Vision Long Island

Forty-five Affordable Housing Units, Planned Locally, Completed In Freeport The Allan and Geraldine Rosenberg Residence, a new housing development in the Village of Freeport offering 45 affordable apartments for adults aged 55 and older, was completed mid-September, the Long Island Press reports. The residence is part of New York State’s $25 billion Housing Plan, which aims to create or preserve up to 100,000 affordable homes across the state. The $25 million project received substantial state financing, including $18.4 million in federal low-income Housing Tax Credits from New York State Homes and Community Renewal. The five-story building is located at 81 South Bergen Place and is being developed by Selfhelp Realty Group, Inc. The development includes 44 one-bedroom apartments and one two-bedroom apartment for an on-site manager, the outlet describes. All apartments are affordable to households earning at or below 60 percent of the Area Median Income. In addition, there are 14 apartments reserved for individuals experiencing homelessness, who will have access to rental subsidies and supportive services funded through the Empire State Supportive Housing Initiative and administered by the New York State Department of Health. Freeport Mayor Robert Kennedy stated, “Nassau County senior residents need affordable housing and this development addresses this need for our seniors. This beautiful 45-unit building also sports a roof garden, sufficient on-site parking for all the residents and is handicap accessible.” “Through this important development, we are taking a key step toward fulfilling our mission to provide safe, decent, and affordable senior housing as well as assistance for some of our most vulnerable residents,” Nassau County Legislator Debra Mule added. Click here to read complete Long Island Press article. https://lnkd.in/ePmB85ka

New Panel To Curb Development & Preserve East End Land A group of current and former elected officials, environmentalists, civic leaders and farming advocates from the North Fork of Long Island have formed a panel focused on preserving land on the East End, Long Island Business News (LIBN) reports. On November 12, 2024, the Greater Jamesport Civic Association announced that it has spear-headed the formation of the Blue Ribbon Panel for Preservation, a community-based initiative whose task is to tackle the critical and timely issue of land preservation in Riverhead and throughout the East End. The Blue Ribbon Panel for Preservation is a volunteer group of professionals with experience and knowledge in land preservation, the environment and ecology, and regional government, who have committed to work together to address land use and preservation concerns, with a particular focus on farmland, shoreline and open spaces in Riverhead Town. In a statement on its website, the civic association identifies the mission of the Blue Ribbon Panel for Preservation as recommending methods and tools that may be employed by the Town of Riverhead and potentially, other East End towns, to further the goal of preservation of farmland, shoreline and open space, while recognizing the fiscal constraints currently facing Riverhead Town. The creation of the panel, LIBN reports, comes on the heels of a recently scuttled zoning change from the Town of Riverhead’s proposed Comprehensive Plan Update that would have allowed hospitality development on North Fork farmland. The proposed change to the town’s zoning code would have created a specially permitted use, Agritourism, Inns and Resorts in the RA80 Zoning Use District, allowing for development of resorts and inns on a minimum of 100-acre parcels of land north of Sound Avenue. It would have required that 70 percent of the land be preserved for agricultural use, and no more than 30 percent used for hospitality development that would not be visible from Sound Avenue. The members of the panel include Hubbard; Robert DeLuca, president of the Group for the East End; Riverhead Councilmember Denise Merrifield; Southold Town Supervisor Al Krupski; Kevin McDonald, conservation project director at The Nature Conservancy; Kevin McAllister, founder and president of Defend H2O; Juan Micieli-Martinez, president of Long Farm Bureau; Janice Scherer, planning and development administrator at Town of Southampton; Phil Schmitt, owner of Schmitt Family Farm; Laura Jens-Smith, president of Greater Jamesport Civic Association; Suffolk County Legis. Catherine Stark; and Julie Wesnofske, senior project manager at Peconic Land Trust. Click here for complete Long Island Business News article. https://lnkd.in/gPrC5bVE Click here for the Greater Jamesport Civic Association statement. https://lnkd.in/eM-Ry3FY

New Hyde Park Beautification Project Begins Construction has officially begun for a long-awaited beautification project at the New Hyde Park train station and Third Avenue in New Hyde Park, the Long Island Press reports. The village has started knocking down buildings to make way for an 18,000-square-foot parking lot with 53 new parking spaces. New Hyde Park Mayor Christopher Devane told the outlet one-third of the municipal parking lot at the station, about 44 parking spots, will remain. The residual area of 27,000 square feet will become a public park. The project was made possible through a $5 million state grant that was given to villages affected by the construction of the Long Island Rail Road expansion project. “It’s going to have pickleball courts, it’s going to have a dog park, there’s going to be a playground, a seating area and a basketball court,” Mayor Devane said. “It’s going to be beautiful.” It was Mayor Devane, the outlet identifies, who came up with the idea of constructing a new park in the municipal lot at the station. He said the only way to make this work was to buy a few abandoned buildings, including a deli, a factory, a house and a cleaner, that were owned by one person and turn them into parking spaces so that when the park is created the number of parking spaces won’t be dramatically reduced. “Not only did we have to convince the state to do this, but we had to see if the owner would want to sell,” Mayor Devane told the outlet. “So we approach him and he said he’d sell and we came up with a number of $3.5 million.” The mayor then notified the state but they were unsure about this purchase at first because the grant only allowed them to purchase property for green space. However, the village said it’s a “transferred green space” where they are making a parking lot and will transform parts of the municipal lot into a green space. These conversations between the village and the state went on for about 15 to 16 months until the property was purchased on October 17th at $3.5 million. Mayor Devane said if the weather cooperates, the parking lot may be completed before the winter and construction on the park might start at the same time. Click here to read complete Lond Island Press article. https://lnkd.in/eYzgTibK

Holiday Extravaganza Planned for Downtown Riverhead All are invited to join the festivities December 7, 2024 (rain date 12/8) in Downtown Riverhead for a fun filled day to ring in the holiday season. The schedule of festivities is as follows: 1:00 pm - Line up for Lions Club Parade ???????????????Vehicles, walkers and pets welcome! (prize for pet with the best holiday spirit! ) 2:30 pm - Santa arrives by boat ~ Photos with Santa ~ Free hot cocoa 2:45 pm - Bonfire 3:00 pm - Musical program begins. Emceed by Mark McLaughlin with performances by ???????????????Riverhead High School; School of Rock; East End Arts & the East End Disability singers 5:00 pm - Official Welcome from Town Dignitaries 5:15 pm - Tree Lighting Throughout the day there will be games, crafts, juggling, North Fork Chocolate & more! The Lions Club parade, originally scheduled for 12/14 in conjunction with the bonfire, decided to join forces with the Riverhead Chamber of Commerce and Townscape's Tree Lighting event after the Riverhead BID made the decision to cancel their bonfire and Santa House in order to focus on other initiatives. "It has been truly heartwarming to see the number of community organizations that have stepped up to contribute to this great lineup of festive holiday activities. Downtown Riverhead will undoubtedly be the benchmark for other town celebrations!" said Supervisor Tim Hubbard. To participate in parade please email: [email protected] Holiday bedecked boats are welcome to join the Santa flotilla on the river! Click here for more information. https://lnkd.in/eYMyNCYd

Live Theater Opening Downtown Glen Cove It’s official, a community theater is planning on opening in downtown Glen Cove. North Shore Village Theatre, home of Jazz Hands under the direction of Christopher Moll, signed a lease at 19 Glen Street, with plans to revamp the former Charles Hardware store into a space with a 150-seat theater as well as a rehearsal space. The theater will become a place where individuals of all ages can come together to experience the magic of live theater. Right in the heart of downtown, the theater will offer productions from both North Shore Village Theatre and Jazz Hands Children’s Theatre, as well as festivals, camps and acting classes for all, bringing life to a space that has been vacant for more than four years. Additionally, Mr. Moll has plans to program the space to bring in additional shows and programs for the entire community to enjoy. “Having a venue for live theater will transform downtown,” said Jill Nossa, executive director of the Glen Cove Downtown Business Improvement District. “This will be a draw for people to come downtown and patronize our restaurants and shops.” The building is owned by Bruce Waller of GW Development, who bought the property shortly after the hardware store closed in 2020. Plans for a restaurant/lounge fell through two years ago, and Mr. Waller had been actively seeking a tenant ever since.? Jazz Hands Children’s Theatre is currently in its 10th season and the nonprofit North Shore Village Theatre has been operating since 2017. Last summer, Jazz Hands expanded its summer camp program, and in the spring began adding a teen program, now in its second season. Though growing, the organization is still in need of funding to help with building costs. Mr. Moll plans to hold fundraisers and is accepting donations at https://lnkd.in/epM7mWbN. This past July, the City of Glen Cove adopted a new comprehensive plan; part of the outreach for creating the plan included public comments, a large percentage of which focused on revitalizing the downtown. Many people expressed the desire for live entertainment, something that downtown is lacking. “The comments we received and conversations we had during the process made it clear that this is something that our residents want. The fact that Chris is the force behind it makes it even better,” Ms. Nossa said. “People will have quality entertainment, and I really foresee this as adding life to our downtown.”

SBA Upcoming Events & Webinars The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) continues offering the following upcoming webinars and events: Wed. 11/27/2024 9:30am-10:30am (SBA and York College SBDC) Webinar “How to Boost Your Holiday revenue” https://lnkd.in/e6YwuDrE Tue. 12/3/2024 11am-12pm (SBA and Italy-America Chamber of Commerce) Webinar “Access to Capital” https://lnkd.in/eexs7j6H Wed. 12/4/2024 9:30am-10:30am (SBA and LaGuardia Community College SBDC) Webinar “How SBA Can Help Your Business” https://lnkd.in/eNmcKuCt [us02web.zoom.us] Wed. 12/4/2024 11am-12pm (SBA and National Urban League) Webinar “Strategies for Growth and Business Development” https://lnkd.in/eBTRdE4y Wed. 12/4/2024 1pm-2pm (SBA and Tech Incubator at Queens College) Webinar “Meet the Lenders” https://lnkd.in/ehggCZgW Fri. 12/6/2024 1pm-2pm (SBA and Greater New York Chamber of Commerce) Webinar “How to Do Business with the Government Greater New York Chamber of Commerce - NYC Tue. 12/10/2023 2pm-3pm (SBA and Renaissance EDC) In Mandarin Government Contracting Series III “Marketing to the Government Agencies” https://lnkd.in/esPTV2Cv Tue. 12/10/2024 3pm-4pm (SBA and Renaissance EDC) In English Government Contracting Series III “Marketing to the Government Agencies” https://lnkd.in/e-xQ86Ze Wed. 12/11/2024 9:30am-10:30am (SBA and York College SBDC) Webinar “Grants for R&D- SBIR and STTR” https://lnkd.in/euSGmMAb Thurs. 12/12/2024 In-person and on Zoom hybrid at Flushing Library (41-17 Main St ground level) In English 12:30pm-1:30pm”DIY-Building a Blog for You and Your Business using blogger.com” https://lnkd.in/eyjjzHp5 Zoom Meeting ID: 883 9874 1494, Passcode: 4117 Thurs. 12/12/2024 In-person and on Zoom hybrid at Flushing Library (41-17 Main St ground level) In Mandarin 2pm-3pm”DIY-Building a Blog for You and Your Business using blogger.com” https://lnkd.in/e7XryU5P Zoom Meeting ID: 813 4972 1455, Passcode: 914501 Mon. 12/16/2024 4pm-5pm (SBA and White Plains Library) In-person and Zoom hybrid “Financial Literacy for Teens” https://lnkd.in/e7zeFy8C For more information, please contact Ms. Man-Li Lin, Economic Development Specialist, New York District Office, U.S. Small Business Administration at [email protected].

Public Input Sought For Redevelopment Plans For Downtown Mastic Beach Brookhaven Town has announced a public meeting Thursday night, November 14th, to discuss plans for the long-awaited redevelopment of downtown Mastic Beach, Newsday reports. The meeting will take place at 6:30 PM at William Floyd High School, 240 Mastic Beach Road in Mastic Beach. Town officials said in a news release that Jericho-based master developer Beechwood Organization will present a proposed land-use plan for the redevelopment area, which includes a half mile stretch of Neighborhood Road, the hamlet’s business district. Brookhaven and Beechwood officials have said the plan includes a mix of townhouses, condominiums, stores and parking areas. The area currently features small stores, restaurants and bars, and newly constructed buildings including an ambulance company and a branch of the Mastics-Moriches-Shirley Community Library, the outlet notes. Redeveloping the downtown has received widespread support from residents, as well as business and civic leaders. Officials expect the redevelopment to receive a boost from the construction of Suffolk County's Forge River Watershed Sewer District, which includes sewer hookups crucial to the addition of new homes and restaurants. Those attending the meeting will be invited to take part in small-group discussions with Beechwood and Brookhaven representatives to discuss details of the plan and provide feedback, Newsday writes. In a statement, Supervisor Dan Panico, a Mastic Beach native, said he hoped the plan will “write a new positive chapter in the history of Mastic Beach.” Vision worked on previous versions of Mastic Beach revitalization and has been lobbying for funds for sewers and other services and infrastructure with local residents and business owners. Click here for full Newsday article. https://lnkd.in/ekEA2QRp

Long Island Action Agenda Listening Sessions The Long Island Nitrogen Action Plan (LINAP) is approaching its 10-year anniversary and is looking back at all that it has accomplished in the past decade, while also recognizing the work that still needs to be done. Looking forward, it will be transitioning to a holistic watershed program, expanding beyond nitrogen pollution, and creating a Long Island Action Agenda as its management plan.? Action Agendas are used in watershed programs throughout New York State as a strategic plan and puts Long Island on an equal playing field with other New York State watershed programs by increasing program durability and funding opportunities. The Action Agenda has four main goals: Clean Water, Healthy Habitats, Sustainable Groundwater Resources, and Inspired & Engaged Public.? All are invited to join LINAP for upcoming virtual public listening sessions where DEC staff will provide an overview of the Action Agenda.? When: Wednesday, November 20th from 6:00 – 8:00 PM. Thursday, November 21st from 2:00 – 4:00 PM.

Town of Islip Seeks Public Input The Town of Islip has launched a special website to gather public input for the town’s first reboot of its master plan in more than 40 years, Newsday reports. Town officials have touted public input from Islip’s more than 330,000 residents as key to the new long term policy plan, which will provide a road map for future development for at least the next 20 years. “We’re taking the public engagement process of it very seriously,” Supervisor Angie Carpenter told the outlet. “We're going to be deliberate in the process and make sure everyone has an opportunity” to participate. According to the outlet, Islip civic leaders believe a new comprehensive plan is long overdue, expressing fears of overdevelopment as developers pour billions into projects across town, including the Midway Crossing development. That project alone will add a convention center, 300-room hotel, health sciences facilities and a new air terminal at Long Island MacArthur Airport with a walkway to Ronkonkoma’s Long Island Rail Road station. Other major developments include the ongoing expansion of publicly owned Jake’s 58 casino and a proposal to build 890 housing units at the former Island Hills golf course in Sayville, a project that has met significant opposition from town residents. David Chan, president of the Oakdale Civic Association, told Newsday the new plan should include a focus on revitalizing businesses in Oakdale and revamping the hamlet’s sewer system. Overdevelopment is also “a huge fear amongst the community,” Mr. Chan said, adding that the Island Hills proposal “hangs over our heads like a black cloud.” Town residents can share input through an online survey, an idea wall and map on the town’s comprehensive plan website, TOI360.com. Islip Town last adopted a master plan in 1979. The new plan will outline community goals centered around key themes such as housing, sustainability and resilience, economic development and public services, the outlet summarizes. The town will also host public meeting to maximize input. The survey, the idea wall and the map will remain open through the end of the year. The town is planning a public workshop in January that will be followed by a series of smaller community forums. Click here for complete Newsday article. https://lnkd.in/eFUt6hSk Click here to view the online survey. https://www.toi360.com/

Farmingdale Village Purchases Historic Powell House When the 1700s home of Thomas Powell, an early Long Island settler, went on the market, Farmingdale Mayor Ralph Ekstrand saw an opportunity, Newsday reports. Mayor Ekstrand said he believed there was nothing stopping a developer from knocking it down and subdividing the land. A pivotal piece of the village's beginnings could soon slip away, he recalled thinking. The sale to the village was finalized in September for $750,000, officials said. The village established the Thomas Powell House Committee to plan for the house's restoration and future use. Officials want to turn the home into a museum that highlights the early days of Farmingdale. Thomas Powell built the brick home on what is now Merritts Road as part of the Bethpage Purchase. Powell paid 140 sterlings for a 3?-by-5-mile tract of land, the outlet reports. Powell had moved from Huntington after refusing to pay church taxes and used the home as an early meeting house for Quakers. Over the years, owners of the home have made renovations and extensions, said Bob Lucian, 88, who has lived in the house since 1971. But some of the home's earliest elements are on full display. Descending down a tight staircase to the basement, some of the original stone foundation is visible..He plans to leave some mementos behind, including iron keys to the front door. To preserve its future, officials are examining the property's past in exacting detail. Once the research is complete, the town can ask the federal government to list it on the National Register of Historic Places. The village has applied for grants to cover repairs on the home and bought the property using surplus revenue from its general fund. Village officials tell Newsday the home can serve as the meeting room for the Farmingdale-Bethpage Historical Society and the property can be incorporated into the curricula of school districts. "We need to educate the younger generation," Ekstrand said. "People should know how Farmingdale was settled in 1687." Click here for complete Newsday article. https://lnkd.in/eJNM6W63