Revitalizing Long Island’s Downtown Communities – Part Two. Central Islip Awarded $10 Million Downtown Revitalization Initiative Grant

August 13, 2018

 

Last week, we reported on a $10 million award issued by the State to help revitalize downtown Hicksville. Well, the Governor is at it again. On August 8^th, Governor Cuomo announced the winners of the third round of the Downtown Revitalization Initiative; and Central Islip is the big winner on Long Island.

The State’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative, started in 2016, is touted as being “a comprehensive approach to boosting local economies by transforming communities into vibrant neighborhoods where the next generation of New Yorkers will want to live, work, and raise a family.”   The ten Regional Economic Councils each get to select one downtown from its region “that is ripe for revitalization and has the potential to become a magnet for redevelopment, business, job creation, greater economic and housing diversity, and opportunity.” The selection is made from communities that submit applications to the applicable Regional Economic Council. The criteria for selection “includes: physical environment, past investment, future potential, recent or impending job growth, support for the local vision, and readiness.” The Village of Westbury was Long Island’s first round winner. Hicksville was its second round winner.

The Downtown Revitalization Initiative process is described in great detail in the State’s April 2018 Downtown Revitalization Initiative Guidebook.  The revitalization effort starts with a Local Planning Committee.  This committee, composed of local stakeholders, oversees the development of the strategic plan for the redevelopment.  The State provides this committee with support and technical assistance from a team of planners and consultants. The process also includes public engagement initiatives “to enable residents, public and private agencies, community organizations, local businesses, and institutions of learning to work towards a shared vision for a more vibrant downtown.”

So what is Central Islip’s proposed vision for a more vibrant downtown? According to the Central Islip Application submitted to the Long Island Regional Economic Council, the vision for Central Islip’s downtown includes:

• • Transit oriented development aimed at encouraging transit use and other forms of green transportation. This priority will center around the former Central Islip Train Station on Carleton Avenue.
  • Purchasing blighted and underused properties for use as parking facilities to increase downtown parking and facilitate redevelopment.
  • Rezoning and lot consolidation to encourage downtown redevelopment and growth, eliminating uses that are not compatible with a downtown, such as vehicle repair shops, and consolidating substandard lots to make them usable and encourage appropriate development.
  • Redeveloping the former Central Islip train station property, which would include transforming a brownfield site into a parking lot for an adjacent vacant piece of property owned by the Town’s Community Development Agency.
  • Expanding the Central Islip LIRR Train Station parking lot by adding 100 new parking spaces.
  • Acquiring and constructing cross access easements between Town parking facilities and adjacent properties to create shared parking to assist with traffic flow and mitigate traffic hazards along Carleton Avenue.
  • Redeveloping the former Central Islip Fire House into a mixed-used building or community center.
  • Implementing the Town’s Complete Streets Policy throughout the downtown to enhance affordable transportation, driving commerce in downtown, calming traffic and enhancing the general health and welfare of the residents of the Central Islip community.
  • Constructing Traffic Roundabouts and other safety mitigation techniques.

This expansive and impressive vision will take time to achieve, and the $10 million award is only a fraction of the investment that will be needed to achieve it. Hopefully, the Town of Islip is able to convert its vision into a thriving downtown for the Central Islip community. Stay tuned.