Over fifty Long Island Main Street Alliance members, representing over forty downtowns, met at the Amityville Volunteer Fire Department on Thursday, January 19th, for its first meeting of 2023. The meeting’s theme: Main Street Outlook 2023.
Eric Alexander, Director of Vision Long Island and the Long Island Main Street Alliance, in welcoming Alliance members, thanked the Amityville Fire Department and Amityville Village Mayor Dennis Siry for hosting the meeting.
“We last met in person three years ago at the East Farmingdale Fire Department. We came out of that meeting very enthusiastic. We finally lifted off after years of getting downtowns going, then COVID hit. Through today’s discussion and updates, we want to see where we are now, moving forward into 2023,” Mr. Alexander explained.
Baldwin: Kimberly Malone, president, Baldwin Civic Association – In 2019, Baldwin was selected as a winner of a $10 million Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) award. Baldwin Commons has recently been approved, a $16 million work force housing project creating 33 units. The Grand at Baldwin, a $100 million mixed-use project with 215 units, has also gained approved. Excited to see projects continuing to move forward.
Central Islip: Debra Cavanagh, president, Central Islip Coalition of Good Neighbors - In 2018, Central Islip was selected as a winner of a $10 million Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) award. Sewers are finally coming that will allow for the development of restaurants, businesses and apartments. Projects are moving forward.
City of Long Beach: Patricia Bourne, director of economic development, City of Long Beach – Working with the Chamber of Commerce, the city code is being revised regarding home-based businesses. Free business training in the areas social media and marketing is coming. Long term, the city is continuing to work on infrastructure, including a bayfront bulkhead project and a Park Avenue improvement project.
Elmont: Julie Marchesella, president, Elmont Chamber of Commerce – Ongoing issues exist with the UBS Arena, who are not great neighbors. Working to resolve issues. New York Racing Association has always been a good neighbor to local chambers. They hire from within the community, which is very important to Elmont. Businesses are coming to Merrick.
Franklin Square: Lisa DelliPizzi, president, Franklin Square Chamber of Commerce – Continuing to network with businesses. Holding free business networking events and a fall fair. Continuing to raise money.
Melville 110: Patricia DelCol, municipal market director, H2M architects + engineers – There has been nothing happening in the Melville Corridor on weekends for years. A study was commissioned by the Town of Huntington, under the Petrone administration, to look at revitalization of the corridor. The study is under review by the current administration. The plan contemplates mixed-use. Good things are happening in Melville.
Port Washington: Holly Byrne, executive director, Port Washington BID - Twenty-two new businesses opened last year, with eight more waiting this calendar year. There have been successful events, an ad campaign, and the BID wants to do more to help Port Washington become a destination.
Uniondale: Paul Gibson, board member, Uniondale Community Council – The meteoric prices of construction are softening, bids that are going out now are coming in a little bit lower. The inventory of houses is beginning to open up. Need more affordable housing. Involved in the expansion of the school district. Jeannine Maynard, co-facilitator, Greater Uniondale Area ActionCoalition – Working on a streetscape initiative. The issue of a proposed casino has now become a central topic. The consensus is the Coliseum itself will not be maintained. With this in the mix, the community has concerns about what will happen and what is the forecast regarding development, because the original project at Nassau Hub has now changed. It is necessary to pull down the information about how the pandemic impacted the planning and what will work in that space. There is a tension about identity of place with local businesses. There is engagement to see to it that the community’s identity stays whole, and the economic balance of the community stays healthy. Uniondale wants to see healthy development.
Village of Amityville: Mayor Dennis Siry – Right now in Amityville there is a lot going on. The Village is working on spending the ten-million-dollar DRI grant it received from New York State. The Village is working on traffic calming and complete streets to help the walkability in downtown. AvalonBay is getting closer to completion, with 332 units. They are also proposing another 168 units across the street. With 119 units, Village By The Bay is fully occupied. With all of this, there has been a tremendous boost in the downtown area.
Village of Bellport: Joanne Neal, vice president, Greater Bellport Coalition – In the upcoming year, the coalition is going to invite small businesses to come in and speak to the group to share ideas. The coalition is reaching out to residents to identify what businesses/entities they want to see come into the community, such as a supermarket.
Village of Farmingdale: David Saul, board director, Farmingdale Chamber of Commerce – All the events that the Village is known for are back in full force. New businesses are still moving into the downtown. There is an exciting vibrancy in the Village.
Village of Freeport: Lois Howes, director, Freeport Chamber of Commerce – Events are back, such as the summer festival and concerts. The town seems to be doing well. Chamber is growing. Friends of Freeport will be helping with the recent floods. Hotel project is moving along.
Village of Great Neck:Janet Esagoff, founder, Destination Great Neck – Holding a community forum to discuss such ideas as economic development and ways to unify Great Neck, which has a very diverse population. Also working on ways to unify the business district. Hosting events such as a speakeasy and Gatsby inspired events.
Village of Hempstead: Belinda Watkins, president, Hempstead Chamber of Commerce – New businesses are moving into Hempstead. Mayor is working on grants to help in the revitalization of the Village. Working on increasing Minority and Women-owned Business Enterprise (M/WBE) certification for local businesses.
Village of Huntington: Vita Scaturro, president of the Township of Huntington Chamber of Commerce – The Village just came off a great holiday season. Working on adding an additional parking lot. Moving forward with sewers for Huntington Station.
Wyandanch: Ghenya Grant, president, Greater Wyandanch Chamber of Commerce - Still waiting for breaking ground on the south side of Wyandanch. There are collaborative efforts in the area of advocacy, including working with the IDA, collaborating with other chambers, bringing more State resources to chambers, and working with other coalitions to talk with legislators.
Ignite Long Island: Patrick Boyle, executive director – Manufacturing on Long Island is alive and well. There are eleven individual industry sectors. Some concerns moving forward include the large number of help-wanted listings, the need for housing & transportation, and current high interest rates. Positives include the State’s tremendous support for workforce development & training, and a variety of up-and-coming industries, such as off-shore wind and green energy.
Island Harvest: Gregory May, government relations liaison – Chambers, civics, businesses or organizations interested in arranging a food drive are encouraged to reach out to Island Harvest.
La Fuerza: Giovana Bracchi, executive director – Involved in providing free business training, free credit counseling and assistance with micro loan programs. Communicating with small businesses, especially regarding available grants and loans.
Long Island Hispanic Chamber of Commerce: Luis Vazquez, president - Christmas party gala was very successful. Working on getting County funding.
Long Island Housing Partnership: Sharon Mullon, coordinator – There is 6 million dollars from the State to work with three towns on accessory dwelling units. The grants will go to homeowners that are at 100% of the Area Median Income (AMI) and below. It is a good beginning.
Nassau Council of Chambers of Commerce: Julie Marchesella, board member – Actively adding members. Working on bringing local chambers grant money. Working with other chambers and organizations.
New York State: Eric Alexander, director, Vision Long Island and Long Island Main Street Alliance - “We know we need more housing, more incentives & funding for housing, smart growth, transit-oriented development, and we are excited that the State is finally interested in this. A potential hazard seems to be the State may want to take away local zoning to achieve this. Stay tuned.”
PSEG-Long Island: John Keating, manager, economic development – The utility has been offering programs, especially since the pandemic, to include not only large businesses, but also such entities as Chambers of Commerce - helping with outdoor dining and beautification programs. A new program for this year looks to simplify some existing programs. Instead of having multiple programs for chambers, PSEG will be offering chambers $10,000. Details to follow. There will also be a matching grant initiative.
Suffolk County Alliance of Chambers: Bob Fonti, co- chair – Suffolk County just created a new department titled Business Development Innovation. Another important initiative is M/WBE. The Alliance is donating E-bikes to the Suffolk County Police Department.
Sustainability Institute at Molloy College: Neal Lewis, executive director - There is a lot of exciting projects happening when it comes to energy, including 9,000 megawatts for offshore wind. It is transformational. There will be a new industry on Long Island very shortly. Electric cars, charging stations and community solar are also something that should be part of life moving forward.
Town of Babylon: Marcus Duffin, deputy commissioner – Working on breaking ground this year for the L building in Wyandanch. Town has invested over 8 million dollars for small business within the township, through its Direct Support Program. The Economic Inclusion Plan has been wrapped up, helping minority owned businesses occupy empty storefronts in local downtowns.
Bohler Engineering: Dale Koch, associate – There is a lot of activity going on. People are still looking to invest in downtowns and the area surrounding them. There is a strong push for projects.
GRCH Architecture: Glen Cherveny, principal – Developers would love to do more projects here and add to downtown development, but because of the continued delays and backlog of approvals, quit a few are moving a lot of their money to other states.
The Kulka Group: Devin Kulka, chief executive officer – Infrastructure, such as sewers, is so critical for healthy development. Only 30% of Suffolk County is sewered and the need is there to increase this. Workforce housing projects are moving forward, along with market rate projects.
WSP: Aryeh Lemberger, vice president, NYC practice lead – There is a lot of money for infrastructure out there right now, through the federal and state government. It is encouraging to see the State re-up the DRI program and the New York Forward program for a five-year period. This has a great impact on local communities.
In Closing
Thanking everyone for their participation. Mr. Alexander concluded, “It is important to build partnerships. That is exactly what we are doing with the Main Street Alliance. One very important issue moving forward that must be mentioned, and will be worked on, is marketing. Marketing money is important, marketing lifts up tourism and lifts up our downtowns.”
LI Complete Streets Summit, March 23, 2023
LI Lobby Coalition, LI Lobby Day, February 28, 2023
LI Main Street News, 8 PM weeknights, Facebook LIVE
LI Smart Growth Awards, June 9, 2023 – taking nominations
LI Youth Summit, March 31, 2023, St. Joseph's University
Pink Tie Delivers continuing and continuing to look for sponsors
Vision Long Island 25th Anniversary Gala – TBA
In Attendance:
Patricia Bourne, director of economic development, City of Long Beach; Patrick Boyle, executive director, Ignite Long Island; Giovana Bracchi, executive director, La Fuerza; Holly Byrne, executive director, Port Washington BID; Debra Cavanagh, president, Central Islip Coalition of Good Neighbors; Glen Cherveny, principal, GRCH Architecture; Elizabeth Custodio, vice president, regional CRA officer, M&T Bank; Patricia DelCol, municipal market director, H2M architects + engineers; Lisa DelliPizzi, president, Franklin Square Chamber of Commerce; Marcus Duffin, deputy commissioner, Town of Babylon; Jeffrey Erath, board member, Amityville Chamber of Commerce; Janet Esagoff, founder, Destination Great Neck; Trudy Fitzsimmons, chair, Vision Long Island; Bob Fonti, co- chair, Suffolk County Alliance of Chambers; Paul Gibson, board member, Uniondale Community Council; Dr. Corrine Graham, NYS MWBE; Ghenya Grant, president, Greater Wyandanch Chamber of Commerce; Darrin Green, community activist, Central Islip; Linda Herman, PSEG LI; Lois Howes, director, Freeport Chamber of Commerce; John Keating, manager, economic development, PSEG-Long Island; Dale Koch, associate, Bohler Engineering; Devin Kulka, chief executive officer, The Kulka Group; Elissa Kyle, placemaking director, Vision Long Island; Dr. Gail Lamberta, St. Joseph's University; Aryeh Lemberger, vice president, NYC practice lead, WSP; Neal Lewis, executive director, Sustainability Institute at Molloy College; Kimberly Malone, president, Baldwin Civic Association; Julie Marchesella, president, Elmont Chamber of Commerce; Gregory May, government relations liaison, Island Harvest; Jeannine Maynard, co-facilitator, Greater Uniondale Area Action Coalition; Sharon Mullon, coordinator, Long Island Housing Partnership; Joanne Neal, vice president, Greater Bellport Coalition; Alex Nyilas, PSEG LI; Jack Palladino, president of the Huntington BID; Cheryl Rhoda, outreach expert, La Fuerza; Dr. Nathalia Rogers, NY Youth Summit; Lisa Saltzman, board member, Destination Great Neck; David Saul, board director, Farmingdale Chamber of Commerce; Vita Scaturro, president of the Township of Huntington Chamber of Commerce; Misolino Silva, president, Peruvian Chamber of Commerce; Ray Thomas, senior vice president, 1st Equity Title & Closing Services, board member, PINKTIE; Luis Vazquez, president, Long Island Hispanic Chamber of Commerce; Darien Ward, past president, Baldwin Civic Association; Belinda Watkins, president, Hempstead Chamber of Commerce; Kathy Wisnewski, director of customer & community LI, National Grid; and Richard Zimmer, president, Amityville Chamber of Commerce.
The LI Main Street Alliance is convened by Vision Long Island to create a unified public voice to bring attention and resources to the 40 Long Island communities that have downtown revitalization plans and programs.
Contributors:
Eric Alexander, Director; Tawaun Weber, Assistant Director; Elissa Kyle, Placemaking Director;
Linda Henninger, Outreach Coordinator; Jen Makaw, Communications Consultant
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