restoration. He was joined by Riverhead Town Councilman Ken Rothwell and Brookhaven Town Councilwoman Jane Bonner. "Without funding, it's just an idea," Losquadro said, according to TBR News Media.
The money so far comes from three places:
- Brookhaven's share for the work: $850,000, approved by the Town Board and Supervisor Dan Panico.
- Engineering: nearly $80,000 from Brookhaven for M&J Engineering, with Riverhead reimbursing half.
- Beautification: a $65,000 grant from Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine and the Suffolk County Legislature, which Rothwell called a first step toward the larger restoration.
If you walk the ponds often, here is what the plan covers, according to TBR's account:
- Bulkheads first: Losquadro said the failing bulkheads under Riverhead's jurisdiction have to be replaced before heavy equipment can come in to dredge.
- Dredging: removing the sediment that has contributed to shallow water and algal blooms.
- Stormwater improvements: Brookhaven already finished a drainage project at the western end of the ponds, and Losquadro said more work is needed to fix the remaining problems.
- Beautification: broader improvements to the community landmark.
Bonner said she has pushed for improvements to the ponds for 18 years. She explained why the two towns had to work together: "Stormwater runoff and road runoff doesn't understand boundaries and townships." Rothwell credited the Wading River Civic Association for helping move the project forward. Officials said they hope to add county and federal funding as the work goes on. For a sense of the result, Losquadro pointed to the dredging at Kelly's Pond in Miller Place, the closest local example.
The ponds have kept hosting events while they wait. This fall's calendar put the fourth annual Witching Hours at the Duck Ponds on Oct. 3, with local businesses including Luna Grace Boutique, Willow + Bloom, R.E.N. Design Company, Brekky and Mesquite, Northforker reported.
December happens in the same places
This year's holiday calendar mostly stays on the same stretch of 25A, with one stop at the beach before it starts.
Wednesday, Nov. 25, 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.: Citizen Science Beach Hike at Wildwood State Park. This free program has participants survey marine debris and learn about cold-stunned sea turtles. Registration is required through New York State Parks.
Saturday, Nov. 28: Santa's mailbox goes out at The Shoppes at East Wind. Letters dropped off by 5 p.m. on Dec. 21 get a reply from Santa if they include a return address.
Saturday, Dec. 5, 3 to 8 p.m.: 10th Annual Holiday Tree Lighting at The Shoppes at East Wind, 5768 Route 25A. The event goes on rain or shine and is free. Santa arrives at 4 p.m. for photos, there are rides on Rudolph on the carousel, and the Wading River Fire Department truck arrives at 6 p.m. to light the tree. Bring a new, unwrapped toy for Toys for Tots and a nonperishable food item for local families. Details are on East Wind's event page.
On the same day, the Rocky Point–Sound Beach Chamber holds WinterFest on Broadway between King Road and 25A. Its market runs 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., followed by Santa and a tree lighting from 5 to 7 p.m., according to the chamber's events page.
Sundays, Dec. 6, 13 and 20, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.: Brunch with Santa at Desmond's, 5720 Route 25A. See East Wind's listing.
Thursday, Dec. 10, 7 to 9:30 p.m.: Holiday Wine Dinner at Desmond's Gastro Pub. See the event page.
Thursday, Dec. 17, 6 to 9 p.m.: Wading River-Shoreham Chamber of Commerce Holiday Party. It is listed on the chamber's event calendar.
Thursday, Dec. 17, 7 to 11 p.m.: The 2026 Big Little Holiday Party at the Inn at East Wind, 5720 Route 25A. It overlaps with the chamber party, so pick one or plan to go to both. See East Wind's listing.
Bring the kids to the tree lighting, get bagels at Ravaa's on the way, and stop by the Duck Ponds on the drive home. The bulkheads you pass there are the first part of the restoration work.
My office is in Shoreham, and what happens on 25A and at the Duck Ponds is part of my everyday work. If you have questions about the Venezia Square land, the pond work, or how changes like these affect your own street, I'm happy to talk them through. Reach out to Gina Bettenhauser. Let's Connect.
